Ace Ventura (franchise)
The Ace Ventura franchise consists of American detective-comedies, with two theatrical films, one made-for-television film, and one animated television series. The overall story, based on an original concept and story written by Jack Bernstein, follows the criminal investigations of the titular and comedic pet detective.
| Ace Ventura | |
|---|---|
 Official franchise logo | |
| Based on | Characters created by Jack Bernstein |
| Starring | Jim Carrey |
Release date | 1994–2009 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The first and second films were met with mixed-to-average critical reception, while being exceptional financial successes, credited with launching the career of Jim Carrey. Over time, the two movie have earned the status of cult classics.[1][2][3][4] Alternatively, the third film
Origin
Bernstein later acknowledged that the concept for the character of Ace Ventura, came from wanting to do a comedic version of Sherlock Holmes, and after watching the Stupid Pet Tricks segment on Late Night with David Letterman.[5]
Films
| Film | U.S. release date |
Directors | Screenwriters | Story by | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | February 4, 1994 | Tom Shadyac | Jack Bernstein and Tom Shadyac & Jim Carrey |
Jack Bernstein | James G. Robinson |
| Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | November 10, 1995 | Steve Oedekerk | |||
| Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective | March 1, 2009 | David Mickey Evans | Jason Heimberg, Justin Heimberg & Jeffery Sank and David Mickey Evans |
Jason Heimberg, Justin Heimberg & Jeffery Sank | James G. Robinson and David Robinson |
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
Ace Ventura is hired to rescue Snowflake, the bottlenose dolphin mascot of the Miami Dolphins. Despite his best efforts to save Dan Marino, Ace is also kidnapped. When Ace finds out a murder is connected, he soon begins to suspect that disgraced football player Ray Finkle is behind it all. However, Ace can't find Finkle, until Ace discovers that Finkle has been masquerading as Lt. Lois Einhorn.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
Ace is dispatched to Africa to investigate the disappearance of a sacred white bat battling his fear of bats along the way.
Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective (2009)
Ace Ventura, Jr. follows in his father's footsteps in being a pet detective. Years ago his father has disappeared, after voyage through the Bermuda Triangle. Now a number of animals go missing, and his mother is placed in jail after suspicion of guilt is ordered. Ace works with a number of friends to uncover the true culprit, and rescue his mother from conviction.
Television
| Title | Season | Episodes | Original air date |
Network | Showrunner(s) | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Last | ||||||
| Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - The Animated Series | 1 | 13 | December 9, 1995 | April 27, 1996 | Central Broadcasting System | Duane Capizzi | Released |
| 2 | 13 | November 7, 1996 | August 30, 1997 | ||||
| 3 | 15 | October 29, 1999 | February 4, 2000 | Nickelodeon | |||
A followup/continuation animated series, titled Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - The Animated Series aired from December 1995 to February 2000. Created by Duane Capizzi for Warner Bros. Television, the first two seasons aired on CBS. In 1999 when reruns debuted on Nickelodeon, a third season was developed and aired. Many of the characters from the movie were retained, though voiced by a new cast. While the original movies had a strongly cartoon-style comedic aesthetic, the animated series is characterized by slapstick and children-friendly cartoon humor. Seth MacFarlane was among the writers over the course of the show's run, displaying similar humor to his later series.[6]
The titular character, voiced by Canadian actor Michael Hall, continues his goofy antics as a private investigator for animals of all species.[7] Despite running in a time slot after another popular Jim Carrey movie-based cartoon, The Mask: Animated Series, and debuting a crossover episode between the two series (with "The Aceman Cometh"), the series failed to garner enough views to be renewed. Ultimately, both The Mask and Ace Ventura were cancelled. A third season followed the cancellation, before once again being cancelled.[8]
Main cast and characters
- A V indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
- A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
| Character | Film | Television | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ace Ventura: Pet Detective |
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls |
Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective |
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - The Animated Series | ||||
| Principal cast | |||||||
| Ace Ventura | Jim Carrey | Referenced | Michael Hall | ||||
| Ace Ventura, Jr. | Josh Flitter | ||||||
| Melissa Robinson-Ventura | Courteney Cox | Ann Cusack | |||||
| Ray Finkle Lt. Lois Einhorn |
Sean Young Uwe von Schamann |
||||||
| Fulton Greenwall | Ian McNeice | ||||||
| The Grand Abbot | Arsenio "Sonny" Trinidad | ||||||
| Prince Ouda | Maynard Eziashi | ||||||
| Vincent Cadby | Simon Callow | ||||||
| Spike | Binks the Capuchin Monkey |
Richard Binsley | |||||
| Laura | Emma Lockhart | ||||||
| Arnold "A-Plus" Plushinsky | Austin Rogers | ||||||
| Quenton Pennington, Sr. | Brian Patrick Clarke | ||||||
| Quenton Pennington, Jr. | Reed Alexander | ||||||
| Supporting cast | |||||||
| Sgt. Aguado | John Capodice | Al Waxman | |||||
| Mr. Shickadance | Mark Margolis | Vince Corazza | |||||
| Ofc. Emilio | Tone Loc | Bruce Tubbe | |||||
| Woodstock | Raynor Scheine | D.G. Beatty | |||||
| Dan Marino | himself | ||||||
| Ronald Camp | Udo Kier | ||||||
| Roger Podacter | Troy Evans | ||||||
| Burton Quinn | Bob Gunton | ||||||
| Hitu | Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | ||||||
| Wachati Princess | Sophie Okonedo | ||||||
| Wachati Chief | Damon Standifer | ||||||
| Rex Ventura | Ralph Waite | ||||||
| Dr. Sickinger | Cullen Douglas | ||||||
Additional crew & production details
| Film | Crew/Detail | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composer | Cinematographer | Editor | Production companies |
Distributing companies |
Running time | ||
| Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | Ira Newborn | Julio Macat | Don Zimmerman | Morgan Creek Entertainment | Warner Bros. Pictures | 1hr 26mins | |
| Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | Robert Folk | Donald E. Thorin | Malcolm Campbell | Morgan Creek Entertainment, O Entertainment |
1hr 34mins | ||
| Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective | Laura Karpman | Mark Irwin | Danny Saphire | Morgan Creek Entertainment, Four Aces Productions |
Cartoon Network, Warner Home Video |
1hr 33mins | |
Reception
Box office & financial performance
| Film | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Home video sales |
Budget | Worldwide Total income |
Ref(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All time North America |
All time worldwide | |||||
| Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | $72,217,396 | $35,000,000 | $107,217,396 | #1,127 | #2,213 | information not available | $12,000,000 | $95,217,396 | [9] |
| Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | $108,360,063 | $104,039,937 | $212,400,000 | #651 | #907 | information not available | $30,000,000 | $182,400,000 | [10] |
| Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $117,421 | $7,500,000 | $109,000,000 | [11][12] |
Critical and public response
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | 48% (60 critic ratings)[13] |
37/100 (14 critic reviews)[14] |
A-[15] |
| Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | 31% (26 critic ratings)[16] |
'45/100 (17 critic reviews)[17] |
B+[18] |
| Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - The Animated Series | data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | not enough ratings to calculate a score[19] |
TBD[20] | N/A |
| Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective | N/A[21] | N/A | N/A |
In other media
- Video games
A number of video games centering around Ace Ventura have been released. they are as follows:
- Ace Ventura: Pet Detective: A handheld LCD video game released in 1995, to coincide with the release of When Nature Calls.
- Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls: A handheld LCD video game released in 1995, to coincide with the titular film.
- Ace Ventura: Developed by 7th Level, the game was released on PC CD-ROM in 1996. Based on The Animated Series, the gameplay was an example of the point-and-click adventure genre. The game was met with mixed reception, including a 6.6 out of 10 from GameSpot.[22] while Gamezilla gave it 58 out of 100.[23]
- Ace Ventura: Pet Detective - The Case of the Serial Shaver: Developed by Brilliant Digital Entertainment, the game was released on PC CD-ROM in 1998. The gameplay involved a choose your own adventure mechanic.[24]
References
- https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-lists/readers-poll-the-10-best-jim-carrey-movies-146374/
- https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/ace-ventura-cast-now-jim-carrey-courteney-cox-more-1146924
- https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1702260/jim-carrey-really-regrets-turning-down-one-director-for-ace-ventura-2
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/11225801/Jim-Carreys-best-lines.html?frame=3104163
- https://nomeanerplace.com/index.php/writers/138-jack-bernstein/199-what-s-your-story
- Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-winning and Legendary Animators. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 221. ISBN 9781557836717. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 5. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 56–57. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ace-Ventura-Pet-Detective#tab=summary
- https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ace-Ventura-When-Nature-Calls#tab=summary
- https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1976009729/weekend/
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844029/
- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ace_ventura_pet_detective
- https://www.metacritic.com/movie/ace-ventura-pet-detective
- https://www.cinemascore.com/
- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ace_ventura_when_nature_calls
- https://www.metacritic.com/movie/ace-ventura-when-nature-calls
- https://www.cinemascore.com/
- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/ace_ventura
- https://www.metacritic.com/tv/ace-ventura-pet-detective
- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ace_ventura_jr
- "Ace Ventura Review". GameSpot. December 23, 1996. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- Yarbrough, Ethan. "Ace Ventura review". Gamezilla. Archived from the original on February 8, 2002. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- https://www.gamespot.com/ace-ventura-pet-detective-the-case-of-the-serial/reviews/