| Cinematography: | Barbara Meyers |
| Music: | Puggy |
| Runtime: | 92 minutes |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $20 million |
| Gross: | $47 million |
The Son of Bigfoot (also released internationally in English as Bigfoot Junior) is a 2017 animated fantasy comedy film directed by Ben Stassen and Jeremy Degruson. Written by Bob Barlen and Cal Brunker, based on their own original screenplay Son of Bigfoot, the film follows a teen boy who, after beginning to erupt unusual changes, sets out to find his father, who happens to be Bigfoot and had gone into hiding from a corrupt CEO of a hair company.
Upon release, the film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $47 million worldwide against its $20 million budget.[1] A sequel, titled Bigfoot Family (also known as Bigfoot Superstar), was released on August 5, 2020.
HairCo. is a megacorporation run by Wallace Eastman that specializes in improving people's hair. His helicopter chases after a scientist named Dr. Harrison who escapes by jumping into a river.
12 years later, Adam Harrison, the son of Dr. Harrison, lives with his mother Shelly in Portland. He keeps getting harassed by the school bullies Tony, Dale, and Garcia, and is the mutual crush of a kindhearted girl named Emma. Over time, he notices that strange things start happening to him, like his feet growing so his toes stick out of his shoes, enhanced hearing, and his hair growing right back over night even after his mother gave it a complete chop.
After discovering not only the fact that his father is alive, but also his current location from a box Shelly had kept hidden, Adam sneaks out to look for him. He discovers that his father is Bigfoot, who has been hiding deep in the forest for years to protect himself and his family from Eastman, who is eager to run scientific experiments with his special DNA. What neither of them know was that a truck driver named Fat Dan had nearly run over Adam who was saved by Bigfoot, got some footage of it, and put it in the newspaper.
Adam learns that he too is gifted with superpowers similar to Bigfoot, like having large feet, supersonic hearing, running at incredible speeds (Bigfoot advised him to take off his shoes and socks upon seeing his toes sticking out of them, explaining that he, as a Bigfoot, needs to always be barefoot in order to do so), healing powers, and speaking to animals like Tina the red squirrel, Trapper the raccoon, his wife Weecha and their kits, Wilbur the bear, and Steve the woodpecker. Meanwhile, Eastman hears about the sighting and follows the traces to Bigfoot. Eastman captures Shelly who went to go after Adam. Eastman's men roam the forest to search for more evidence. Adam is apprehended, and they use him as bait to lure Bigfoot, ending with Bigfoot being captured.
Eastman and his scientist Dr. Billingsley begin their experiment on Bigfoot who Eastman recognizes as Dr. Harrison. The hair sample is tested on Dr. Billingsley's intern which causes the intern to grow extraordinarily long hair all over his body. With the help of the animals, Adam sneaks into HairCo. and reaches Bigfoot, but he refuses to cooperate. Eastman arrives and tries to escort Adam out, but Adam activates the fire alarm, causing chaos. Adam runs back to Bigfoot and convinces him to leave. Before escaping, they release toxic gases inside the control room to destroy the facility. Back at her house, Shelly is under watch by Eastman's guards, who find Adam's chopped hair growing and realize he is a Bigfoot too. After they call Eastman to inform him, Shelly subdues them and leaves to rescue her family.
Eastman confronts Adam and Bigfoot outside. He states that he only wants Adam now and throws Bigfoot off the facility bridge. Adam pulls out a flare gun he found inside HairCo. and shoots toward the building. The flare combusts with the toxic gases, leading to the destruction of the HairCo. facility. Adam searches for Bigfoot and finds him unconscious. Remembering his powers, Adam heals Bigfoot and brings him back to life. Eastman is tranquilized by Shelly as Bigfoot states that he is done with hiding.
Bigfoot returns home and the animals have taken to living with the family. A magazine cover shows that Eastman has been arrested for his illegal activities. On his way to school, Adam's bullies attempt to haze him again. Having gone on his journey, Adam calmly tells them that he has finally had enough and kindly asks to be left alone. When they refuse to comply, Adam tells his animal friends who scare them into leaving him alone and cause them to crash after dismantling their bikes. Adam dismisses his animal friends as Emma spots the scene and asks about it and sees his feet burst out of his shoes and socks again. Adam asks if she would walk with him to school and she agrees while he begins to explain his life to her, walking barefoot (he tossed his shoes away onto a telephone wire).
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 76% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10.[2]
Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times wrote: "More or less does what it sets out to do, which is to offer enough visual activity and bromides to keep the very young interested."[3]
In October 2018, Ben Stassen announced that a sequel was in the works, due out in mid 2020, which will take place a couple of years after the first movie.[4] In June 2020, Bigfoot Family premiered at the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.[5]