Monsters vs. Aliens (franchise)

Monsters vs. Aliens is a media franchise created by DreamWorks Animation. The franchise began with the 2009 film Monsters vs. Aliens and has since grown to include a short film, two television specials, a television series, and a video game.

The franchise involves a group of monsters who are assigned by the US Government to defend Earth from various alien and supernatural threats.

Feature film
Monsters vs. Aliens is a 2009 American computer-animated 3-D science fiction action comedy film. It was DreamWorks Animation's first feature film to be directly produced in a stereoscopic 3-D format instead of being converted into 3-D after completion, which added $15 million to the film's budget.

The film was scheduled for a May 2009 release, but the release date was moved to March 27, 2009. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray September 29, 2009, in North America and included the easter egg to the upcoming movies and previews. The film features the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Conrad Vernon, Rainn Wilson, Kiefer Sutherland, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Rudd.

In April 2011, Jeffrey Katzenberg commented that the studio did not have plans to produce future movie genre parodies, like Shark Tale, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Megamind, saying that these films "all shared an approach and tone and idea of parody, and did not travel well internationally. We don't have anything like that coming on our schedule now."

B.O.B.'s Big Break
B.O.B.'s Big Break is a 3D animated short film. The short premiered on Nickelodeon in 2D on September 26, 2009, and was released 3 days later in 2D and 3D on the Monsters vs Aliens Blu-ray and the double DVD pack.

B.O.B., Dr. Cockroach, PhD, and The Missing Link are trying to outwit Captain W.R. Monger to escape from Area 52, the government's top-secret holding cell. Cockroach's escape attempt by feeding B.O.B. a chemical mixture to turn him into a bomb instead results in B.O.B. temporarily acquiring the ability to read minds, and allowing them to find out about a secret exit from Area 52. Unfortunately, the plan fails when B.O.B. smashes the jet they were using to escape believing it to be a piñata, with the resulting explosion erasing B.O.B.'s new power.

Night of the Living Carrots
Night of the Living Carrots is a 2011 13-minute 3D Halloween short film based on Monsters vs. Aliens, and a sequel to Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space. It was directed by Robert Porter. First part of the short premiered on October 13, 2011, and the second part five days later, for a limited time, exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS video service. It was released on August 28, 2012, on DVD and Blu-ray as a part of Shrek's Thrilling Tales (DreamWorks Spooky Stories).

Following the cliff hanger at the end of Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, the mutated carrot has spawned hundreds of zombie carrots which once they bite a victim they take control of the subject's mind. Dr. Cockroach determines that the only way to defeat the carrots and free their victims is for B.O.B. to eat all of the carrots (specifically because B.O.B. has no brain and thus is immune to the carrots' mind control powers), which B.O.B eventually, albeit reluctantly, does. At the end of the short, B.O.B. is turned into a giant zombie carrot.

Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space
Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space is a 2009 Halloween special, directed by Peter Ramsey. It premiered in Ireland on RTÉ One on October 26, 2009, and aired in USA on the NBC channel on October 28, 2009. The special was first released on DVD in the UK on September 27, 2010, exclusive to Tesco stores, and in US it was released on September 13, 2011, and on September 27, 2011, along with Scared Shrekless. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 28, 2012, as a part of Shrek's Thrilling Tales (DreamWorks Spooky Stories).

Susan and the fellow monsters go back to Susan's home in Modesto, California; just in time for Halloween celebrations. Susan spends time with her parents, while the other monsters join in trick-or-treating and collect a large amount of candy. Later, it is revealed that the monsters came to destroy mutant pumpkins disguised as Jack-o-lanterns. When the pumpkins begin to eat children's candies to grow larger, the monsters and children defeat them by throwing excessive candy to bloat them up and explode them. But, in a twist ending, some of the pumpkin "blood" (a green goo that mutated the ordinary pumpkins) falls into a planting of carrots, causing a mutant carrot to be formed.

Monsters vs. Aliens
A computer-animated television series based on the film, titled Monsters vs. Aliens, aired on Nickelodeon between March 23, 2013 and February 8, 2014. A total of 26 episodes consisting of 2 11-minute segments were released. The cast featured new voice actors for the characters of Dr. Cockroach (Chris O'Dowd), Susan (Riki Lindhome), Link (Diedrich Bader), and B.O.B. (Eric Edelstein). This series was partly produced by New Zealand CG animation studio Oktobor Animation. The series was cancelled after one season due to low ratings and plans to refocus on more "Nickish" shows.

Video games
The video game Monsters vs. Aliens was released on March 24, 2009 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, and Wii. The game, developed by Beenox and Amaze Entertainment, allows users to play through scenes from the movie as Ginormica, B.O.B., and The Missing Link, and features drop-in/out co-op. Players can play as Dr. Cockroach, PhD in multiplayer co-op, as well as Insectosaurus on the Nintendo DS version of the game. The music was composed by Jim Dooley, with live brass recorded at the Warner Brothers Eastwood Scoring Stage. The Monsters Vs. Aliens Videogame has garnered a Metacritic score of 63 for the Xbox 360 version of the title.

Another video game titled Madagascar Kartz was released by Activision on October 27, 2009, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS. Mainly based on the Madagascar franchise, the game also features B.O.B. and a racetrack based on the spaceship from Monsters vs. Aliens.

Another video game titled Super Star Kartz was released by Activision on November 15, 2011, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS. The game features 14 different characters from DreamWorks' films – Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar, Shrek, and How to Train Your Dragon.

A free mobile game, titled B.O.B.'s Super Freaky Job, developed by Adrenaline, was released on October 10, 2013 to iOS and Android. In the game, player must guide B.O.B. through challenges by rotating the world around him, to obtain spare parts for Dr. Cockroach, and earn stars for the Presidential Medal.

Chronology
Chronological order of the Monsters vs. Aliens franchise history:


 * 1) B.O.B.'s Big Break (2009)
 * 2) Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
 * 3) Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (2009)
 * 4) Monsters vs. Aliens: Night of the Living Carrots (2011)
 * 5) Monsters vs. Aliens (2013–2014)