The Bob's Burgers Movie has Bob's Burgers fans both ecstatic and nervous at the same time. While the show's creator and the film's director Loren Bouchard assure fans that the movie, "will not break the series," fans are speculating nonstop about what will be in the movie, and what won't be.
Not since The Simpsons Movie has one of Fox's Animation Domination series been made into a feature film. Details are still minimal and secrets are being kept tightly under wraps (it is a Disney project after all) but there are some things we can figure out based on comments from Bouchard, the cast, and other producers. We can also make a few well-educated guesses about what to expect in the film thanks to teaser trailers, film posters, and other sources. So, how will The Bob's Burgers Movie be different from the show? Let's find out.
8 'The Bob's Burgers Movie' Will Be More Detailed
Although computer graphics and modern technology have simplified the production of animated TV shows, time constraints remain a hurdle for animators to overcome. It is hard to turn around one episode of an animated series in a short amount of time since animators have to meet a season's deadlines. The good thing about making features is that, while time is money like it is in any Hollywood venture, the increased amount of time reduces constraints on production. This means that the animators of the movie have more time and flexibility than those who work on the TV series. This in turn means that fans can expect the animation of The Bob's Burgers Movie to be more detailed and of a higher quality than it would be on the show.
7 Guest Stars Will Be Returning
The cast and crew are being very hush hush about it but Loren Bouchard and others have hinted that some of their favorite guest stars from the series will be making appearances in the film. Bobs Burgers has many big names who appeared first as guests but then became recurring characters, such as Kevin Kline as the landlord Mr. Fishoder, and Zach Galifianakis who plays his brother Felix. Several other guest stars do often return once or twice, like Rob Huebel who voiced "The Prince of Persuasia" and later returned as the same character but with the name "The Deuce of Diamonds." While most guest stars are one-off characters. The show has been lucky enough to grab Patton Oswalt, Wanda Sykes, and many other big names in one-time roles, and many of them are fan favorites. We can't say for certain yet, but the producers have been teasing that some faces and voices who haven't been seen in a while might be coming back.
6 'The Bob's Burgers Movie' Will Be More Dramatic
While Bouchard promises that the show will not "break" the TV series, showrunners who turn their programs into feature-length films have an interesting hurdle to overcome that most filmmakers do not. That hurdle is figuring out how to make the show more appealing to a film-going audience while keeping the attention of dedicated fans. The key to keeping the audience engaged across the board is to raise the stakes and give the characters a conflict that could not be easily resolved in 20 minutes as you do when writing the show. This means that fans can expect the plot of The Bob's Burgers Movie to be more involved and dramatic than what they would normally see on the show.
5 It Will Manage To Have All The Characters (Sort of)
This is pure speculation but based on the graphics that have been advertising the film, the trailers, and clips making their rounds on the internet, and the cast lists on Wikipedia, IMDb, and other sources, fans can probably expect to see a little bit of each recurring character from the series in the film. At least, most of them that is. Fans are still trying to figure out if one character will still be seen.
4 'The Bob's Burgers Movie' Won't Have Jimmy Pesto (Allegedly)
Jay Johnston was the voice of Bob's rival Jimmy Pesto until 2021 when it was revealed he was one of the rioters at the January 6th Insurrection of the U.S. Capital building. Johnston was promptly fired and it would seem he has been blacklisted from Hollywood for his participation in the riots. His character has been absent from the series ever since and his character has not been featured in any of the promotional materials. This does not mean we won't see him at all, it is possible that Johnston recorded lines for the character before revelations about his involvement in January 6th came to light. However, it would seem that Jimmy Pesto is not integral to the plot, based on what has already been released about the film. So it is also still easy for the filmmakers to write and edit Pesto out of the film. The odds that Pesto will appear in the film are very low at this point.
3 'The Bob's Burgers Movie' Is A Musical
Bob's Burgers has lots of musical moments, Bob's son Gene is a bit of a wanna-be popstar and the show often features funny musical numbers, most of which are written by Loren Bouchard. However, few people would qualify Bob's Burgers as a musical show, but rather as an animated show that occasionally has music. According to Bouchard, the film crosses several genres, action, comedy, etc, but it is also a musical. Unlike the TV series, this film could be categorized as a musical. Considering the track record that Disney has with musicals, fans are within their right to be excited.
2 It's A Mystery Movie
As the film is a multi-genre movie according to Bouchard, one of the genres it can qualify as is a mystery. Why? Well, if we already knew then it wouldn't be a mystery.
1 'The Bob's Burgers Movie' Is Disney's First Hand-Drawn Animation Since 2011
While computers are still a key part of producing any modern animated film or series, Bob's Burgers is one of the few shows that are completely hand-drawn, albeit hand-drawn on computers and tablets. Even though Disney became the institution that it is thanks to the hand-drawn films of its founder Walt Disney (Snow White, Cinderella, etc.) Disney has put more energy into their Pixar films than they have into anything hand-drawn. The Bob's Burgers Movie will be the company's first hand-drawn animated feature since 2011 when the company rebooted Winnie The Pooh.