Fixed (film)

Fixed is an upcoming American adult animated black comedy film produced by New Line Cinema and Sony Pictures Animation. The first adult animated film from SPA, as well as their first traditionally animated film and to feature the involvement of another major film studio, it is being produced and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Vitti and co-produced by Michelle Murdocca. The film features the voices of Adam DeVine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, and Beck Bennett. The story follows Bull, a blue bloodhound who discovers that he is going to be neutered in the morning.

The film was first conceived in 2009 as Buds, an animal road trip film, before eventually becoming Fixed. Following the successes of Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) and the fifth and final season of Samurai Jack (2017), Tartakovsky was signed on to direct two original animated features for SPA: Fixed and Black Knight. For Fixed, he avoided relying on pop-culture jokes to include more character-focused humor, allowing the film to stand out among other R-rated animated films. Production began in July 2022 and was completed in September 2023. Most of the cast was publicly announced in June 2023.

Fixed is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Premise
"The story of an average, all-around good dog who is in love with the show dog next door, and what happens when he learns that he is going to get neutered in the morning. What does a dog do with his last night out with his besties?"

- Sony Pictures Animation

Voice cast

 * Adam DeVine as Bull, a blue bloodhound who learns that he is going to be neutered in the morning.
 * Idris Elba, as Rocco, a boxer
 * Kathryn Hahn as Honey, Bull's next-door crush
 * Fred Armisen as Fetch, a dachshund
 * Bobby Moynihan as Lucky
 * Beck Bennett as Sterling
 * River Gallo as Frankie
 * Michelle Buteau as Molasses

Development
Fixed, according to director Genndy Tartakovsky, was first conceived in 2009, as an animal road-trip film under the title Buds before eventually becoming Fixed.

On July 25, 2018, Deadline Hollywood reported that Tartakovsky was set to write and direct the R-rated comedy Fixed, with Michelle Murdocca also producing alongside Tartakovsky. Sony Pictures Animation was set to produce; Tartakovsky previously worked on the Hotel Transylvania films for the studio. In June 2019, Tartakovsky stated, "it's really funny and heartwarming, it's not all about balls, we're trying to make it a character comedy." Tartakovsky stated in July 2022 that despite Sony Pictures Animation's involvement, the film will actually be released through New Line Cinema. On September 13, 2023, New Line submitted Fixed to the Motion Picture Association, who gave the film an R rating for "strong crude sexual content and language throughout, some drug use and violence".

Writing
In December 2022, Tartakovsky said he did not want the film to rely on pop-culture jokes, instead wanting it to feature more character-focused humor, which he felt allowed Fixed to stand out among other R-rated animated films. In June 2023, Tartakovsky stated that the "camaraderie" between the characters would be inspired by Judd Apatow films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) and Knocked Up (2007).

Casting
At the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 13, 2023, Adam DeVine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, Beck Bennett, River Gallo, and Michelle Buteau were announced as part of the voice cast.

Animation and design
The animation was done by Renegade Animation, with Scott Wills serving as art director; he previously worked with Tartakovsky on Samurai Jack and Primal. Production on the film began by July 2022, and was completed in September 2023. While the film was originally intended by Tartakovsky to be made through hand-drawn animation, he later considered using computer animation to "better sell the film". He ultimately decided to keep the film's hand-drawn animation, making it the first hand-drawn film to be produced by Sony Pictures Animation, due to the hand-drawn aesthetic working better for the film's plot.

Tartakovsky wanted the animation to be reminiscent of Disney's Lady and the Tramp (1955), while also drawing inspiration from the works of Tex Avery and Chuck Jones' Looney Tunes shorts, particularly due to their emphasis on expressive animation.