# Woody Woodpecker (2017 film)
*Woody Woodpecker* is a 2017 live-action/computer-animated family comedy directed by Alex Zamm, based on the Walter Lantz cartoon character of the same name, in which the manic woodpecker defends his forest home from a lawyer building a mansion on his territory.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/woody_woodpecker_2017) It was the character's first feature film and his first live-action/animated outing.[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/woody-woodpecker/umc.cmc.40swlhix6hit5fkq5at1v8a7p)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / producer | Alex Zamm (director and co-writer); Mike Elliott producer[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/woody_woodpecker_2017) |
| Voice of Woody | Eric Bauza[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/woody-woodpecker/umc.cmc.40swlhix6hit5fkq5at1v8a7p) |
| Lead cast | Timothy Omundson (Lance Walters), Graham Verchere (Tommy Walters), Jordana Largy (Samantha Bartlett), Thaila Ayala[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/woody-woodpecker/umc.cmc.40swlhix6hit5fkq5at1v8a7p) |
| Brazilian theatrical release | October 5, 2017, as *Pica-Pau: O Filme*[3](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/cgi/need-see-trailer-live-actioncg-hybrid-woody-woodpecker-feature-153153.html) |
| United States release | Direct-to-video and streaming, February 6, 2018, by Universal Home Entertainment[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Woody-Woodpecker-%282017%29) |
| Box office | $15,316,635 worldwide, entirely from international (Latin American) theatrical markets; no domestic theatrical release[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2114504/) |
| Critical reception | 14% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 7 reviews; 37% audience score[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/woody_woodpecker_2017) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and cast
The film pits Woody, a hyperactive red-headed woodpecker voiced by [Eric Bauza](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-bauza), against Lance Walters ([Timothy Omundson](https://www.edgepedia.org/timothy-omundson)), a big-city real estate lawyer who starts building his dream mansion in the forest with his son Tommy (Graham Verchere) and his fiancée Vanessa (Thaila Ayala).[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/woody-woodpecker/umc.cmc.40swlhix6hit5fkq5at1v8a7p) Woody sabotages the construction with a series of hijinks, while also dodging two grizzly poachers, Nate and Ottis Grimes ([Scott McNeil](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-mcneil) and Adrian Glynn McMorran).[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/woody-woodpecker/umc.cmc.40swlhix6hit5fkq5at1v8a7p) Jordana Largy plays Samantha Bartlett, a forest ranger.[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/woody-woodpecker/umc.cmc.40swlhix6hit5fkq5at1v8a7p) The adult lead's name, Lance Walters, is a nod to Woody's creator, Walter Lantz.[6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/woody-woodpecker)
### Sequel
A sequel, *[Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-woodpecker-goes-to-camp)*, again combining live action and CGI, premiered globally on Netflix on April 12, 2024, directed by Jonathan A. Rosenbaum.[11](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/netflix-acquires-woody-woodpecker-goes-to-camp-releasing-in-april-2024/) The first film had been licensed to Netflix in select regions in the years before the sequel's release, at times carrying it as a Netflix Original title.[11](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/netflix-acquires-woody-woodpecker-goes-to-camp-releasing-in-april-2024/)
## Production
**A film aimed at Brazil.** Universal 1440 [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment), the production arm of Universal's home entertainment division, produced the film, and it was designed for Brazilian audiences, where the character has remained a strong fan favorite.[7](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/universal-making-live-actioncg-woody-woodpecker-feature-brazilians-141553.html) The lead actress, Brazilian Thaila Ayala, was cast for that market.[7](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/universal-making-live-actioncg-woody-woodpecker-feature-brazilians-141553.html) Although made for Brazil, the film was produced in English and shot in Canada's British Columbia province.[3](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/cgi/need-see-trailer-live-actioncg-hybrid-woody-woodpecker-feature-153153.html) The computer-animated Woody was created by the Bulgarian visual effects studio Cinemotion, which announced in December 2015 that it had won the job after bidding against 26 other CG studios.[3](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/cgi/need-see-trailer-live-actioncg-hybrid-woody-woodpecker-feature-153153.html) Director Alex Zamm's earlier credits included direct-to-video titles such as *[Inspector Gadget 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/inspector-gadget-2)*, *Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2*, and *Jingle All the Way 2*.[3](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/cgi/need-see-trailer-live-actioncg-hybrid-woody-woodpecker-feature-153153.html) A teaser trailer leaked in December 2016 through Universal Pictures Brasil with the [Brazilian Portuguese](https://www.edgepedia.org/brazilian-portuguese) dub.[8](https://universalstudios.fandom.com/wiki/Woody_Woodpecker_%282017_film%29)
## Release
[Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures) released the film theatrically in Brazil on October 5, 2017 under the local title *Pica-Pau: O Filme*.[3](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/cgi/need-see-trailer-live-actioncg-hybrid-woody-woodpecker-feature-153153.html) It then rolled out across Latin America: Peru on December 21, 2017, Chile on January 4, 2018, [Central America](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-america) and Colombia on January 11, 2018, Mexico and Ecuador on January 26, 2018, and Argentina, Bolivia, and Venezuela in early February 2018.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Woody-Woodpecker-%282017%29) In the United States it went directly to home video and streaming on February 6, 2018, released by Universal Home Entertainment.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Woody-Woodpecker-%282017%29) The Motion Picture Association rated it PG for "some action, rude humor and language".[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Woody-Woodpecker-%282017%29)
## Box office
The film grossed $15,316,635 worldwide, all of it from international markets, since it received no domestic theatrical release.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2114504) Brazil was the largest territory at $6,686,416, followed by Venezuela at $2,568,222 and Mexico at $1,454,322.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2114504) Against a reported $10 million budget, the theatrical gross exceeded its production cost, though reviews were poor.[9](https://petekirkpatrickreviews.wordpress.com/2024/01/14/film-woody-woodpecker-2017-alex-zamm/)
## Reception
Critics received the film poorly. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 14% Tomatometer score from 7 reviews, with an audience score of 37%.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/woody_woodpecker_2017) Common Sense Media rated it 1 out of 5, calling it "awful live-action/animation" with "cartoon mayhem, potty humor", and criticized its unoriginal story and reliance on farts and burps, while singling out Graham Verchere's performance as Tommy as a bright spot.[6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/woody-woodpecker) Reviewers noted the slapstick violence of the cartoons transplanted onto live actors, with falls, crashes, explosions, and gunfire that leave no injuries.[6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/woody-woodpecker) The film's positive messages, according to Common Sense Media, center on leaving nature intact rather than developing it.[6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/woody-woodpecker) On IMDb the film holds a rating of 4.2 out of 10 from about 6,300 users.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2114504)
## References
1. [Woody Woodpecker (2017), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/woody_woodpecker_2017)
2. [Woody Woodpecker, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/woody-woodpecker/umc.cmc.40swlhix6hit5fkq5at1v8a7p)
3. [You Need To See The Trailer For The Live-Action/CG Hybrid Woody Woodpecker Feature, Cartoon Brew (Amid Amidi, August 28, 2017)](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/cgi/need-see-trailer-live-actioncg-hybrid-woody-woodpecker-feature-153153.html)
4. [Woody Woodpecker (2017) - Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Woody-Woodpecker-%282017%29)
5. [Woody Woodpecker (2017), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2114504/)
6. [Woody Woodpecker - Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/woody-woodpecker)
7. [Universal is Making A Live-Action/CG Woody Woodpecker Feature—For Brazilians, Cartoon Brew (Amid Amidi, July 13, 2016)](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/universal-making-live-actioncg-woody-woodpecker-feature-brazilians-141553.html)
8. [Woody Woodpecker (2017 film), Universal Studios Wiki (Fandom)](https://universalstudios.fandom.com/wiki/Woody_Woodpecker_%282017_film%29)
9. [FILM: Woody Woodpecker (2017, Alex Zamm), Pete Kirkpatrick's Reviews (January 14, 2024)](https://petekirkpatrickreviews.wordpress.com/2024/01/14/film-woody-woodpecker-2017-alex-zamm/)
10. [Woody Woodpecker (2017), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2114504)
11. [Netflix Acquires 'Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp'; Releasing in April 2024, What's on Netflix (Kasey Moore, February 1, 2024)](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/netflix-acquires-woody-woodpecker-goes-to-camp-releasing-in-april-2024/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Animated and family franchise film entries › Comedy and adventure entries*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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