Series Review: Sausage Party: Foodtopia is more cynical, irreverent and more than a sequel

Some things go unnoticed by some but not by others, the animation genre has come very far in recent years and went from traditional to digital, from classic stories to redefining with original ideas a product that was also exclusive for adults.

In this case, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Edward Norton, and Salma Hayek who joined a project in 2016 anime that would break the mold, while some liked the fun of its plot, others thought it was uncomfortable and inappropriate, and we are talking about Sausage Party.

Its story based on an original idea by Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill was successful at the box office and was listed as the highest-grossing R-rated animated film of that year, this animated comedy film for adults, the work of giving life to these characters was run by Nitrogen Studios and its directors Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan were very clear about what audience it was aimed at.

After talking for several years about a sequel, it is finally that in 2024 we can once again enjoy the adventures of Frank and Brenda Bunson in a series that follows the same line and parameters of its base material, taking things to a higher point. and of course more adult.

What is the series about?

After confronting the human race following the events of the film, Frank and his friends establish a haven called “Foodtopia.” After a storm causes a massive flood that destroys their dream they have no choice but to partner with humans to ensure the survival of their race.

Sausage Party: Foodtopia has new characters and is loaded with swearing, violence, and explicit sexual situations and philosophies about food and the relationship we as humans have with it, but it needs to be a little smarter when presenting broader situations that make references. to their source material, although the idea is good and we already know what their line is, this time they take things beyond the limit.

This is a sequel that could seem unnecessary to us where there was much more to expose and more stories to tell with fun subplots with totally and completely cynical humor very American, mocking everything that has been considered politically correct, mocking many of current situations such as technology and the relationship it has with online food sales and deliveries in various services, but the most important thing is that it makes fun of itself.

It is clear to us as viewers that this is not a serious work that takes things more squeamishly and wants to educate the public aware that thousands of tons of food are wasted every year, which in this case is the United States The main country where this happens does not think about how expensive its production and distribution is, it simply goes into the trash and while a meager percentage of this is what is donated to charitable institutions or ends up in the hands of homeless people, no no no, it is simply a series that amuses, entertains and leaves you thinking not about a moral message but about who came up with so many stupid things and why they show them this way.

In this new plot, we can see the confrontation between a big orange with an evil smile faces Frank, Brenda, and all the survivors of the supermarket for the leadership of a new society of Foodtopia, this is a clear example that creativity can not have a specific limit, screenwriters Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Ali Waller, Dewayne Perkins, Jennifer Kim, Laura Krafft, Jeremy Levick and Rajat Suresh are very clear that this must have a central story that also develop and present new characters, increasingly raising the sarcastic and ruthlessly cynical tone that characterizes it.

If we stop to think for a moment what would become of this series or the movie if we removed all the swearing, irreverent sexual situations as well as the explicitness of its violence and restructured it for all audiences, the result would be a failure, every single thing in this food universe It is strategically planned to work as it is, each character has their personality and motivation to make this something funny or uncomfortable, advocating the maturity and judgment of its viewers.

The idea that foods have little eyes, little hands, little legs, and the ability to think and reason things sounds extremely cute and at the same time falls into a very stupid cliché in which all this would be the perfect pretext to “educate” and “get closer” to the new generations who, rather than seeking a long-term benefit for the planet, only think about how fun it is to be a so-called famous influencer who can monetize what is simply stupid in their lives without contributing what is necessary to themselves or their social environment since Let’s not talk about educating and self-educating themselves to become aware of things and the drastic changes that humanity has had in a very short time.

It’s hard to imagine what it’s like for someone to spend millions of dollars to computer-animate an obscene parody of Pixar films. Sausage Party from 2016 has never tried to compete or be better, it simply is what it is, a film that criticizes both organized religion and that which presumes atheism, differences in race, color, and sexual orientation, conflictive world politics, political leaders as well as intolerance and homophobia, he shit on everything that he It seems that there had to be a limit within a false and ridiculous morality in the country that is hypocritically called a world power.

Seeing several anthropomorphic foods again in Sausage Party: Foodtopia, it is inevitable not to make a comparison with the film in question in terms of animation, here we can see that everything apparently remains the same but it is not like that, on this occasion they have not only used traditional animation but They have also used artificial intelligence that together with a more polished CGI make this take on a completely different appearance and feel more real, every detail of how these foods should look has been extremely careful to look more human and less food creating with this a new universe where everything can be possible.

A hot dog bun, a sausage, a marshmallow, a bunch of baby carrots, a doughnut, a taco, some grains of rice, a tomato, a banana, and a can of beer are just some examples of how this series is taking the lead. very high things and at a level in which very few would dare to compete and establish something that enriches the genre of computer animation, if we focus only on this then we can understand that each dialogue and each situation has a reason for being.

Amazon Prime Video already has 8 episodes of the first season, which are:

1. First Course.

The food war is over. Food has triumphed over humanity, and now they are free to create their utopia but here nothing is as it seems.

2. Second Course.

Frank, Brenda, and Barry embark on a mission to save the food they are holding hostage and prevent everyone from dying, Sammy fills his inner emptiness with a new art form: comedy but not everything is as it seems.

3. Third Course.

Food pride is at its peak and they decide to organize the “Man on Fire” festival. Frank and Brenda must keep a secret from Barry, unfortunately, nothing is as it seems.

4. Fourth Course.

A new currency forms a class system in Foodtopia causing discontent among different sectors of society that are now more defined and want equal conditions. However, not everything is as it seems.

5. Fifth Course.

Julius the Machiavellian and very son of a bitch orange has gained more popularity in Foodtopia while Frank and Brenda fight to maintain control but not everything is as it seems.

6. Sixth Course.

Election day is already in Foodtopia to find out who will be their leader, Julius against Frank and Brenda, but the problems they now have in their relationship threaten their chances of winning, and not everything is as it seems.

7. Seventh Course.

Julius is now the new popularly elected leader and Brenda sets out to find the good that can come from her now dictatorship, Frank ties up some loose ends and discovers something that could allow him to return to save them all but nothing is what it seems. .

8. Eight Course.

When things don’t go well, Barry and Sammy are in charge of clearing Frank’s name and saving Foodtopia from falling back into the slavery imposed by Julius’ dictatorship, but not everything is as it seems.

Each of these 8 episodes is hilariously funny, let’s be aware that this is a very intense product in which food celebrates each victory obtained in the fight to form a new society with a massive pansexual orgy, even beyond the sexual part and the many jokes in which food or humans are butchered for laughs, the series is much more than that.

Each episode lasts approximately 20 minutes, but since not everything here is what it seems, it also has some flaws, the excess of characters makes each one trip over themselves in their attempt to stand out and have more time on screen, although their good Stories are lost in moments, their narrative, despite being agile, falls into comfort zones with easy and repetitive jokes that do nothing to contribute and much less to entertain, shameless mockery is very common but the nerve is so much that in moments it becomes boring and flat.

The constant flirtation of admitting that the relationship that Frank and Brenda have begins with wanting a society free of the restrictions that have governed their lives for so long reaching the point of realizing that their initial vision is not so compatible with their current reality which completely unbalances the idea we had of them and the cause of their fight, the series goes so far as to betray itself by letting things just happen without justifying or having a more specific reason for them to happen.

The best part that everything can have together is the fact that it is very similar and respects what the original film addresses such as religion and mental awakening, now adding the destructive criticism of society and how they have been built and evolved. Over time, we can see first-hand what happens when this incipient utopia knows the currency, the law of supply and demand, politics, tabloid propaganda, and the application of laws, this is exactly where all this takes sense and feels more inspired serving as an example that being a sequel series improves on its original.

One of the strongest points it has is the direction of Conrad Vernon, in each of the episodes he tries to put everything in its place and make everything make sense without leaving aside that this first season is a self-contained mini-story which opens the possibility of having more seasons that address other topics with this same structure.

The voice talent is provided by Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera, David Krumholtz, Will Forte, Natasha Rothwell, Sam Richardson, Yassir Lester, and Edward Norton among others. They do a great job recreating the acidic, sarcastic, cynical, and fun of each of the characters, providing a completely authentic character of themselves.

The music composed by Christopher Lennertz has interesting pieces that contribute to making everything we see on the screen an authentic audiovisual spectacle, being one of the composers of the film along with Alan Menken, he does not fall into the comfort zones of using samples that remind us what they did together, here everything is newer with different chords for each moment and situation.

In conclusion, Sausage Party: Foodtopia is more than just a sequel, it is a series in which you may or may not have previous background and perfectly understand what is happening, it is a clear and concise example that everything here has been strategically planned to have fun while allowing itself to make fun of everything and everyone, the result is more than acceptable for all those who are looking to see something different that can fulfill what it promises, it is more pleasant to know that its second season is already in development to premiere at some point from 2025.

Sausage Party: Foodtopia is now available on the Amazon Prime platform.