Recess: School’s Out

Recess: School's Out (also known as Recess: The Movie – School's Out) is a 2001 American animated comedy film based on the Disney television series Recess[3], and features the voices of Andrew Lawrence, Rickey D'Shon Collins, Jason Davis, Ashley Johnson, Courtland Mead, Pamela Segall, Dabney Coleman, Melissa Joan Hart, April Winchell, and James Woods.

The film follows T.J. Detweiler and his friends as they uncover a plot to get rid of summer vacation taking place at their school. It was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Television Animation and Walt Disney Television Animation Digital Production with animation done by Sunwoo Animation and Sunwoo Digital International.

The film was distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, premiered on February 10, 2001, and released theatrically in the United States on February 16, 2001.

Plot
School's out at Third Street School, but T.J.'s friends have all decided to go to various summer camps. T.J. unhappily rides around town, doing things by himself, when he notices that there's something going on at the school. He sneaks inside and finds some scientists using a tractor beam to levitate a safe. Panicked, he tells his unbelieving parents and the police. When he gets Principal Prickly to come to see what's going on, he is shocked and dematerialized as soon as he puts his key in the door, leaving only his shoes behind as evidence. T.J. uses his sister Becky's diary to blackmail her into driving to all the camps to pick his friends up.

T.J. and his friends steal a box of documents, but filled with no information. T.J's friends then accuse him of making up an excuse just to bring them back. They are about to head back to their camps when they see the tractor beam come out of the school and shoot out a green laser and agree that something is going on in the school. The next day, T.J. finds Prickly's golf pants in a dumpster with a "HELP ME!" note in the pocket; T.J. and his friends infiltrate the school that night. While there, they are caught spying after Mikey lets out a huge burp and they try to flee, but T.J. is captured and is put in a storage room where he finds Prickly gagged and all tied up. A man named Dr. Phillium Benedict enters the room to speak to them.

After Benedict leaves, Prickly recounts how, back in the spring of 1968, he and Benedict were best friends. Benedict then became the principal of Third Street School. During a private conversation with Prickly, Benedict showed him that he had intended a move to abolish recess as a way to improve test grades. Prickly went to the superintendent as a means of convincing Benedict to change his mind. The superintendent instead fired him and promoted Prickly to principal. To make matters worse, Benedict's girlfriend, Muriel Finster, broke up with him, driving Benedict into a hateful vengeance. Later, Prickly says, Benedict went on to become Secretary of Education but was fired by the President when he tried to abolish recess again nationwide.

T.J.'s friends go through the box of documents again. Spinelli finds a date book that says lunar perigee (which happens to be 12:22 the next afternoon) on it; Gretchen deduces that Benedict is trying to move the moon's orbit via tractor beam when it is closest to the Earth, which as a result, will create a new Ice Age. T.J. and Prickly get to Prickly’s office, where T.J. uses his walkie talkie to tell his friends Benedict wants to destroy summer vacation after seeing graffiti about it. Benedict reveals to T.J. and Prickly that his ultimate plan is to make summer winter so that kids will be forced inside to study, then has them locked up again. T.J.'s friends get Becky to drive to the camps again, where they pick up all the children. Gus takes charge and draws up the plans to attack the school. T.J. and Prickly escape again. Gus' plan works, and most of Benedict's guards and ninjas are knocked out or captured.

Prickly and the kids confront Benedict in the auditorium. Another set of guards protects Benedict as he prepares to pull the lever. However, Muriel Finster arrives. After rejecting Benedict again, she brings the teachers in and a fight breaks out. During the fight, Prickly punches Benedict, but as Benedict slumps, he triggers the beam and Prickly cannot reverse it. T.J. tosses his baseball to Vince, whose accurate arm destroys the machine. Benedict and his henchmen are then arrested for their crimes.

The students and teachers are praised for their heroism, T.J.'s friends inform him they intend to spend the rest of their summer with him, and T.J. rushes into Prickly's office to thank him, only to be thanked by Prickly for reminding him of why he went into teaching in the first place: to help kids. T.J. runs off with his friends, while Prickly puts on the peace symbol necklace, a memento of his past friendship.

Cast

 * Andrew Lawrence as Theodore Jasper "T.J." Detweiler, the leader of the Recess gang.
 * Rickey D'Shon Collins as Vince LaSalle, T.J.’s athletic best friend.
 * Jason Davis as Mikey Blumberg, a chubby boy with an operatic singing voice.
 * Robert Goulet as Mikey's singing voice
 * Ashley Johnson as Gretchen Grundler, the brains of the gang.
 * Courtland Mead as Gus Griswald, a shy boy with military knowledge.
 * Pamela Segall as Ashley Spinelli, a tomboy whom everyone calls by her last name.
 * Dabney Coleman as Principal Peter Prickly, the principal of Third Street School.
 * Melissa Joan Hart as Becky Detweiler, T.J.’s older sister who later becomes the assistant chef at Floppy Burger.
 * April Winchell as Ms. Muriel Finster, the groundskeeper of Third Street School and a professional boxer / Mrs. Detweiler, T.J. and Becky’s mother.
 * James Woods as Dr. Phillium Benedict, Principal Prickly’s former best friend, and the mastermind of the plot to eradicate summer vacation.
 * Peter MacNicol as Professor Fenwick, Dr. Benedict’s second in command.
 * Diedrich Bader as Guard #2
 * Allyce Beasley as Ms. Alordayne Grotke, a teacher at Third Street School who specializes in martial arts.
 * Gregg Berger as Tech #1
 * Klee Bragger as Digger Sam
 * Clancy Brown as Bald Guy, AKA Kojak, Dr. Benedict’s burly chief of security who has a particular rivalry with T.J..
 * Dan Castellaneta as Guard #1
 * Lane Toran as King Bob
 * Rachel Crane as Ashley Q.
 * Elizabeth Daily as Captain Sticky
 * R. Lee Ermey as Col. O'Malley
 * Ron Glass as Dr. Lazenby / Tech #2
 * Tony Jay as Dr. Rosenthal, the first head scientist, who is demoted after the tractor beam malfunctions again.
 * Clyde Kusatsu as Mr. Yamashiro
 * Charles Kimbrough as Mort Chalk
 * Tress MacNeille as Lunchlady Irma / Opera Director / Dr. Steinheimer
 * Andrea Martin as Lunchlady Harriet
 * Anndi McAfee as Ashley A., the leader of the Ashleys group.
 * Mark Robert Myers as Technician
 * Ryan O'Donohue as Digger Dave, one of the two diggers / Randall Weems, the school snitch.
 * Philip Proctor as Golfer #2 / Scientist #2
 * Patrick Renna as Jordan
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Cop #2
 * Jack Riley as Golfer #1
 * Justin Shenkarow as Soldier Kid / Wrestler Kid
 * Michael Shulman as Hustler Kid
 * Francesca Marie Smith as Ashley B. / Swinger Girl / Upside Down Girl
 * Kath Soucie as Counselor
 * Robert Stack as Superintendent
 * Ken Swofford as Coach
 * Nicholas Turturro as Cop #1
 * Erik von Detten as Captain Brad / Erwin Lawson
 * Paul Willson as Coach Kloogie / Mr. Detweiler, T.J. and Becky’s father.

Home media
Recess: School's Out, was released on VHS and DVD on August 7, 2001.

Follows
Recess (1997) (TV Series)

Followed by
Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street (2001) (Video)

Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade (2003) (Video)

Recess: All Growed Down (2003) (Video)

Referenced in
Lizzie McGuire: Timmy Turner's First Day of HillRidge Junior High (2001) (TV Episode) Bubbles mentioned this film. VHS is briefly seen on the shelf in the library at HillRidge Jr. High.

Lizzie McGuire: Night of the Day of the Dead (2001) (TV Episode) ​​​​​​​VHS is briefly seen on display in Lizzie's House.

Bend It Like Beckham (2002) ​​​​​​​Poster briefly seen on a bus

Spider-Man (2002)

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) (Video Game) ​​​​​​​VHS is seen in the library at HillRidge Jr. High.

Charlie Bartlett (2007) ​​​​​​​dialogue

On Cinema Film Guide (2013) (Video Game) ​​​​​​​Movie is reviewed

Jambareeqi Reviews: Hey Arnold! The Movie (2014) (TV Episode) ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​mentioned during recommendation

Featured in
At the Movies: Sweet November/Recess: School's Out/Down to Earth/Faithless/Yi Yi (2001) (TV Episode) ​​​​​​​Clips shown for the review.

Taz Wanted (2002) (Video Game)

The Know's Top 10s: Top 10 Numbers (2018) (TV Episode) ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​A clip is shown.

Spoofs
Lord of the Flies (1963)

Patton (1970) ​​​​​​​Gus mimics George C. Scott in the title role

Woodstock (1970)

The Karate Kid (1984)

Heathers (1989) ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​4 mean girls called The Ashleys. They each wear pink, yellow, green, and blue.

Almost Famous (2000)

Spoofed in
The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002)

Lizzie McGuire: Lizzie's Misadventures in HillRidge (2002) (Video Game)

Mean Girls (2004) ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The crazy bus driver that hit Regina