Doug (2021 animated film)

Doug is an 2021 American computer-animated post-apocalyptic science fiction action film produced by the Warner Animation Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. the film was co-written and directed by Nicholas Stoller, and stars the voices of Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jess Harnell, Martin Scorsese, Eddie Perino, Jessica DiCicco, Fred Tatasciore, Hugh Jackman, and Tom Kane.

Plot
In an Year 2031, a Dr. Scientist is ordered by his dictator to buys an figure doll in the apparent name of progress, and so the scientist creates the N.I.K.I., a highly intelligent figure doll. The dictator seizes it upon its apparent completion, and turns it into the Inspiration Machine, an armature that can construct an army of war machines to destroy the dictator's enemies. But the N.I.K.I. is seized before the dr. scientist could give it a soul, thus causing the Inspiration Machine to decide to exterminate all of Earth's population. The Inspiration Machine reprograms the other war machines to attack humanity, wiping out all plant, animal and microbial life with toxic gas and chemical weapons. On the verge of destruction, Dr. scientist uses alchemy to create doug homunculus-like dolls known as "Futuristic-punks," giving them portions of his own soul via a soulsman he created. He dies upon completion of the final doll.

In 2038, the final Futuristic-punk, Doug, awakens in the workshop. Taking the soulsman with him, Doug ventures into the devastated city and meets Butler, a trail inventor who gives him a working voice box and is surprised to see the soulsman. The last active machine, the Beast-Cat, attacks the pair and abducts both Butler and the soulsman. Doug collapses, but awakens in Sanctuary, the tower of an empty cathedral that is home to other Futuristic-punk - the dogmatic leader Traitor, his large bodyguard Owen, the cycloptic engineer Scout, and the mentally unstable oracle Musketeer John. Traitor immediately declares Butler as dead, but Doug, having seen the condemned factory where the Beast-Cat took him, decides to rescue him. Doug and Scout venture to the factory where they find Butler. The Beast-Cat attacks the trio, but are saved by Sarah, the only female of the Futuristic-punks. Doug, drawn by curiosity, connects the soulsman to the derelict Inspiration Machine, reviving it, and it subsequently kills Butler by sucking out his soul. Doug, Scout, and Sarah manage to escape the factory. Sarah takes Doug and Scout to an abandoned library, where the silent scholar twins, Dorothy and Karen, have taken residence, and show Doug the Inspiration Machine's origins. Scout realizes the soulsman's symbols match the clairvoyant drawings of Musketeer John. Doug and Scout return to Sanctuary to investigate, but Traitor intervenes and reprimands them for disobeying his orders. Meanwhile, the Inspiration Machine assembles new robotic creatures; one of them, the bird-like Beast Winged, attacks Sanctuary, leading to a battle between it and the Futuristic-punks. Sarah joins the fight, but is injured. The Futuristic-punks win, defeating the Beast Winged, however, they lose their safe-house, as a fire had started during the fight.

As the group retreats to the library, Musketeer John, Dorothy, and Karen cryptically explain the soulsman's origins, but Traitor reveals to the group that he sent Butler out of Sanctuary on a scouting trip to die. Sarah, shocked by this, attacks Traitor, but flees when Doug intervenes. Meanwhile, the Inspiration Machine retrieves Butler's corpse and uses it as a hypnotic lure for another one of its robot creatures, known as The Lizard-stress. The Lizard-stress attacks the library and captures both Sarah and Owen, but Butler's body is recovered and given a funeral by the others. The others then run to the factory to destroy the machines. Doug goes in alone, kills the Lizard-stress, and rescues Sarah, but not before Owen's soul is absorbed by the Inspiration Machine. Doug and Sarah escape while the others destroy the factory.

The Futuristic-punks celebrate the destruction of the factory, but the Inspiration Machine, which survived, suddenly emerges from the ruins of the factory and absorbs Scout's soul. The Inspiration Machine attacks the group as they run away and manages to capture Musketeer John. Musketeer John tells Doug to go to the Dr. Scientist's workshop to find answers, before being absorbed by the Inspiration Machine. Doug follows Musketeer John's instructions, finding a holographic recorded message from the Dr. Scientist, explaining N.I.K.I.'s origins and that the Futuristic-punks have his soul, making them the only hope for humanity. Following this revelation, Doug uncovers the purpose of the soulsman and returns to his friends.

Doug reunites with the other Futuristic-punks and decides to sacrifice himself so the others can retrieve the soulsman. Having had a change of heart, Traitor redeems himself by saving Doug, pushing him out of the way and allowing himself to be absorbed while Doug removes the soulsman. Doug activates the soulsman and reabsorbs the souls taken by the Machine, resulting in its final destruction. Afterwards, Doug, Sarah, Dorothy, and Karen free the souls of Scout, Traitor, Musketeer John, Butler, and Owen from the soulsman as they fly up into the sky, causing it to rain. The final image shows that the raindrops contain small flecks of glowing bacteria, bringing life back into the world.

Cast
Elijah Wood as Doug

John C. Reilly as Scout

Jessica DiCicco as Sarah

Christopher Plummer as Traitor

Eddie Perino as Musketeer John

Martin Scorsese as Butler

Fred Tatasciore as Owen and a Radio Announcer

Hugh Jackman as Dr. Scientist

Tom Kane as the Sargeant

TBA
Coming Soon...