| Diary of a Wimpy Kid | |
| Distributor: |
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| Released: | 2010–2017 (live-action films) 2021–present (animated films) |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of family comedy films based on the book series of the same name by Jeff Kinney. It consists of four live action films and three animated films.__TOC__
| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live-action (20th Century Fox) films | ||||||
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid | Thor Freudenthal | Jackie Filgo & Jeff Filgo and Jeff Judah & Gabe Sachs | Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson | Released | ||
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules | David Bowers | Jeff Judah & Gabe Sachs | ||||
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days | Wallace Wolodarsky & Maya Forbes | |||||
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul | Jeff Kinney & David Bowers | |||||
| Animated (Walt Disney Pictures) films | ||||||
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid | Swinton Scott | Jeff Kinney | Released | |||
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules | Luke Cormican | |||||
See main article: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010 film).
Principal production began on September 21, 2009, and was completed on October 16, 2009. The film was directed by Thor Freudenthal and starred Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley, Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson, Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley, Steve Zahn as Frank Heffley, Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley, Connor and Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley, Chloë Grace Moretz as Angie Steadman, Grayson Russell as Fregley, Laine MacNeil as Patty Farrell, and Karan Brar as Chirag Gupta. It was the only film in the series to be directed by Freudenthal. The musical score was composed by Theodore Shapiro. It received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on March 19, 2010,[1] as it moved up from a previously scheduled April 2 release date.[2]
See main article: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011 film).
Based on the second book, Rodrick Rules, with elements from The Last Straw. Principal photography began on August 23, 2010, and was completed on October 27, 2010, with filming taking place in Vancouver and New Westminster. The film was directed by David Bowers, with Zachary Gordon reprising his role as Greg Heffley. New main characters include Holly Hills (Peyton List), Grandpa (Terence Kelly), and Bill Walter (Fran Kranz). Edward Shearmur composes the original score for the film. It also received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on March 25, 2011.
See main article: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (film).
Based on the third book The Last Straw and the fourth book Dog Days, the film was directed by David Bowers and features the same familiar cast of characters, introducing a few new ones, and also focusing on lesser characters not elaborated on in previous films, including Frank Heffley (Steve Zahn), Mr. Jefferson (Alf Humphreys) and Holly Hills (Peyton List). The film is the last one to feature the original cast, as they had outgrown their roles after filming wrapped. It also received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on August 3, 2012.
See main article: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (film).
Featuring an entirely new cast, the plot follows Greg and his brother, Rodrick, unwillingly being taken on a family road trip to their great-grandmother's house for her 90th birthday party. Greg sees this as an opportunity to meet his Internet idol, Mac Digby, and get people to forget about him being dubbed as a meme known as "Diaper Hands". The film was panned by critics and audiences, with most of the criticism aimed at the casting change. It was released on May 19, 2017.
See main article: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021 film). In August 2018, 20th Century Fox CEO Stacey Snider announced that a fully animated television series based on Diary of a Wimpy Kid was in development.[3] On August 6, 2019, after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the project was confirmed to be still in development for their streaming service, Disney+.[4]
In December 2020, the project was confirmed to have been redeveloped as an animated film.[5] On September 2, 2021, Disney officially confirmed that the new movie would be simply titled Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and would be released on December 3, 2021.[6] The movie is a re-adaptation of the first book and the characters appear similar in design to their appearances in the book series.[7] The first trailer was officially released in October 2021.[8] Unlike the previous films, which were produced by 20th Century Fox, this film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, although it was originally in production at 20th Century Animation.
See main article: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2022 film).
On October 23, 2021, ahead of the first film's release, Jeff Kinney revealed that sequels are already in development.[9] [10] For Disney+ Day, Kinney revealed that the sequel, based on Rodrick Rules, was released on December 2, 2022. Unlike the first animated film, a copyright notice at the end of the trailer indicates that 20th Century Studios has involvement in the film.[11]
See main article: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever.
On September 8, 2023, it was announced that a Disney+ film based on the sixth book, Cabin Fever, released on December 8, 2023.[12]
Jeff Kinney stated that he intends to adapt all his books into animated features for Disney+.[13]
An animated short film set after the events of the third film, titled Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Class Clown, was released on the home media release of Dog Days in 2012. The short is told through Greg's point-of-view as he explains his humorous experience. Zachary Gordon reprises his role as Greg Heffley along with other cast members voicing their characters from the films in minor roles.
In 2012, Jeff Kinney, the author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, announced the possibility for an animated film to be based on as the next installment. In an interview for , Kinney stated he was working with FOX on a half-hour special based on Cabin Fever, which was scheduled to air in late-2014.[14] [15] The special was meant to be an animated production developed at 20th Century Fox Animation, and had begun development while Kinney worked on the live-action films. Nothing regarding the special ever materialized. It was later revived as a Disney+ film in December 2023.
See also: List of Diary of a Wimpy Kid characters.
| Character | Live-action films | Short film | Animated films | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: | Diary of a Wimpy Kid | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: | Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: | |
| Primary cast | ||||||||
| Gregory "Greg" Heffley | Zachary Gordon Nathaniel Marten Dylan Bell L.J. Benet | Zachary Gordon | Jason Drucker | Zachary Gordon | Brady Noon | Wesley Kimmel | ||
| Rowley Jefferson | Robert Capron | Owen Asztalos | Robert Capron | Ethan William Childress | Spencer Howell | |||
| Rodrick Heffley | Devon Bostick | Devon Bostick Conner Ingram | Devon Bostick | Charlie Wright | Devon Bostick | Hunter Dillon | ||
| Susan Heffley | Rachael Harris | Alicia Silverstone | Erica Cerra | |||||
| Frank Heffley | Steve Zahn | Tom Everett Scott | Steve Zahn | Chris Diamantopoulos | ||||
| Manny Heffley | Connor and Owen Fielding | Wyatt and Dylan Walters | Gracen Newton | |||||
| Sweetie | Oliver | colspan="3" | ||||||
| Supporting cast | ||||||||
| Chirag Gupta | Karan Brar | Veda Maharaj | ||||||
| Fregley | Grayson Russell | Christian Convery | Christian Convery | |||||
| Patty Farrell | Laine MacNeil Madison Bell | Laine MacNeil | ||||||
| Coach | Andrew McNee | Billy Lopez | colspan="2" | |||||
| Mr. Jefferson | Alfred E. Humphreys | Alfred E. Humphreys | Randy Pearlstein | |||||
| Mrs. Norton | Belita Moreno | colspan="6" | ||||||
| Bryce Anderson | Owen Best | colspan="6" | ||||||
| Shelly | Samantha Page | colspan="6" | ||||||
| Marley | Ava Hughes | colspan="6" | ||||||
| Archie Kelly | Jake D. Smith | colspan="6" | ||||||
| Pete Hosey | Nicholas Carey | Zeno Robinson | ||||||
| Carter | Samuel Patrick Chu | Cyrus Arnold | colspan="2" | |||||
| Wade | Donnie MacNeil | Braxton Baker | colspan="2" | |||||
| Principal | Raugi Yu | Donny Lucas | colspan="2" | |||||
| Mrs. Jefferson | Kaye Capron | Bronwen Smith | ||||||
| Preston Mudd | Rylee Stiles | colspan="3" | ||||||
| Mrs. Fregley | Gabrielle Rose | Brenda Crichlow | colspan="2" | |||||
| Bill Walter | Fran Kranz | Jimmy Tatro | ||||||
| Holly Hills | Peyton List | colspan="5" | ||||||
| Grandpa Heffley | Terence Kelly | Ed Asner | ||||||
| Mr. Draybick | John Shaw | colspan="5" | ||||||
| Ben Segal | Bryce Hodgson | colspan="5" | ||||||
| Chris | Christopher Thorgard-De Schuster | colspan="5" | ||||||
| Taylor Pringle | Dalila Bela | colspan="5" | ||||||
| Mr. Hills | Jeff Kinney | colspan="5" | ||||||
| Hulking Teen | John Omohundro | |||||||
| Role | Film | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) | Rodrick Rules (2011) | Dog Days (2012) | The Long Haul (2017) | Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021) | Rodrick Rules (2022) | Cabin Fever (2023) | ||
| Composer | Theodore Shapiro | Edward Shearmur | John Paesano | |||||
| Cinematographer | Jack N. Green | Anthony B. Richmond | colspan="2" | |||||
| Editor | Wendy Greene Bricmont | Troy Takaki | Sylvain Blais | Sylvain Blais Rob Levesque Matthew Sipple | ||||
| Production companies | Fox 2000 Pictures Dune Entertainment Color Force | Fox 2000 Pictures TSG Entertainment Color Force | Walt Disney PicturesN Bardel Entertainment | |||||
| Distributor | 20th Century Fox | Disney+ | ||||||
| Film | Budget | Box office gross | All-time ranking | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. and Canada | Other territories | Worldwide | U.S. and Canada | Worldwide | ||||
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) | $15 million | $64,003,625 | $12,192,913 | $76,196,538 | 1,341 | 2,127 | [16] [17] | |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules | $18-21 million | $52,698,535 | $19,828,461 | $72,526,996 | 1,685 | 2,189 | [18] [19] | |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days | $22 million | $49,008,662 | $28,221,033 | $77,229,695 | 1,826 | 2,695 | [20] [21] | |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul | $22 million | $20,738,724 | $19,402,248 | $40,140,972 | 3,634 | 3,800 | [22] [23] | |
| Total | $- million | $ | $ | $ | 211 | 273 | [24] | |
| Critical | Public | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore | ||
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) | [25] | 56 (27 reviews)[26] | A−[27] | |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011) | [28] | 51 (23 reviews)[29] | A− | |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days | [30] | 54 (22 reviews)[31] | A− | |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul | [32] | 39 (16 reviews)[33] | B | |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021) | [34] | 50 (4 reviews)[35] | ||
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2022) | 50% (10 reviews)[36] | 50 (4 reviews)[37] | ||
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023) | 75% (8 reviews)[38] |