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Metegol
Original Argentine release poster
Spanish	Metegol
Directed by	Juan José Campanella
Screenplay by	Juan José Campanella Gastón Gorali Eduardo Sacheri
Story by	Eduardo Sacheri Gastón Gorali Axel Kuschevatzky Juan José Campanella
Based on	"Memoirs of a Right Winger" by Roberto Fontanarrosa
Produced by	Juan José Campanella Mercedes Gamero Gastón Gorali Mikel Lejarza Jorge Estrada Mora Victor Glynn Manuel Polanco Harvey Weinstein (US dub only)
Starring	Horacio Fontova Fabián Gianola Lucía Maciel David Masajnik Pablo Rago Diego Ramos Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Coco Sily
Cinematography	Félix Monti
Edited by	Juan José Campanella
Music by	Emilio Kauderer
Production companies	100 Bares Producciones Antena 3 Films Catmandu Branded Entertainment JEMPSA Mundoloco CGI Animation Studios Telefe Canal Plus
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	July 18, 2013 (2013-07-18) (Argentina)
Running time	85 minutes (USA) 106 minutes (Argentina/Spain) 97 minutes (UK)
Countries	Argentina Spain
Language	Spanish
Budget	$21 million
Box office	$34 million

Metegol (Spanish for table football; also known in English as Underdogs in the United States, The Unbeatables in the United Kingdom and sometimes as Foosball) is a 2013 animated sports comedy film co-written, produced, directed and edited by Juan J. Campanella. The film is loosely based on the short story "Memorias de un wing derecho" ("Memoirs of a Right Winger") by Argentine writer Roberto Fontanarrosa. Gaston Gorali, co-writer and producer of the film, and Eduardo Sacheri (who had previously worked with Campanella for the classic film The Secret in Their Eyes) developed the screenplay with Campanella.

The film is an Argentine-Spanish production, and was released by Universal Pictures International Entertainment in Argentina on 18 July 2013, setting an all-time record for an Argentine film opening at the box-office. Costing $21 million, the film is the most expensive Argentine film of all time, and the most expensive Latin American animated feature ever. In 2014, The Weinstein Company acquired the rights to distribute the film in North America. After numerous delays, including an August 2015 theatrical release that was scrapped last minute, the North American English-language version was released on DVD in July 2016. The film was available on Netflix in the United States in June 2016.

The film received mixed reviews upon its international release; it has a 67% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews, while scoring a 38% weighted average score on Metacritic, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

In the American version, the film features the voices of Ariana Grande, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Morrison, Eugenio Derbez, Taran Killam, Shawn Mendes, Katie Holmes, Brooklyn Beckham, Bobby Moynihan, Bella Thorne, John Leguizamo, and Mel Brooks. Whereas, the UK version features the voices of Rupert Grint, Ralf Little, Anthony Head, Rob Brydon, Peter Serafinowicz and Darren Boyd.

Plot

A father who is putting his son to sleep narrates him a story, beginning by telling him to use his imagination while listening.

Many years ago, Amadeo, a timid boy and the best table football player around, was working in a bar in a small and quiet town. He loved Laura, a girl he met in the bar, but she did not know. While showing Laura the table football table, a bully named Grosso arrives and challenges Amadeo to a game in front of Laura. Although Amadeo refuses to play at first, he is victorious, and everyone at the bar applauds. Outside of the bar, Grosso encounters a manager who offers to take him on.

Seven years later, Amadeo's simple routine falls apart when Grosso becomes the best football player in the world, and returns to the small town to avenge the only defeat in his life. Now that he is famous, Grosso announces that he has purchased the whole village (as the town's mayor escapes in a helicopter), and builds a gigantic football stadium, although he is more interested in owning the table football table where he lost to Amadeo and destroying the bar where he was defeated. He also wants to win the affection of Laura.

With football, the bar and even his soul destroyed, Amadeo discovers something magical: in the face of adversity, the town's table football players talk and plan. Together they embark on a journey full of adventures to save Laura. Along the way, they become a real team, and while Grosso turns the town into a giant stadium and forms a soccer team, Amadeo recruits members of his table football team along with those of his own, and also forms a soccer team to challenge Grosso for their town.

At the game, Grosso's team takes the early lead, but the table football players help Amadeo's team to tie the game. However, with seconds to go, Grosso deliberately injures Amadeo, who is unable to stop him from scoring the winning goal. As Grosso gloats and celebrates his victory, the crowd instead praises Amadeo's good sportsmanship, and Grosso is rejected by his fans for his selfishness and his manager abandons him while his teammates also congratulate Amadeo, who reunites with Laura in the end. Amadeo, Laura, and their friends build a new town in honor of them.

The father, Amadeo, finishes his story and leaves his son's bedroom, but he remains awake and hears voices well into the night. Going outside to the shed to investigate, he finds Amadeo and the table football players conversing at the table football table. Heartened by this, he joins them.

Cast

Additional voices

Production

The film was announced on 27 November 2009. The voices of the main characters of the cast are Pablo Rago, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Fabian Gianola, Horacio Fontova and David Masajnik.

Sergio Pablos, executive producer and creator of the original idea and story for Despicable Me, acted as animation director for 20 minutes of the film, and advised Campanella on direction. The rest of the film was animated under the directions of Federico Radero and Mario Serie.

Puerto Rican band Calle 13 composed and performed the original song of the movie.

Prana Studios was hired to provide the film’s Lighting, Compositing, Visual Effects, and Rendering while operating in Mumbai, India.

Release

An English-language version of the film was produced in the United Kingdom by 369 Productions with Vertigo Films handling the distribution rights and was released under the name The Unbeatables on 15 August 2014. The UK dub features stars such as Rupert Grint, Rob Brydon, Anthony Head, Ralf Little, Alistair McGowan, Peter Serafinowicz, and Eve Ponsonby.

In March 2014, The Weinstein Company acquired distribution rights for the film in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France, with plans to release their own heavily edited English-language version of the film under the title Underdogs. The US dub features Ariana Grande, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Morrison, Katie Holmes, John Leguizamo, Eugenio Derbez, Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan, Chazz Palminteri, and Mel Brooks. The film was originally going to be released on August 27, 2014 but was pushed back several times. A week before a planned August 14, 2015 release, the film was pulled from the schedule. It was released direct-to-video on 19 July 2016.

Reception

Critical reception

Based on 15 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a positive rating of 67%, with an average rating of 5.64/10. On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 38 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Conversely, reception to the original Spanish version was far more positive, with review aggregator Todas las Críticas marking an average score of 71 out of 100.

Box office

The film opened #1 at the Argentine box-office, earning 16,622,178 pesos on its opening weekend, outperforming other animated blockbusters such as Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University.

Series

There was plans for a CGI-animated sequel series on Discovery Kids Latin America, but it was changed to a 2D animated series Underdogs United.

See also

• List of association football films

References

1. ^ Weissberg, Jay (25 September 2013). "San Sebastian Film Review: 'Foosball'". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
2. "Calificaciones". INCAA. Comisión Asesora de Exhibiciones Cinematográficas. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
3. "UNDERDOGS (U)". British Board of Film Classification. 29 July 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
4. ^ Hopewell, John (19 July 2013). "Universal's 'Foosball' Smashes Argentine Records". Variety. Archived from the original on 21 July 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
5. "Underdogs (2015) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
6. "FOOSBALL 3D". Film Factory Entertainment. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
7. ^ Milligan, Mercedes. "Underdogs Starring Ariana Grande Arrives July 19" Archived 2 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Animation Magazine, July 11, 2016
8. Figueroa, Jesus (18 June 2016). "UNDERDOGS Features the Voice Talent of Eugenio Derbez, John Leguizamo in the Animated Family Comedy". This Funktional. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
9. Newbery, Charles (27 November 2009). "Campanella lines up animated feature". Variety. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
10. Gallagher, Brian (18 October 2010). "Juan Jose Campanella Directing Metegol". MovieWeb. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
11. Hopwell, John (1 December 2012). "Argentine helmer looks to animation". Variety. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
12. "Metegol (2013)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
13. Taylor, Matthew (20 May 2016). "Film of the week: The Unbeatables". Sight & Sound. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
14. "Metegol (2015)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
15. ^ McNary, Dave (17 March 2014). "Weinstein Co. Buys Animated 'Foosball,' Re-Titled as 'Underdogs'". Variety. Archived from the original on 18 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
16. Gallagher, Brian (14 October 2014). "'Underdogs' Animated Comedy Adds Ariana Grande and Nicholas Hoult". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
17. Lang, Brent (10 June 2014). "'Paddington' Shifts to Christmas Release, Underdogs Decamps for 2015". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 June 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
18. Fleming, Mike Jr. (6 February 2015). "Animated Soccer Pic 'Underdogs' Gets August 14 Berth From TWC". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
19. Lowe, Kinsey (7 August 2015). "'Ice Age 5′ Gets Title, Date Change; Weinstein Co. Adjusts 'About Ray'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 8 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
20. "June 2016: Volume 1" (PDF). Rentrak. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
21. "Underdogs". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
22. "Underdogs Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 30 January 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
23. "Metegol - Críticas - Todas Las Críticas". Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
24. "Argentina Box Office July 18–21, 2013". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
25. METEGOL / UNDERDOGS - Short Film Excalibur, 8 June 2018, archived from the original on 22 July 2023, retrieved 22 July 2023

External links

• Official website
• Metegol at IMDb
• Underdogs at Metacritic
• Underdogs at Box Office Mojo
• Underdogs at Rotten Tomatoes
• Can an Argentine Animated Film Rival Hollywood Blockbusters?|The New Yorker

• 2013 films
• 2010s adventure comedy films
• 2010s Argentine films
• 2010s children's animated films
• 2010s children's comedy films
• 2010s fantasy comedy films
• 2010s Spanish films
• 2010s Spanish-language films
• 2013 3D films
• 2013 comedy films
• 2013 computer-animated films
• 3D animated films
• Argentine adventure comedy films
• Argentine animated films
• Argentine association football films
• Argentine children's films
• Argentine comedy films
• Argentine fantasy films
• Atresmedia Cine films
• Films directed by Juan José Campanella
• Independent animated films
• Spanish animated feature films
• Spanish association football films
• Spanish computer-animated films
• Universal Pictures animated films
• Universal Pictures films
• The Weinstein Company animated films
• The Weinstein Company films
• Association football animation