Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	David Bowers
Produced by	Nina Jacobson Brad Simpson
Screenplay by	Wallace Wolodarsky Maya Forbes
Starring	Zachary Gordon Robert Capron Devon Bostick
Music by	Edward Shearmur
Cinematography	Anthony B. Richmond
Editing by	Troy Takaki
Studio	Fox 2000 Pictures Color Force Dune Entertainment
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	August 3, 2012 (2012-08-03)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$22 million
Money made	$77.1 million

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a 2012 American live-action/animated comedy film directed by David Bowers from a screenplay by Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes. It stars Zachary Gordon and Steve Zahn. Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Peyton List, Grayson Russell, and Karan Brar also have prominent roles. It is the third (originally intended final) installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series, and is a combination of elements from the third and fourth books in the series, but draws mostly from the fourth book. 20th Century Fox released the film on August 3, and it earned $77.1 million on a $22 million budget.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is also the last film in the series to feature the original cast members, as many of the cast (such as Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron and Devon Bostick) outgrew their roles and new actors were cast for the subsequent films in the series, starting with Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, which was released nearly five years later.

Plot

Months after the events of the previous film, the Heffley family attends a pool party at the crowded local pool, where the family meets a former trouble-making friend of Rodrick (Devon Bostick) who is now a model student after attending a military school for boys going in the eighth grade known as Spag Union. With Greg (Zachary Gordon) going in the eighth grade, Greg's dad, Frank (Steve Zahn) thinks about enrolling Greg there. Greg's summer starts off badly: his father bans Greg from playing video games in anger at Greg's laziness and also bans Greg from watching TV after Rodrick laughs at Greg, and his mother Susan (Rachael Harris) starts a book club for Greg's friends and classmates, but she does not see their books as real literature and forces them to read classic books, which Greg sees as boring. Frank is also jealous of their neighbor's athletic kids, and after his video game ban, Susan forces Frank and Greg to bond with each other; their bonding activities end in disaster.

A few weeks later, Greg's best friend, Rowley Jefferson (Robert Capron), takes Greg to the local country club, where Greg enjoys the lifestyle and the fact that his crush, Holly Hills (Peyton List), teaches tennis there. Greg returns home to learn that Frank signed him up for an unpaid summer internship at his office without his consent, and Greg lies about already having a job at the country club. Frank and Susan are delighted, and later give Greg a starter cell phone, called a "Ladybug", which only allows him to call home or 911. Rowley invites Greg on a family trip they are taking to a rented beach house near the boardwalk, but Greg finds the trip boring and attempts to escape. He tries to email Susan through Mr. Jefferson's (Alf Humphreys) laptop, but he accidentally sends the email to everyone on Mr. Jefferson's contact list. The next morning, Greg tries to call home using his Ladybug phone, but the phone rejects the call. Greg accidentally calls 911 and shortly after, the police arrive. They almost arrest Mr. Jefferson after he absentmindedly opens the front door holding a kitchen knife, making the officers believe he tried to hurt Greg. Greg is eventually sent home.

Rowley doesn't allow Greg to go with him to the country club because of the beach house incident, but Greg sneaks in by impersonating several members, including Rowley. He meets with Holly and her egotistical sister Heather (Melissa Roxburgh) and manages to get Löded Diper a gig at her sweet sixteen party, much to Rodrick's delight due to his crush on Heather. Greg and Rowley reconcile, but when Frank drops Greg off one morning, they both get confronted by Rowley's father because Greg has built up a $260 fruit smoothie bill from his time at the country club, not knowing the food costs money. When Frank attempts to explain the situation, the manager informs him that the club does not employ minors, and Greg is exposed. As a result, he receives a Spag Union disc in the mail, and fears he will be sent there.

Rodrick informs Greg that the "Wilderness Weekend" could be a way to avoid Spag Union. Their troop proves weak compared to Frank's boss, Stan's (Phil Hayes), troop and Greg continues to mess things up. After the boys overhear Stan and his troop insulting Frank, Greg attempts to set up a plan for revenge by using a trap, and finds out that Stan's troop has been using modern conveniences including pre-cooked meals and portable TVs rather than actually camping. Stan arrives at the tent and attacks Greg, mistaking him for a raccoon, and Greg accidentally throws the tent into the campfire, then admits he was responsible when Frank shows up to investigate the commotion. Frank, having lost his respect for Stan as he insults Greg, confronts Stan about the electronic conveniences, and Stan runs into Greg's trap, leaving him humiliated. Frank reveals that he never liked camping anyway, and decides not to send Greg to Spag Union, much to Greg's surprise and delight. Frank gives Greg advice about learning from mistakes and taking responsibilities. The two discover they are more alike than they realize.

At Heather's sweet sixteen birthday party a few days later, Löded Diper performs a hard rock cover of Justin Bieber's hit song "Baby", with Rodrick on lead vocals in an attempt to impress Heather. However, the performance gets cut short when Rodrick accidentally knocks over a huge ice bust of Heather, resulting in her to lose her temper and attempting to assault Rodrick with a microphone stand, only for her to smash a chocolate fountain, splashing chocolate all over herself, Rodrick, and her friend Madison, and the party ends in disaster. Holly then implies that she likes Greg by holding his hand, and in the final scene, Greg, Rowley, and Holly hang out together at the town pool. Greg remarks that while his summer may have not gone the way he expected, he may look back on it as the best summer ever.

Cast

Jeff Kinney, the author of the series, reprises his role from the previous film as Mr. Jonathon Hills (Holly and Heather's father).

Accolades

Future

Reboot

At the time of its release, Dog Days was described as the last live-action film in the franchise. In August 2012, while doing press for the film, Jeff Kinney, Zachary Gordon and Robert Capron each indicated that there were no plans for a fourth film, but did not dismiss the possibility entirely. Kinney replied to inquiries regarding the possibility of another sequel, stating, "At present, we don’t have a fourth film in development, but you never know!"

And when describing the likelihood of starring in another film in the series, Gordon explained, "[Dog Days] most likely will be the last movie. The main problem is [the cast] is getting older. You can't stop it. There's no way to temporarily stop us from changing and growing up. You know, that's the problem because the characters are supposed to be timeless." In March 2013, Zachary Gordon stated in a Spreecast live stream that there would not be a fourth live-action film. Jeff Kinney has indicated that instead of doing a live-action film of the sixth novel Cabin Fever, he would like to see it adapted into an animated film, stating in an interview, "I hope that it gets made into an animated movie. I'd really like to see it turn into an animated television special."

On July 29, 2016, it was announced that a new movie with a different cast based on the 9th book, The Long Haul, had begun production. The film was released on May 19, 2017, to a modest box-office success despite hitting a critical low for the franchise.

Animated film series

On December 10, 2020, it was announced on Disney Investors Day that an animated film based on the books would premiere on Disney+ sometime in 2021. It will be another reboot, and will be computer-animated, along with any other future Wimpy Kid movies.

See also

In Spanish: Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: Dog Days para niños