The Emoji Movie 2017

In the opening scenes of this vibrant film, a sea of high school students glide through their daily routines, eyes fixated on the glowing screens of their smartphones. We embark on an immersive journey inside the digital realm of Alex’s freshman phone, where the Emojis of Textopolis thrive in a world tailored to their specific functions. Among them is Gene (voiced by T.J. Miller), a peculiar Emoji who defies convention with his unpredictable expressions and emotions - traits that have alienated him from the rest of the Emoji community.

Gene’s parents, Mel (voice of Steven Wright) and Mary (voice of Jennifer Coolidge), struggle to understand their son’s unconventional nature, which sets them apart from the homogeneous Emojis. Despite their reservations, Gene is slated for his first day as an official Emoji, with Smiler (voice of Maya Rudolph), the enigmatic head of the text center, serving as his guide.

As we delve into Textopolis, we meet a diverse cast of Emojis, each with their own unique personality and quirks. The Devil (voiced by Sean Hayes) exudes mischief, Fist Bump (voiced by Thom Bishop) radiates enthusiasm, Flamenca (voiced by Sofia Vergara) embodies fiery passion, and Poop (voiced by Patrick Stewart) brings a dash of unexpected elegance to the mix.

Meanwhile, in the human world, Alex’s romantic interest, Addie (voiced by Tati Gabrielle), sends him a tantalizing text message. As he struggles to select the perfect Emoji response, Gene’s unorthodox nature is inadvertently unleashed, causing chaos and destruction within the cube where Emojis await dispatch from Alex’s phone.

The consequences of this mishap send Gene hurtling into Smiler’s office, where he faces an existential threat: deletion. With his digital existence hanging in the balance, Gene must navigate the treacherous landscape of Textopolis to avoid annihilation. His quest for self-preservation takes him to the lounge of popular Emojis, where Hi-5 (voiced by James Corden) becomes an unlikely ally in Gene’s desperate bid for survival and redemption.

As Gene confides in his trusty friend Hi-5 at the Loser Lounge, a gathering place for emojis that have fallen out of favor, they concoct a plan to enlist the services of notorious hacker Jailbreak (voice of Anna Faris). The unlikely duo sneaks out of the lounge, avoiding detection by the ever-watchful bots, and sets their sights on Textopolis. Meanwhile, Gene’s friends Mel and Mary grow concerned about his disappearance and begin searching for him.

Unbeknownst to them, Smiler has been monitoring the situation from her surveillance hub and dispatches a team of bots to track down Gene. As our heroes navigate the vast digital landscape, they stumble upon a seedy underbelly app where trolls, viruses, and spam bots lurk in the shadows. It’s here that they finally locate Jailbreak, who is initially uninterested in their plight until she witnesses Gene’s remarkable facial expressions.

However, their reunion is short-lived as Smiler’s bots burst into the scene, deleting patrons left and right. Forced to flee, the trio makes a break for the phone’s Dropbox, where Jailbreak hopes to reprogram Gene and secure her own digital immortality on The Cloud.

Their perilous journey takes them through Candy Crush, where Gene becomes stuck in a sugary vortex. Hi-5 and Jailbreak must expertly match candies to free their friend, unwittingly triggering a chain reaction that disrupts Alex’s school dance preparations.

The trio then finds themselves transported to the Just Dance app, where they meet the charismatic avatar Akiko Glitter (voice of Christina Aguilera). To progress, they must synchronize their moves with the game or risk plummeting to digital doom. Gene plays matchmaker for Jailbreak, helping her find her rhythm and uncover a surprising secret: she’s an escaped princess emoji.

As they near the app’s climax, Smiler’s bots reappear, programming themselves to dance in a chaotic display that echoes through Alex’s classroom, mortifying him. In response, he deletes the app, forcing our heroes to make a hasty exit as the bots are destroyed and Hi-5 is swept away by one of the machines into the digital trash heap.

As Gene and Jailbreak near the Dropbox, Gene’s altruistic instincts kick in, prompting him to abandon their mission to save Hi-5 from the digital wasteland. Convinced that time is of the essence, Gene persuades Jailbreak to join forces with him on a perilous journey to the trash dump. En route, they employ an unconventional mode of transportation - music streams from Spotify - to accelerate their pace. Meanwhile, Jailbreak shares her genuine feelings for Gene, acknowledging his unique qualities and valuing them above all else.

Unbeknownst to our heroes, Alex has grown tired of his phone’s constant malfunctions and schedules a thorough cleaning for the next day. The top Emojis pick up on this news and dispatch an upgraded bot to eliminate Gene before he can cause any further disruptions. Back in the digital trash heap, Hi-5 is lamenting his fate among the deleted characters when he stumbles upon an email intended for Addie - a poignant declaration of Alex’s romantic feelings, which included Hi-5 as a token of affection.

Gene intervenes, using a rope to rescue Hi-5 from his digital grave and whisk him away to safety. Mel and Mary, Gene’s parents, engage in a lackluster argument about their son’s peculiarities before reuniting over shared photos on Instagram. Mel confesses that he too has multiple expressions and feels responsible for shaping Gene into the person he is today. The couple reconciles and sets out to find their wayward offspring.

As they approach the Dropbox, the trio is ambushed by the upgraded bot, but manages to evade its grasp and reach the Firewall, a formidable barrier blocking access to the Dropbox. Despite Gene’s best efforts, his incorrect attempts at unlocking the password only result in painful burnings. Hi-5 then drops a bombshell, revealing that Addie - Alex’s password - holds the key to Gene’s reprogramming.

The trio finally gains entry into the Dropbox, where Gene confronts a crucial decision: should he allow himself to be reprogrammed or take control of his own destiny? In a poignant moment of self-awareness, Gene realizes his true feelings for Jailbreak and tries to express them to her. Though she reciprocates his emotions, Jailbreak is torn between her love for Gene and her desire to maintain her independence on The Cloud, fearing that romantic involvement would reduce her to a stereotype.

Heartbroken, Gene accepts the meh face, choosing to prioritize their relationship over his own desires. With a heavy heart, he returns home, only to be recaptured by the upgraded bot. Hi-5 hastens to inform Jailbreak of Gene’s fate, prompting her to summon a Twitter bird using her princess powers. The avian messenger whisks them away to Textopolis, where they can begin anew.

As Alex finally arrives at his appointment, Gene is unexpectedly summoned back to the digital realm, mere moments before Smiler initiates the process of erasing him from existence. However, Mel and Mary intervene just in time, thwarting Smiler’s plans and sending her scrambling to rectify the situation. In a stunning display of chameleon-like adaptability, Mel reveals his multifaceted nature, prompting Smiler to hastily dispatch him for deletion as well.

Meanwhile, Hi-5 and Jailbreak burst through the ceiling, engaging the upgraded robot in an electrifying battle. Jailbreak ultimately shuts down the machine, but not before it crashes to the ground on top of Smiler. In a precarious turn of events, Alex’s phone is still plugged in, and the digital contents begin to vanish as the deletion process spreads. Gene reappears within the cube, where Jailbreak subjects him to a thorough scan.

As Gene’s diverse facial expressions capture Alex’s attention, they serve as a poignant representation of his complex emotions regarding Addie. Alex seizes the opportunity to send a text message to Addie, and to his delight, she responds positively, agreeing to attend the dance with him. With his phone safely unplugged, Alex ensures that the Emojis remain intact.

In the aftermath, Gene is hailed as a hero by the Emoji community, earning the distinction of being the first multi-faced Emoji. Hi-5 regains its popularity, while Jailbreak reclaims her role as a princess. The Emojis then come together to celebrate with an exuberant dance party.

During the closing credits, Smiler finds herself relegated to the Loser Lounge, where she must now endure the indignity of wearing dental headgear as a consequence of the bot’s unfortunate collapse on top of her.