There's a reason why Megamind 2 is generating so much criticism among fans.
Officially titled Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate, the latest DreamWorks movie serves as a sequel to 2010's superhero comedy starring Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, and Jonah Hill.
Upon Megamind 2's March 1 debut on Peacock, audiences noted significant differences between the two animated films, and now, fans know why that is the case.
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Megamind 2 Gets 'Minuscule Budget'
Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate isn't the only Megamind project DreamWorks just dropped on Peacock.
A full eight-episode series titled Megamind Rules! premiered alongside the long-awaited sequel (check out the show poster here).
However, both were missing the original film's all-star voice cast and have been poorly received so far with audiences fearing DreamWorks skimped on the two-project budget.
For instance, @FlashMentality shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) that both projects "feel like in universe low budget movies" and ones Megamind himself would make "prior to being a hero due to his ego:"
"the show and sequel movie both feel like in universe low budget movies 'Megamind' would make prior to being a hero due to his ego lmao this isn’t making it past 1 season"
@MovieMan995 also pointed out the film's seemingly "lower budget," as well as how it went "straight to streaming" and with "none of the original cast:"
"This is truly a monkey's paw situation. We get a 'Megamind' sequel but it's a lower budget straight to streaming film with none of the original cast returning."
As fans accurately predicted, an underwhelming budget is exactly what the Megamind 2 team was dealing with while simultaneously tackling the Megamind Rules! series.
In talking with Animation Scoop, Megamind 2 director and producer Eric Fogel confessed working on both projects was "very challenging" but is proud of what they accomplished "with a really minuscule budget:"
"Yes. Yeah, that was a very interesting experience — a very challenging experience to be able to do that. But one that I knew that I was up for. Part of what drew me to this project was the idea that I got to make a movie. So, I knew we were going to be able to figure it out. It was all kind of constructed within a TV animation pipeline. But that said, I knew that we needed to make this thing cinematic and feel sort of epic. And I’m so proud of what we were able to pull off with a really minuscule budget."
While the exact amount of the "really minuscule budget" for Megamind 2 is unknown, it's presumably far less than the reported $130 million production cost of 2010's Megamind.
However, unlike fans and critics, Fogel claims Megamind 2 and Megamind Rules! doesn't "feel" low-budget:
"But it doesn’t feel that way. I think it really feels like a movie. And the series carries that feeling. This kind of cinematic quality doesn’t stop with the movie. It carries all the way through the series."
Juggling both the film and series required Fogel to be involved with "every single part of the process" to inform "the teams what we need" and "provide context:"
"You have to be good at puzzles and one of the things that as a filmmaker, and certainly as a showrunner on this show, [is] to be part of every single part of the process — from writing to voice recording, through design and boards and everything. So having all that knowledge is really crucial in terms of informing the teams what we need. Sometimes people come into these things without knowing the full picture. It was really my job to sort of provide context of, 'Here’s where we are now. Here’s where we’re going. Here’s what has to happen here, here, and here, and this is why.' And it’s all this sort of compartmentalized information that you dole out. And that’s how you do it."
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Why Megamind 2's Budget Is So Frustrating
When Megamind premiered in 2010, it wasn't among DreamWorks' bigger box office successes, but it earned positive reviews and gained popularity over time.
Of course, anytime a project and its creative team aren't given what they need to produce a quality product is unfortunate. But in this case, it's baffling.
Why order two projects if the studio doesn't deem one worthy of attention or a workable budget?
Megamind 2 is equally disappointing given the current cinematic circumstances.
Back in 2010, the MCU was in its infancy and the supposed "Superhero Fatigue" was nonexistent when Megamind subverted the genre and its tropes.
A similar story coupled with quality could've resonated with audiences more now than it did over a decade prior.
However, as audiences anticipated upon viewing, this antihero story was beaten by an all-too-familiar supervillain: studio budgets.
Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate and Megamind Rules! are streaming now on Peacock.
