''Zoom'' (also known as ''Zoom: Academy for Superheroes'') is a 2006 American

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Peter Hewitt and written by

Adam Rifkin Adam Rifkin (born December 31, 1966), sometimes credited as Rif Coogan, is an American filmmaker and actor. His career ranges from broad family comedies to dark and gritty urban dramas. He is best known for writing family-friendly comedies like ...

and

David Berenbaum David Berenbaum is an American screenwriter whose credits include the films ''Elf'' (2003), ''The Haunted Mansion'' (2003), ''Zoom'' (2006), ''The Spiderwick Chronicles'' (2008), and '' Strange Magic'' (2015). Biography Berenbaum was born in P ...

. Based upon the children's book ''Amazing Adventures from Zoom's Academy'' by Jason Lethcoe, the film stars

Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) for which he won a Golden Gl ...

Courteney Cox Courteney Bass Cox (born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She rose to international prominence by playing Monica Geller in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004) and Gale Weathers in the horror film franchise '' Scream'' ...

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He became the breakout cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1976), where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment b ...

Spencer Breslin Spencer Breslin (born May 18, 1992) is an American actor and songwriter. He has appeared in feature films, including '' Disney's The Kid'', '' The Santa Clause 2'', '' The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause'', ''The Cat in the Hat'', '' Rais ...

, and

Rip Torn Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned roughly 60 years. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing Marsh Turner in '' Cross Creek'' (1983). Tor ...

. It features a former superhero who is dragged into training four superpowered youths to become superheroes and combat an approaching threat. Released theatrically on August 11, 2006 by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

, the film was panned by critics and it was a

box office bomb A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...

, earning just $12.5 million on a $75.6 million budget. ''Zoom'' was nominated for one

Razzie Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzi ...

, Worst Actor for Tim Allen (who was also nominated for '' The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause'' and '' The Shaggy Dog''), but he lost to

Marlon Marlon is a masculine given name. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', the popularity of Marlon Brando led to general awareness of the name (his father was also named Marlon), though the origin of the name is not known. Speculatio ...

and

Shawn Wayans Shawn Mathis Wayans (born January 19, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He made his debut on the comedy television series ''In Living Color'' (1990–1993). He went on to work with his brother Marlon Wayans on The WB si ...

for ''

Little Man Little Man may refer to: Characters * The Little Man (''The Pink Panther''), a recurring character in ''The Pink Panther'' cartoons * Clayton Chester "Little Man" Logan, from the novel ''Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry'' * Wintell "Little Man" Royc ...

'' (also produced by

and

Revolution Studios Revolution Studios Distribution Company, LLC (operating as Revolution Studios) is an American independent motion picture and foreign sales company headed by Chief Executive Officer Scott Hemming, founded in 2000, and based in Los Angeles, Los Ang ...

Plot

Thirty years prior, Team Zenith, a government-sponsored superhero team led by the Shepard brothers Jack / "Captain Zoom" and Connor / "Concussion", fought to protect the world from various threats until the U.S. military used experimental "Gamma-13" radiation to enhance the Shepards' powers. As a result, Jack became faster and stronger, but Concussion suffered a

psychotic break In psychopathology, psychosis is a condition in which a person is unable to distinguish, in their experience of life, between what is and is not real. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or incoher ...

and killed his teammates. Jack seemingly killed Concussion in turn via a vortex, but lost his powers in the process. At present, original Zenith Project scientist Dr. Ed Grant discovers Concussion was trapped in a dimensional rift and is returning to Earth. Zenith military officer General Larraby commissions the formation of a new Team Zenith, recruiting a reluctant long-retired Jack as an instructor and Marsha Holloway, a clumsy

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

and a fan of the original Team Zenith's comic books. Following a round of auditions, the Zenith Project recruits teenagers Dylan West and Summer Jones and children Tucker Williams and Cindy Collins, who possess

invisibility Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology. Since objects can be seen by light fr ...

psionic In American science fiction of the 1950s and '60s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as extrasensory percept ...

powers, self-inflation, and

super-strength Superhuman strength is a superpower commonly invoked in fiction and other literary works, such as mythology. A fictionalized representation of the phenomenon of hysterical strength, it is the power to exert force and lift weights beyond what is ...

respectively. Over the course of the team's training, Marsha and the recruits become disappointed by Jack's bitter and sarcastic personality, Dylan mounts failed escape attempts, and Tucker struggles with self-esteem issues and controlling his powers. After the team confronts Jack over his failings, they reconcile and slowly improve their abilities. Hours before Concussion's return, Jack helps Dylan unlock a new ability dubbed " mindsight", which he uses to pinpoint where Concussion will emerge and learn the military intends to expose the new Team Zenith to Gamma-13 and use them as a distraction so they can test new weaponry on Concussion. A horrified Jack asks Marsha to help him rescue the children and travel to Concussion's location, during which she reveals her ability to produce super-breath. Upon arriving, Jack resolves to face Concussion alone, but Marsha and Team Zenith refuse to abandon him. When Concussion returns, Larraby fires a neutralizing net at him, but the former blasts it away towards Cindy. Fearing for her safety, Jack's powers return, allowing him to save her before he uses his speed and Gamma-13 to recreate the vortex while Team Zenith and Marsha guide Concussion into it. After Grant reveals he can save Concussion, Jack closes the vortex, with the subsequent energy vacuum draining the Shepards' Gamma-13, curing Concussion. Three months later, Team Zenith has returned to their normal lives while continuing to work with Jack, having become Zoom once again.

Cast

as Jack Shepard / Captain Zoom, Connor's younger brother and an ex-superhero with superhuman speed. *

as Dr. Marsha Holloway, a psychologist on the Zenith Project who blows rainbow-colored blasts of wind. *

as Dr. Ed Grant, a scientist on the Zenith Project. *

as Tucker Williams / Mega Boy, an overweight boy who can enlarge and inflate his body parts at will. *

Kevin Zegers Kevin Zegers (born September 19, 1984) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Josh Framm in the ''Air Bud'' film series, Toby Osbourne in '' Transamerica'' (2005), Damien Dalgaard in the CW teen drama ''Gossip Girl'', and as rookie ...

as Connor Shepard / Concussion, Jack's older brother with concussive blasts who went insane upon being exposed to Gamma-13. *

Kate Mara Kate Rooney Mara ( ; born February 27, 1983) is an American actress. She is known for her work in television, playing reporter Zoe Barnes in the Netflix political drama '' House of Cards'' (2013–2014; 2016), computer analyst Shari Rothenber ...

as Summer Jones / Wonder, a teenager who possesses

telekinesis Telekinesis () (alternatively called psychokinesis) is a purported psychic ability allowing an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Experiments to prove the existence of telekinesis have historically been cri ...

and empathic senses. * Michael Cassidy as Dylan West / Houdini, a teenager with

and

clairvoyance Clairvoyance (; ) is the claimed ability to acquire information that would be considered impossible to get through scientifically proven sensations, thus classified as extrasensory perception, or "sixth sense". Any person who is claimed to h ...

. * Ryan Newman as Cindy Collins / Princess, a little girl with

superhuman strength Superhuman strength is a superpower commonly invoked in fiction and other literary works, such as mythology. A fictionalized representation of the phenomenon of hysterical strength, it is the power to exert force and lift weights beyond what is ...

. *

as General Larraby, the head of the Zenith Project. *

Devon Aoki Devon Edwenna Aoki (born August 10, 1982) is an American model and retired actress. Aoki's film roles include '' 2 Fast 2 Furious'' (2003), ''Sin City'' (2005), '' DOA: Dead or Alive'' (2006) and ''Mutant Chronicles'' (2008). Early life Aoki gr ...

(uncredited) as Daravia, a former member of Zoom's team. *

Alexis Bledel Kimberly Alexis Bledel ( ; born September 16, 1981) is an American Actor, actress and Model (person), model. She is best known for her roles as Rory Gilmore on the television series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007) and Emily Malek in ''The Handm ...

(uncredited) as Ace, a former member of Zoom's team. *

Wilmer Valderrama Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama ( ; born January 30, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom '' That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), his current role as Special Agent Nick Torres in '' NCIS'' (2016–present), and Agu ...

(uncredited) as Marksman, a former member of Zoom's team who also possessed

. *

Cornelia Guest Cornelia Cochrane Churchill Guest (born November 28, 1963) is a New York socialite, author, actress, and the Debutante of the Decade for the 1980s of the International Debutante Ball in New York City. She is a vegan, and known for her advocacy of ...

as Mrs. Collins, Cindy's mother * Ridge Canipe and

Danny McCarthy Danny McCarthy (born February 9, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known as Agent Danny Hale on Fox series ''Prison Break'' (2005–2006). Career He has acted in plays with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and the Famous Door, and has perfo ...

as Bullies * Thomas F. Wilson as Dylan's teacher *

David Lander David L. Lander (born David Leonard Landau; June 22, 1947 – December 4, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, musician, and baseball scout. He was best known for his portrayal of Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman in the ABC sitcom '' Laverne & Shir ...

as David, an employee at

Wendy's Wendy's International, LLC, is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (businessman), Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of D ...

Production

In June 2003, Revolution Studios acquired the rights to ''Zoom's Academy for the Super Gifted'' by former Disney/Warner Bros. animator Jason Lethcoe. Peter Hewitt became attached as director in September 2004. Tim Allen helped write the initial script, saying "It was very different in script form, much darker than when it came out, and what the studio and powers that be decided to make it into a family movie; It was a neat idea of what superheroes are really capable of doing." ''Zoom'' was shot in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Release

Theatrical

''Zoom'' was theatrically released on August 11, 2006, by

Home media

''Zoom'' was released on DVD on February 13, 2007, by

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...

under the name ''Zoom: Academy for Superheroes''.

Reception

Box office

''Zoom'' opened in 2,501 theaters on August 11, 2006, and earned $4.5 million in its opening weekend ranking number nine at the domestic box office. At the end of its run, on September 17, the film had grossed $12 million in the United States and Canada and $516,860 internationally for a worldwide total of $12.5 million.

Critical response

Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.

Awards

''Zoom'' was nominated for one

, Worst Actor for

(also nominated for '' The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause'' and '' The Shaggy Dog''), but he lost to the Wayans brothers

and

for ''

''.

Music

Rupert Gregson-Williams Rupert Gregson-Williams is a British composer, conductor, and record producer, best known for his film, video game, and television scores. His filmography includes ''Hotel Rwanda'', for which he was awarded the European Film composer award, '' ...

was originally attached to compose the film, but dropped out to work on ''

Over the Hedge ''Over the Hedge'' is a 2006 American animated heist comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation SKG. Based on the comic strip of the same name, the film was directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick from a screenplay by Len Blum, ...

'', and

Christophe Beck Jean-Christophe Beck (born in 1968) is a Canadian television and film score composer. He is best known for his collaborations with Disney and its subsidiaries, which include composing the soundtracks of '' The Muppets'' (2011) and '' Muppets Mos ...

stepped in.

scored the music for the film and on its soundtrack.

Soundtrack

Although an official movie soundtrack was not released, the following songs were heard during the film: * " So Insane" –

Smash Mouth Smash Mouth is an American Rock music, rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994 and was originally composed of Steve Harwell (lead vocals), Kevin Coleman (drums), Greg Camp (guitar), and Paul De Lisle (bass). Harwell's ...

* "Hang On" –

* "Everyday Superhero" –

* "Come On Come On" –

* "

Punk Rock 101 "Punk Rock 101" is a song by American pop-punk band Bowling for Soup. It appeared on the 2003 edition of their 2002 album ''Drunk Enough to Dance''. "Punk Rock 101" was released to radio on May 20, 2003. The single peaked at number 43 on the UK ...

" –

Bowling for Soup Bowling for Soup is an American rock band formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1994. The band consists of Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, guitar), Gary Wiseman (drums, percussion), and Rob Felicetti (bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar). The band i ...

* "The World is New" –

Save Ferris Save Ferris is an American ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California, United States. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off''. In 1995, the band began to perform underground venues in Southern C ...

* "

Under Pressure "Under Pressure" is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Originally released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's tenth studio album ''Hot Space'' (1982). The song reached number one on the U ...

" –

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, cover by

* "

Superman (It's Not Easy) "Superman (It's Not Easy)" is a song written and performed by American singer Five for Fighting. It was released on April 16, 2001, as the second single from his second studio album '' America Town''. Following the September 11 attacks, the song ...

" –

Five for Fighting Vladimir John Ondrasik III (born January 7, 1965), also known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for his piano-based soft rock, such as the top 40 hits " Superman (It's Not Easy)" ...

* " The Middle" –

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mesa, Arizona, in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach ...

* "

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

" –

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums ''Enrique Iglesias (album), Enrique ...

* "Days Like These" –

* "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" –

Prague Philharmonic Orchestra The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra () was established in 1995, under the German conductor Friedemann Riehle. The orchestra has since produced many classical and film music recordings, working with labels such as Decca, EMI, Sony BMG and various ...

* "

If She Knew What She Wants "If She Knew What She Wants" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jules Shear and introduced on his 1985 album ''The Eternal Return''. The Bangles recorded the song for their 1986 album ''Different Light''. That version, a call-and-resp ...

" –

The Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...

* "Big Ups" – Triniti Bhaguandas (as Ms. Triniti) * "It's On" –

Superchick Superchick, originally known as Superchic was an American Christian rock/Alternative rock#Alternative pop, alternative pop band that debuted in 1999 and disbanded in 2013. Their music incorporated various styles such as Pop music, pop, Punk ...

References

External links

* * * {{Peter Hewitt 2006 films 2000s adventure comedy films 2000s science fiction comedy films 2000s superhero comedy films American action comedy films American science fiction comedy films American robot films American superhero comedy films 2000s English-language films American science fantasy films Child superheroes Films about parallel universes Teen superhero comedy films Columbia Pictures films Revolution Studios films Films scored by Christophe Beck Films directed by Peter Hewitt Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario Film superheroes Films based on children's books 2006 comedy films Films produced by Suzanne Todd 2000s American films English-language science fantasy films English-language science fiction comedy films English-language action comedy films English-language adventure comedy films