Netflix has come to the rescue of Genndy Tartakovsky’s 2D adult-animated “Fixed,” which was dropped by New Line in 2023 via Warner Bros. Discovery in a cost-cutting measure similar to the “Coyote vs Acme” hybrid and “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” which were picked up by Ketchup Entertainment. The R-rated co-production with Sony Pictures Animation was picked up by the streamer and will premiere on August 13.
“Fixed,” from a story by Tartakovsky, Steve Greenberg, Rich Lufrano, and Jon Vitti, follows Bull (Adam Devine), an average dog who discovers that he’s going to be neutered in the morning. As the gravity of this life-altering event sets in, Bull realizes he needs one last adventure with his pack of best friends as these are the last 24 hours with his balls. There’s also a romance with the dog next door. The canine hero’s pack of pals includes characters voiced by Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, Beck Bennett, Michelle Buteau, and River Gallo.
The 2D animation was done in a Warner Bros. style by Renegade Animation and Lightstar Studios, with Tartakovsky (“Primal,” “Samurai Jack”) pushing the envelope in style and humor. But it proved too risky. Developed at SPA, where the director made three successful “Hotel Transylvania” films, the project stalled until he got New Line interested, and the project was back on track. When “Fixed” reverted back to Sony, they shopped it around, and it finally wound up at Netflix (with Hannah Minghella head of feature animation and live-action family film), which is very adventurous and not risk-averse. The streamer will also release Sony’s “K-Pop: Demon Hunters” this year.
For Tartakovsky, “Fixed” is the fulfillment of a hand-drawn dream project that began 15 years ago as his introduction to Sony. “The animation gods blessed me with the premise,” he told IndieWire. “In its own self, it’s a unicorn, this project. It’s got raunchy comedy, we’re doing all the layouts here, so it’s very hand-crafted. It’s got heart, it’s got real character humor, and [is] not filled with one-liners. And the dogs act like canines and not humans.”
Tartakovsky described the animation style as Tex Avery, though not as exaggerated in its expressions. “At the end of the day, once the initial shock is over after the first sequence, because we start pretty crazy, you’ll hopefully settle into the character story and you’ll fall in love with these dogs.”
