Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe is a 2022 American adult animated comedy film. Written, directed by and starring series creator Mike Judge, it is the second film adaptation of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-Head and a sequel to Beavis and Butt-Head Do America.
The film was released at midnight Pacific Time on June 23, 2022, exclusively on Paramount+.[1]
Plot[]
In Highland, Texas, 1998, the teenage delinquents Beavis and Butt-Head accidentally burn down a school science fair. A judge sends them to a space camp at the Johnson Space Center, believing they have a deprived background and need opportunities to succeed. There, Beavis and Butt-Head become engrossed in a docking simulator. Impressed, astronaut captain Serena Ryan invites them to train as astronauts; Beavis and Butt-Head mistake this for an offer for sex. They undergo training and board a shuttle to study a black hole.
In space, the boys create a catastrophe, leaving the shuttle without enough oxygen for all the crew. Serena and another astronaut volunteer to sacrifice themselves; Beavis and Butt-Head mistake this for another offer of sex, and express their gratitude. Touched, Serena gives them a bracelet given to her by her grandmother. Beavis and Butt-Head don their spacesuits and watch Serena through a window as she prepares to change; in the process, they lose the bracelet. Enraged, Serena uses the shuttle controls to fling Beavis and Butt-Head into space, where they are sucked into the black hole.
The boys emerge in Galveston, Texas, in 2022. The Pentagon detects their arrival and begins tracking them; Serena, now governor of Texas, vows to kill them to cover up her attempted murder. The boys meet intelligent versions of themselves from another universe, Smart Beavis and Butt-Head, who explain that they have two days to enter a portal to prevent the destruction of the multiverse; they ignore them.
Beavis and Butt-Head acquire a smartphone from a tourist family and accidentally activate Siri, which they mistake for Serena; Beavis develops feelings for her. When Siri offers to set up their smart home system, they believe Serena is waiting for them in their home in Highland. After Beavis becomes trapped in a port-a-potty, he and Butt-Head are transported to a college compus. Smart Beavis and Butt-Head urge them to enter the portal; instead, the boys wander into a gender studies class, where the lecturer teaches them about the concept of white privilege. Erroneously taking this to mean they have the right to do whatever they want, they steal a police car and are arrested. In jail, Beavis takes pills given to him by an inmate, transforms into his hyperactive alter ego Cornholio, and incites an uprising. Discovering that the boys seemingly died in 1998, the prison warden decides Beavis is an angel and releases him and Butt-Head.
The boys arrive at their house in Highland, expecting to find Serena, but find it has been placed for sale and their television has been replaced with a bookshelf. They blame each other and separate, but are quickly abducted by government officials. Selena's downtrodden lieutenant, Hartson, covertly frees the boys, saying he knows what Selena did to them. Smart Beavis and Butt-Head urge them to enter the portal, but the boys ignore them.
All parties arrive at the Beavis and Butt-Head's house. Selena is about to shoot the boys, but realizes they are not her enemies, only stupid, horny teenagers. Smart Beavis and Butt-Head urge Beavis and Butt-Head to enter the portal, but Hartson is accidentally sucked into it instead, closing the rift and saving the cosmos. Beavis attempts to express his love to Serena, but Smart Beavis interrupts and declares his love first, offering to show her the cosmos; she leaves with him and Smart Butt-Head. In exchange for their silence, the government returns their home to Beavis and Butt-Head and gives them a new TV.
In another universe at the Citadel of Beavis and Butt-Head, the assembled alternative Beavis and Butt-Heads applaud Smart Beavis for becoming the first Beavis to have scored, as well as Smart Butt-Head for watching Smart Beavis score by hiding in a suitcase.
Cast and Characters[]
- Mike Judge as:
- Gary Cole as Mattison
- Chris Diamantopoulos as:
- Police Officer
- Prisoners
- Corrections Officers
- Nat Faxon
- David Herman
- German Tourist
- Gage
- Jail Warden
- Brian Huskey as Richard Wack
- Chi McBride as:
- Metcalf
- Judge
- Tig Notaro as:
- Professor
- Stephen Root as Jail Tattoo Artist
- Andrea Savage as Serena Ryan
- Martin Starr as:
- Corrections Officer
- Ball-kicking Biker
- Jimmy O. Yang as:
- Flight Specialist Jung
- Jeff
- Toby Huss as Todd Ianuzzi
- Phil LaMarr as:
- Flight Specialist Jackson
- NSA Agents
- Police Officer
- Toks Olagundoye as:
- Campaign Aide
- Butt-Head Fantasy Woman #2
- Butt-Head Fantasy Woman #3
- Female Students
- Zehra Fazal as Butt-Head Fantasy Woman #1
- Ashley Gardner as Anita Ross
- Mary Birdsong as Reporter
- Tru Valentino as:
- McCabe
- Head Corrections Officer
Non-speaking characters[]
Development[]
Mike Judge had long considered creating a second Beavis and Butt-Head movie. In 2008, Judge stated, "I like to keep the door open on Beavis and Butt-Head, because it's my favorite thing that I've ever done. It's the thing I'm most proud of. However, he stated his reservations regarding the "year and half [to] two and a half years" that it would take "to do that right," saying that a revival project "comes up every three years." In 2009, while promoting his film Extract, Judge said he would like to see the characters on the big screen again, and that "I kind of think of them as being either 15 or in their 60s. ... I wouldn't mind doing something with them as these two dirty old men sitting on the couch."
In March 2018, Judge told Rotten Tomatoes that the idea of doing a second Beavis and Butt-Head movie had been brought up two months prior, saying "It's just a matter of coming up with an idea that feels like it's worth doing." In July 2019, Judge again reiterated interest in a potential movie, stating, "I've got some ideas. I think it would have to be something that makes it relevant today. I think I might've figured out a way to do that." He further stated that he would probably direct it.
Announcement[]
In February 2021, it was announced that a new Beavis and Butt-Head movie was in production for Paramount+, with Mike Judge on board. This news came following the announcement of a revival series set for Comedy Central, the year prior. In January 2022, Judge tweeted drawings of older versions of Beavis and Butt-Head. A month later, the film's title was revealed as Beavis and Butt-head Do the Universe.
Animation[]
Animation services for the film were provided by Titmouse, Inc, Snipple Animation Studios, and Inspidea with Adobe Animate, instead of Rough Draft Studios the series and Do America used.
Marketing[]
On June 2, 2022, the trailer was released. A sneak peek will debut at the MTV Movie and TV Awards.
Release[]
The film was released on June 23, 2022, on Paramount+.
Reception[]
As of June 23, 2022, on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads, "Fart-knockers beware: Beavis and Butthead are back, and they're just as stupidly hilarious (or hilariously stupid?) as ever." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
Trivia[]
- While it was hinted at in previous media, this movie explicitly confirms that Highland is located in Texas.
- This movie reveals that Beavis is actually his surname, and his mother's name is Shirley Beavis. It is also revealed that the duo have been living under Shirley's care the whole time. Although, it is possible Beavis is also his first name, which would mean his full name is Beavis Beavis.
- This movie marks one of the few times Buzzcut is seen surprised, as seen when the duo get sentenced to space camp.
- This movie marks the return of Daria to the series, with a character design inspired by hers from her own series while sporting her wardrobe from the original series.
- Even though it was a daydream from Beavis, this movie marks the only time other than Virtual Stupidity that Todd gets his comeuppance from abusing the duo, as Serena decapitates him.
- Daria appears in the courtroom scene in 1998, but she moved to Lawndale in 1997; she was most likely visiting at the time.
Goofs[]
- In the scene of Butt-Head buying nachos with the phone they have, early Paramount+ rips have Butt-Head holding the nachos before the worker hands them to Butt-Head.