Yes, Mike Judge’s purveyors of all things mindless and inappropriate are back in an all-new movie debuting later this month that takes the pair into space, through a black hole, and into the future… of 2022.
Like that loud, obnoxious tie you stopped wearing several decades ago but could never part with… that’s suddenly, improbably back in style… kind of… those two headbanging spokespersons for all things moronic are back! With an original movie no less!
Paramount+ has just dropped the official trailer for Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe, an all-new animated romp set to premiere on the streamer Thursday, June 23. The film marks the duo’s first on-screen appearance in more than 10 years. The movie will also be available to stream internationally in all territories where the service is available. In addition to the new film, the full library of over 200 remastered Beavis and Butt-Head episodes will stream exclusively on the service, along with a new series coming later this year.
According to the streamer, “Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe promises to sit atop all future lists of the Dumbest Science Fiction Movies Ever Made.” We don’t doubt their claim.
The synopsis:
The saga begins when Beavis and Butt-Head wind up at space camp through “creative sentencing” from a juvenile court judge in 1998. Mistaking a docking simulator for something else (huh huh), Beavis and Butt-Head excel at it and are asked to join the space shuttle mission in a PR move. After ruining the mission, they are left for dead in space and end up going through a black hole and reemerging back on Earth in 2022, only to discover a very different world – and find themselves considered Buttholes of Interest by the NSA, the governor of Texas, and a highly intelligent version of themselves from a parallel universe. Also, they almost lose their virginity, but don’t.
“Beavis and Butt-Head were defining voices of a generation, and to this day, the show is one of the most well-known and beloved animated IPs of all time,” said Chris McCarthy, president/CEO, Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios. “Mike Judge has reimagined this dynamic duo in a way that is sure to have both old fans and new ones alike laughing out loud – and we couldn’t be more excited to bring them back into our rapidly expanding arsenal of hit adult animation.”
“Reuniting Beavis and Butt-Head is the smartest dumb move one could make, and we jumped at the opportunity,” said Tanya Giles, chief programming officer of streaming for Paramount+. “Only a duo this iconic would bring us to space and back and we’re so excited to share their epic, nacho-filled journey with audiences.”
The film features the voices of Mike Judge, Gary Cole, Chris Diamantopoulos, Nat Faxon, Brian Huskey, Chi McBride, Tig Notaro, Stephen Root, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, and Jimmy O. Yang.
Created and voiced by writer, producer and director Mike Judge, Beavis and Butt-Head began their hilariously brainless reign in Judge’s 1992 short film, Frog Baseball, which was broadcast as part of MTV’s famed animation showcase, Liquid Television. After MTV commissioned a full series around the characters, Beavis and Butt-Head ran for seven seasons from March 8, 1993, to Nov. 28, 1997. The series was revived in 2011 with an eighth season airing on MTV.
During its initial run, the show received widespread critical acclaim for its satirical, scathing commentary on society. That’s what the studio wants you to focus on. It was also mercilessly derided with heaps of scorn back in the day, along with shows like The Simpsons, as harbingers of the complete fall of Western Civilization. The show’s popularity spawned various related media, including the theatrical film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America in 1996.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe is executive-produced by Judge, Lew Morton and Michael Rotenberg, and Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Ben Kalina, and Antonio Canobbio for Titmouse.
Watch the trailer for Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe… if you dare!
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
