Recess: School's Out
Encyclopedia
Recess: School's Out is a 2001 animated film
based on the Disney
television series
Recess
. This film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures
and was released theatrically nationwide on February 16, 2001. It was released on video and DVD on August 7, 2001.
to levitate a safe. Panicked, he tries to tell his parents and the police, but they do not believe him. When he gets Principal Prickly to come to see what's going on, he is electrocuted and dematerialized
as soon as he puts his key in the door, leaving only his shoes behind as evidence. T.J. is now frustrated because his parents won't listen and neither will the police. He decides he has to round up the gang and uses his sister Becky's diary to blackmail her into driving him to all the camps to pick up his friends.
T.J. and his friends steal a box of documents, but filled with no information, T.J's friends then accuse him of making up an idea just to bring them back. T.J. tells them he really did see Prickly disappear but Gus points out that Prickly had just got into a car and driven off. The gang are about to head back to their camps when they see the tractor beam come out of the school and shoot out a green laser and agree that something is going on in the school. The gang have a stake out at T.J.'s treehouse and enjoy eating snacks and singing a song they first heard after they were in Kindergarten. The next day, T.J. finds Prickly's golf pants in a dumpster and also sees the bald guy he saw guarding the school pull of a mask of principal Prickly's face, showing that this was indeed him pretending to be Prickly when Gus pointed out the other Prickly getting into a car.
The gang find a note in the pocket of Prickly's golf pants saying "HELP ME!" on it; this makes T.J. and his friends decide to break into the school to save him. While there, they are caught spying and flee. T.J. is captured and is put in a storage room where he finds Prickly gagged and all tied up. A man named Dr. Phillium Benedict enters the room to speak to them.
After Benedict leaves, Prickly relates how, back in the spring of 1968, he and Benedict were best friends. Benedict then became the principal of Third Street School. During a private conversation with Prickly, Benedict showed him that he had intended a move to abolish recess as a way to improve test grades. Prickly went to the superintendent
as a mean of convincing Benedict to change his mind. The superintendent instead fired him and promoted Prickly to principal. To make matters worse, Benedict's girlfriend, Muriel P. Finster, broke up with him, driving Benedict into a hateful vengeance. Later, Prickly says, Benedict went on to become Secretary of Education
but was fired when he tried to abolish recess again nationwide.
T.J. and Prickly escape, but they are caught again. T.J. uses his walkie-talkie (in Prickly's desk drawer) and tells his friends Benedict wants to destroy summer vacation after seeing painted graffiti on his wall, indicating so. T.J.'s friends go through the box of documents again. Spinelli finds a date book that says lunar perigee
(which happens to be 12:22 the next afternoon) on it; Gretchen deduces that Benedict is trying to move the moon's orbit via tractor beam when it is closest to the Earth, which as a result, will create a new Ice Age
. Benedict reveals to T.J. and Prickly that his ultimate plan is to make summer winter so that kids will be forced inside to study.
T.J.'s friends get Becky to drive to the camps again, where they pick up all the children. Gus draws up the plans to attack the school. T.J. and Prickly escape the cage that Benedict has imprisoned them in. Gus' plan works, and most of Benedict's guards and ninjas are knocked out or captured. All the kids pour into the auditorium. Another set of guards protects Benedict as he prepares to pull the lever. However, Muriel P. Finster arrives. After rejecting Benedict again, she brings the teachers in and a fight breaks out. The bald guy tries to punch T.J. in the face but Muriel came and said to him, "Now it's... GO TIME!", and punches the bald guy in the face. During the fight, Prickly punches Benedict in the face, but as Benedict slumps, he triggers the beam and Prickly cannot reverse it. T.J. tosses his baseball to Vince, whose accurate aim destroys the machine. Benedict and his gang then get arrested for theft and breaking and entering.
T.J.'s friends inform him they intend to spend the rest of their summer with him, and T.J. gives Becky her diary back to thank her. T.J. then rushes into Prickly's office to thank him, only to be thanked back by Prickly for reminding him of why he went into teaching in the first place: to help kids. T.J. runs off with his friends, while Prickly puts on his peace symbol necklace from 1968, and tells T.J. he did not forget about the "saggy butt comment".But T.J. tells him September is a long way off and he runs off to spend the rest of the summer with the rest of the gang.
and 1960s pop
. The following songs were on the soundtrack:
Note: "Purple Haze
" by Jimi Hendrix
was also used in the film, though it is not included on the soundtrack.
(based on 40 positive reviews out of a total of 67 reviews).
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
based on the Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Recess
Recess (TV series)
Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers...
. This film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
and was released theatrically nationwide on February 16, 2001. It was released on video and DVD on August 7, 2001.
Plot
School's out at Third Street School, but T.J. is upset because his friends have all decided to go to various camps to plan for their futures. T.J. unhappily rides around town, doing things by himself. He even very reluctantly agrees to hang out with Randall. On his way there, he notices that there's something going on at the school. T.J. sneaks inside and finds the school using a tractor beamTractor beam
A tractor beam is a device with the ability to attract one object to another from a distance. Since the 1990s, technology and research has labored to make it a reality, mostly at microscopic level. Less commonly, a similar beam that repels is called a pressor beam or repulsor beam...
to levitate a safe. Panicked, he tries to tell his parents and the police, but they do not believe him. When he gets Principal Prickly to come to see what's going on, he is electrocuted and dematerialized
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
as soon as he puts his key in the door, leaving only his shoes behind as evidence. T.J. is now frustrated because his parents won't listen and neither will the police. He decides he has to round up the gang and uses his sister Becky's diary to blackmail her into driving him to all the camps to pick up his friends.
T.J. and his friends steal a box of documents, but filled with no information, T.J's friends then accuse him of making up an idea just to bring them back. T.J. tells them he really did see Prickly disappear but Gus points out that Prickly had just got into a car and driven off. The gang are about to head back to their camps when they see the tractor beam come out of the school and shoot out a green laser and agree that something is going on in the school. The gang have a stake out at T.J.'s treehouse and enjoy eating snacks and singing a song they first heard after they were in Kindergarten. The next day, T.J. finds Prickly's golf pants in a dumpster and also sees the bald guy he saw guarding the school pull of a mask of principal Prickly's face, showing that this was indeed him pretending to be Prickly when Gus pointed out the other Prickly getting into a car.
The gang find a note in the pocket of Prickly's golf pants saying "HELP ME!" on it; this makes T.J. and his friends decide to break into the school to save him. While there, they are caught spying and flee. T.J. is captured and is put in a storage room where he finds Prickly gagged and all tied up. A man named Dr. Phillium Benedict enters the room to speak to them.
After Benedict leaves, Prickly relates how, back in the spring of 1968, he and Benedict were best friends. Benedict then became the principal of Third Street School. During a private conversation with Prickly, Benedict showed him that he had intended a move to abolish recess as a way to improve test grades. Prickly went to the superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
as a mean of convincing Benedict to change his mind. The superintendent instead fired him and promoted Prickly to principal. To make matters worse, Benedict's girlfriend, Muriel P. Finster, broke up with him, driving Benedict into a hateful vengeance. Later, Prickly says, Benedict went on to become Secretary of Education
United States Secretary of Education
The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession...
but was fired when he tried to abolish recess again nationwide.
T.J. and Prickly escape, but they are caught again. T.J. uses his walkie-talkie (in Prickly's desk drawer) and tells his friends Benedict wants to destroy summer vacation after seeing painted graffiti on his wall, indicating so. T.J.'s friends go through the box of documents again. Spinelli finds a date book that says lunar perigee
Apsis
An apsis , plural apsides , is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system...
(which happens to be 12:22 the next afternoon) on it; Gretchen deduces that Benedict is trying to move the moon's orbit via tractor beam when it is closest to the Earth, which as a result, will create a new Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. Benedict reveals to T.J. and Prickly that his ultimate plan is to make summer winter so that kids will be forced inside to study.
T.J.'s friends get Becky to drive to the camps again, where they pick up all the children. Gus draws up the plans to attack the school. T.J. and Prickly escape the cage that Benedict has imprisoned them in. Gus' plan works, and most of Benedict's guards and ninjas are knocked out or captured. All the kids pour into the auditorium. Another set of guards protects Benedict as he prepares to pull the lever. However, Muriel P. Finster arrives. After rejecting Benedict again, she brings the teachers in and a fight breaks out. The bald guy tries to punch T.J. in the face but Muriel came and said to him, "Now it's... GO TIME!", and punches the bald guy in the face. During the fight, Prickly punches Benedict in the face, but as Benedict slumps, he triggers the beam and Prickly cannot reverse it. T.J. tosses his baseball to Vince, whose accurate aim destroys the machine. Benedict and his gang then get arrested for theft and breaking and entering.
T.J.'s friends inform him they intend to spend the rest of their summer with him, and T.J. gives Becky her diary back to thank her. T.J. then rushes into Prickly's office to thank him, only to be thanked back by Prickly for reminding him of why he went into teaching in the first place: to help kids. T.J. runs off with his friends, while Prickly puts on his peace symbol necklace from 1968, and tells T.J. he did not forget about the "saggy butt comment".But T.J. tells him September is a long way off and he runs off to spend the rest of the summer with the rest of the gang.
Cast
- Andrew LawrenceAndrew Lawrence (actor)Andrew James Lawrence is an American actor. He is sometimes credited as Andy Lawrence or Andy J. Lawrence.-Career:...
as Theodore Jasper "T.J." Detweiller - Rickey D'Shon CollinsRickey D'Shon CollinsRickey D'Shon Collins is an American voice actor who most notably provided the voice of Vince Lasalle on Disney's hit show Recess. He also voices as Tucker Foley in the Nickelodeon show Danny Phantom and Eric Ovens on Wayside. He is also best known as the associate producer in the 2009 comedy...
as Vince LaSalle - Jason DavisJason Davis (actor)Jason Davis is an actor best known for his voice acting work on the Animated TV series Recess.-Early life:...
as Mikey Blumberg (speaking voice) - Robert GouletRobert GouletRobert Gerard Goulet was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor. He played the role of Lancelot in the Broadway musical Camelot of 1960.-Early life:...
as Mikey Blumberg (singing voice) - Ashley JohnsonAshley JohnsonAshley Suzanne Johnson is an American actress, best known for her two-season role as Chrissy Seaver in the TV show Growing Pains, and for her voice work in television series such as Teen Titans and Ben 10 Alien Force....
as Gretchen Grundler - Courtland MeadCourtland MeadCourtland Robert Mead is an American actor.Mead was born in Mission Viejo, California, the son of Denise and Robert Mead and brother of twin sisters Lauren and Candice Mead. In the 1994 film Dragonworld he played the part of young Johnny McGowan, a young boy who finds a dragon egg on his...
as Gus Griswold - Pamela Segall as Ashley Spinelli
- Dabney ColemanDabney ColemanDabney Wharton Coleman is an American actor, best known for his roles in 9 to 5, WarGames, You've Got Mail, Sworn to Silence, The Beverly Hillbillies and as the voice of Principal Peter Prickly in Recess and Recess: School's Out.-Early life:Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Mary...
as Principal Peter Prickly - James WoodsJames WoodsJames Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
as Dr. Phillium Benedict - Peter MacNicolPeter MacNicolPeter MacNicol is an American actor. He may be best known in films for his roles of Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II, Stingo in Sophie's Choice, Thomas Renfield in Dracula: Dead and Loving It and David Langley in Bean...
as Fenwick - April WinchellApril WinchellApril Terri Winchell is an American actress, writer, voice actor, talk radio host, and commentator. She is the daughter of the late Paul Winchell.-Acting:...
as Miss Muriel Finster / Mrs. Detweiller - Paul WillsonPaul WillsonPaul Lee Willson is an American actor, most notable for his television work.Willson has played numerous guest characters on a variety of shows including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Boston Public, Caroline in the City, and Star Trek: Voyager...
as Mr. Detweiler - Melissa Joan HartMelissa Joan HartMelissa Joan Catherine Hart is an American actress, writer, television director, television producer, singer and businesswoman...
as Becky Detweiller - Ryan O'DonohueRyan O'DonohueRyan Sean O'Donohue is an American voice actor, most notable for his performances in many Disney projects.O'Donohue began his acting career at the age of nine when he played Zeke Byrd on the 1994 ABC drama Byrds of Paradise, filmed in Hawaii. The show was cancelled after a 13-episode run despite...
as Digger Dave / Randall C. Weems - H.S. Hughes as Miss Finster in deleted scenes
- Allyce BeasleyAllyce BeasleyAllyce Beasley is an American actress. She is known for her role as rhyming, love-struck receptionist Agnes DiPesto in the television series Moonlighting. For several years , she has been the announcer on Playhouse Disney, a morning lineup of programming for toddlers on The Disney Channel...
as Miss Grotke - Dan CastellanetaDan CastellanetaDaniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
as Guard #1 - Tony JayTony JayTony Jay was an English actor, voice actor and singer. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in animation, film and computer games. Jay's distinctive baritone voice often landed him villainous roles...
as Dr. Rosenthal - Nicholas TurturroNicholas TurturroNicholas Turturro, Jr. is an American film, television and prolific on-stage character actor, perhaps best known for his role as James Martinez, on NYPD Blue from 1993 to 2000.-Early life:...
as Cop #1 - Kevin Michael RichardsonKevin Michael RichardsonKevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
as Cop #2 - Clancy BrownClancy BrownClarence J. "Clancy" Brown III is an American actor and voice actor. He is known for his roles in live action as The Kurgan in the cult classic film Highlander, Byron Hadley in the award-winning The Shawshank Redemption, Brother Justin Crowe in HBO's critically acclaimed Carnivàle, and Career...
as Bald Guy - Robert StackRobert StackRobert Stack was an American actor. In addition to acting in more than 40 films, he was the star of the 1959-1963 ABC television series The Untouchables and later served as the host of Unsolved Mysteries.-Early life:...
as Superintendent - Erik von DettenErik von DettenErik Thomas von Detten is an American actor. He is known for his roles in Escape to Witch Mountain, Toy Story, Brink!, The Princess Diaries, and So Weird.-Personal life:Von Detten was born in San Diego, California...
as Erwin Lawson / Captain Brad - R. Lee ErmeyR. Lee ErmeyRonald Lee Ermey is a retired United States Marine Corps drill instructor and actor.Ermey has often played the roles of authority figures, such as his breakout performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, Mayor Tilman in the Alan Parker film Mississippi Burning, Bill Bowerman in...
as Colonel O'Malley
Music
The music in this film is predominantly Psychedelic rockPsychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
and 1960s pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. The following songs were on the soundtrack:
- "Dancing in the StreetDancing in the Street"Dancing in the Street" is a 1964 song first recorded by Martha and the Vandellas. It is one of Motown's signature songs and is the group's premier signature song.-Martha and the Vandellas original:...
" – Martha and the VandellasMartha and the VandellasMartha and the Vandellas were among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the period 1963–1967... - "Born to Be WildBorn to Be Wild"Born to Be Wild" is a rock song written by Mars Bonfire and made famous by the Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. It is often used in popular culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude...
" – SteppenwolfSteppenwolf (band)Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The... - "OneOne (Harry Nilsson song)"One" is a song written by Harry Nilsson and made famous by Three Dog Night whose cover in 1969 reached number 5 on the Billboard chart. The song is known for its opening line "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do." It appeared initially on Aerial Ballet, Nilsson's third album.Nilsson...
" – Three Dog NightThree Dog NightThree Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One... - "Incense and PeppermintsIncense and Peppermints (song)"Incense and Peppermints" is a song by the Los Angeles based psychedelic pop band Strawberry Alarm Clock. The song is officially credited as having been written by John S. Carter and Tim Gilbert, although it was based on an instrumental idea by band members Mark Weitz and Ed King...
" – Strawberry Alarm ClockStrawberry Alarm ClockStrawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles best known for their 1967 hit "Incense and Peppermints". The group took its name as an homage to the Beatles' psychedelic hit "Strawberry Fields Forever", reportedly, at the suggestion of their record company Uni Records.They are... - "Wipe Out" – The SurfarisThe SurfarisThe Surfaris were an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles, California area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" on the A-side and "Wipe Out" on the B-side of a 45 RPM single.-Career:The original...
- "Nobody But Me" – The Human BeinzThe Human BeinzThe Human Beinz is an American rock and roll / frat rock band from Youngstown, Ohio. Originally known as The Human Beingz, the band initially featured John "Dick" Belley , Joe "Ting" Markulin , Mel Pachuta and Gary Coates -Early career:The Beinz started in 1964 as The Premiers, launching their...
- "Let the Sunshine In" – The 5th Dimension
- "Green TambourineGreen Tambourine"Green Tambourine" was the primary hit by the 1960s Ohio-based rock group The Lemon Pipers, as well as the title track to their debut-album Green Tambourine. The song has been credited as being the first bubblegum pop chart-topper. Released towards the end of 1967, it peaked at number one on the U.S...
" – Robert GouletRobert GouletRobert Gerard Goulet was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor. He played the role of Lancelot in the Broadway musical Camelot of 1960.-Early life:... - "Recess Suite" – Denis M. Hannigan
- "Dancing in the StreetDancing in the Street"Dancing in the Street" is a 1964 song first recorded by Martha and the Vandellas. It is one of Motown's signature songs and is the group's premier signature song.-Martha and the Vandellas original:...
" – MyraMyra (singer)Myra is an American pop singer, dancer and choreographer. She rose to prominence in 2001 after recording a cover of Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" for the soundtrack to the 2001 film Recess: School's Out Myra (born Mayra Carol Ambriz Quintana on May 21, 1986) is an American pop...
Note: "Purple Haze
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
" by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
was also used in the film, though it is not included on the soundtrack.
Reception
The film was a moderate critical success; however, it received mixed reviews from Recess fans. It currently garners a 62% "Fresh" approval rating on the review aggregate website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
(based on 40 positive reviews out of a total of 67 reviews).