The Beast with a Billion Backs

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Direct-to-DVD film
The Beast with a Billion Backs
Directed by	Peter Avanzino
Produced by	Claudia Katz
Written by	Eric Kaplan David X. Cohen
Production number	5ACV05, 5ACV06, 5ACV07, 5ACV08
Title Caption	The Proud Result of Prison Labor
Title reference	"The beast with two backs," a pre-Shakespearean slang term for sexual intercourse [1]
Opening cartoon	Steamboat Willie (1928)
Regular DVD release date(s)	(USA) 24 June, 2008 (EU) 30 June, 2008 (AU) 6 August, 2008
Blu-ray (HD) release date(s)	TBA
Running time	88 minutes
Nomination(s)	Annie Awards Best Animated Home Entertainment Production, 2008 (won)
Additional
IMDb profile
Commentary Transcript Pictures
The films
Bender's Big Score The Beast with a Billion Backs Bender's Game Into the Wild Green Yonder

Not to be confused with The Beast With Two Bucks.

The Beast with a Billion Backs (abbreviated "BwaBB") is the second of the four Direct-to-DVD films, and was released on 24 June, 2008 in North America, 30 June, 2008 in Europe and 6 August, 2008 in Australia.

It guest stars Stephen Hawking, David Cross, Dan Castellaneta and the late Brittany Murphy.

The story continues from where Bender's Big Score left off. A planet-sized monster invades Earth and begins mating with its inhabitants.

Plot outline

Act I: 5ACV05

Main article: The Beast with a Billion Backs Part 1

One month has passed after Bender's overuse of time travel caused the universe to tear itself open, and people are actually growing tired of being scared. Scientists, dubbing the tear "the anomaly", theorize that it is a gateway to another universe, but no one is certain as to what exactly lies beyond.

While the Professor is busy testing the radiation of the anomaly, Fry introduces the crew to his new girlfriend, Colleen. Ever since he met her in a crowd while gazing at the anomaly and slept with her shortly after, Fry has been quite preoccupied. Bender anticipates great awkwardness to come from Fry introducing her to Leela, but Leela greets her quite warmly. Amy also announces that Kif has asked her to be his Fonfon Ru, meaning that she will be joining his clan and that their parents would also be meeting for the first time.

The entire Planet Express crew is invited to attend Kif and Amy's Fonfon Rubok ceremony on Amphibios 9. As Bender predicted, the meeting between the Wongs and Krokers is quite awkward. Fry and Colleen also grow closer, though Leela doesn't seem to complain about how she is alone. Although unconventional when compared to a human marriage, Amy embraces the bizarre customs and the Fonfon Rubok is completed without difficulty.

Act II

Back on Earth, Bender is upset at how Fry is spending much more time with Colleen than with him, especially after Fry announces that he is moving in with her. Before long, Farnsworth reminds everyone that the anomaly is still there, and that they are going to a scientific conference to learn more (much to their horror). However, no one, not even Stephen Hawking (who is writing a book about it), is able to make any solid conclusion about what the anomaly really is. Farnsworth proposes that, as scientists, an expedition should be made. His archrival Dr. Ogden Wernstrom agrees, but since they both contend to lead the expedition, they must settle their argument in a game of Deathball.

The crews face off in Deathball.

Farnsworth and Wernstrom pit their crews against each other, but their wits are evenly matched. It is only when Farnsworth directly intervenes in the game that the Planet Express crew wins. The victorious Fry is greeted by Colleen with a passionate kiss, who also kisses a member of the losing team, much to Fry's shock. Colleen explains that both men, in addition to another three, are her boyfriends.

Act III

While the Planet Express crew prepares for its dangerous expedition, Fry begins reconsidering moving in with Colleen. However, everyone encourages him to follow his feelings for her, so Fry decides to stay behind to move in with her. However, having dinner with Colleen's four other boyfriend proves to be quite confusing for everyone when they don’t understand who people are talking to. The experience quickly overwhelms Fry, so he breaks up with Colleen.

As the crew heads deep into space to the anomaly, Farnsworth receives a message from Wernstrom who tries to warn him about something, but Farnsworth refuses to listen. Everyone decides to send Bender to investigate, much to his chagrin, and warns that the League of Robots will be displeased with their actions. However, the crew dismisses the existence of the League as myth. As Bender makes direct contact with the anomaly (telling it to "bite my shiny metal ass!") it emits a shockwave that sends them all flying aimlessly into space.

Act IV: 5ACV06

Main article: The Beast with a Billion Backs Part 2

The crew somehow manages to return to Earth where Bender is hospitalized. To cheer him up, the crew invites Calculon to perform for him. Bender is so inspired by this that he stalks Calculon on a regular basis until Calculon names him his official stalker. Also, Fry becomes increasingly depressed now that he is again alone, especially when many other people are not.

Farnsworth further examines the Anomaly and discovers that there is an electromagnetic field around it, thus preventing Bender from entering it. He calls Wernstrom to apologize and invite him over to collaborate with him on the Anomaly. Wernstrom shows that the enhanced laws of electromagnetism around the Anomaly prevent electrical devices from entering, but living things can pass through unharmed. The two team up to try and mount a second expedition, but President Nixon contacts the military instead.

Zapp Brannigan is commissioned to lead the attack, while Farnsworth and Wernstrom are arrested for protesting. Seeing Colleen (who is Chief of Police) again proves to be too much for Fry, who stows away on board the Nimbus to find a place to be alone forever. Amy gives Kif one more sweet goodbye before he heads off for the attack. Bender is jealous that humans must do all the interesting and enjoyable parts of missions, and laments when Calculon informs him that there is truly no such thing as the League of Robots, which had been known to deal justice to the mistreatment of robots everywhere.

Act V

Bender feels worthless now that he feels vulnerable to abuse from humans, and resolves to commit suicide. But while he waits in the suicide booth for his doom, he falls through a trapdoor and finds himself in a dark room with hooded robots—it is the fabled League of Robots, led by Calculon himself. He puts Bender through a series of tests which he passes easily (they all involve drinking some kind of alcohol), after which Bender becomes the newest member of the League.

Fry encounters Kif while entering the Anomaly.

Once the Nimbus is in range of the Anomaly, Fry sneaks out of the ship to enter it. Zapp prepares a missile to fire at the Anomaly, but it gets stuck in the hatch, so he forces Kif to un-jam it. While he does so, Zapp impatiently and repeatedly presses the "fire" button, which causes Kif become stuck to the missile, his feet caught in the hatch. The missile launches, stretching out Kif's legs. Just before the missile can make contact with with the Anomaly, Kif's legs are stretched as far as they can and it is pulled back at full force to the ship. The missile flies backward into the wall of the Nimbus' bridge, crushing Kif to death.

Act VI

Kif's remains are buried on Amphibios 9. Amy is distraught about Kif's death and is unsure if she will ever love again, while Bender brags about being a member of the League of Robots without actually giving away its existence to anyone. Basically what the robots do in their free time is brag about how weak and feeble humans are, but when Billionaire Bot presents a monocle made of a human eye, Bender destroys it, strictly enforcing in his own right that the League of Robots involves a no-humans policy. Many robots begin to hold Bender in high regard, though Calculon senses deception may be afoot.

While imprisoned in the Fulcrum County Prism, Farnsworth and Wernstrom receive a mini-Smell-O-Scope from Leela disguised as a cake, and discover that the Anomaly truly does lead to another universe. With the help of Farnsworth's old gargoyle Pazuzu, the two break out of prison to warn President Nixon. At this time, Fry drifts through the other universe and makes a discovery of his own: a colossal tentacled creature.

Act VII: 5ACV07

Main article: The Beast with a Billion Backs Part 3

The tentacles begin to emerge from the other universe and attack people on Earth, and there is no stopping them, as they appear invulnerable to laser fire, thus proving a military barrier ineffective. Farnsworth and Wernstrom propose encasing the planet in a shield of an impenetrable material, though they argue over which one they should use: Farnsworth's diamondium or Wernstrom's diamondillium—a quick game of Deathball ends in Wernstrom's favor.

"Thou shalt love the tentacle!"

Meanwhile, as the League of Robots appear oblivious to everything that is transpiring, Bender openly wonders why they are not killing all humans. Calculon explains that this is simply not their purpose (despite the League's motto, "Kill All Humans!"), and believes that Bender is bluffing when he wishes to do so.

The shield is placed around Earth, but the tentacles manage to break through without any effort. They proceed to attack everyone, and no one can escape thanks to the shield. Fry has also returned to Earth with a tentacle attached to the back of his neck and, apparently brainwashed, he announces that he has discovered humanity's purpose in existence: to love the tentacle.

Act VIII

The tentacles begin attaching to the Earthican people in the backs of their necks, causing everyone to fall in love with them. The crew (except for Zoidberg) manages to escape to the Planet Express building. It turns out, however, that no one is actually brainwashed—Fry is truly in love with the tentacle, and the tentacle loves him. Leela, however, refuses to believe this, and attacks the tentacle with Farnsworth diamondium cannon, but it has no effect. They discover that the tentacles are made of electromatter, which can cut through any form of regular matter, thus explaining how Wernstrom's shield and Farnsworth's cannon are useless.

Bender begins to feel upset that he now believes the League of Robots has no real purpose, and that Fry is again preoccupied since the tentacled creature made him the pope of a religion that worships it. Fry begins spreading the influence of the tentacle religion to every corner of the world. The rest of the crew continues to resist, but Farnsworth is also captured by the tentacles.

Act IX

Leela and Amy escape on Amy's party board as Hermes and Wernstrom are captured with Farnsworth. Eventually they, along with Zapp, become one of the very few "normal" people left on Earth. Colleen, meanwhile is brought before Fry, who appears to be becoming mad with power. Colleen rebukes Fry for having his ego get in the way of understanding how she loves more than one man, but is confused when Fry sympathizes her statement. Fry encourages Colleen to share her love with the whole universe and places a tentacle in the back of her neck, causing her to fall in love with it as well. The two end up getting back together.

Leela, Amy and Zapp find Bender and beg for his help; Bender helps them hide by placing them in a compartment in the Destructor's leg and proceeds to attend another meeting with the League of Robots. However, the three fall out of the compartment, and Bender helps them escape while denying any relationship to them. Calculon calls his bluff and Bender, his human-hating reputation ruined in the League, challenges Calculon to a duel.

The three reach an abandoned logo cabin where Amy, still unable to get over herself, continues to grieve Kif's death. Zapp consoles her by convincing her to sleep with him. The next morning, the tentacles capture them, leaving Leela the sole being in the universe still unattached to one. While attempting to entwine itself around Leela, a tentacle twists itself and cuts off its own tip. Leela grabs the piece and returns to the Planet Express building where she examines it, but when she does, she is ambushed by more tentacles. Leela appears to become attached to a tentacle, and its influence has been spread to every corner of the universe.

Fry addresses the universe all that the tentacled creature has told him: the creature's name is Yivo, who does not have any gender, and so it must be refered to as "shkle" instead of "he" or "she," and "shklim" or "shkler" instead of "him" or "her." Yivo then begins to speak, revealing that shkle had spent a trillion years in solitude before realizing that shkle was alone after witnessing the Big Bang. Then shkle met Fry who was also lonely, and they fell in love, so shkle decided to spread that love onto everyone. But then Leela intervenes; it turns out that the "tentacle" in her neck is really a garden hose, and addresses what she herself has learned about Yivo by examining the tentacle piece: the tentacles are actually "gentacles," and shkle is mating with everyone.

Act X: 5ACV08

Main article: The Beast with a Billion Backs Part 4

Everyone turns on Yivo, who admits that mating was shklis original intention, but explains the thrill of perversion wore off and shkle truly fell in love with everyone. Amy points out that Kif was killed when trying to kill shkler. Yivo redeems shklimself by absorbing Kif's remains and bringing him back to life. Kif reunites with Amy, but he is dismayed to discover that Zapp talked her into sleeping with him. Yivo asks to start over with their relationship and pulls shkler tentacles out of everyone. Shkle then asks everyone in the universe out on a date all at once, and after discussing it in an overly-serious council, they accept.

Meanwhile, Calculon and Bender commence their duel with planetary annihilators, but Bender breaks the rules of the duel and fires early, dismembering Calculon's arm and blasting a giant hole in several buildings, including the League of Robots' headquarters. Calculon is outraged, but instead of banning the indifferent Bender from the club as initially implied, he resigns from the League of Robots and names Bender its new president, leaving him with a very warm autograph.

Act XI

Although the date goes very well, everyone feels that Yivo hasn't made any commitment. In another council, they agree to break up with shklim. As they prepare to go through the Anomaly, Bender wants to come as well, but he is unable to. Feeling offended, Bender goes to Robot Hell where he trades his firstborn son (with whom he reunites, as it's been years since either of them have seen each other) for all the other robots there so he can assemble an army of robots large enough to overthrow humanity.

Everyone else enters the Anomaly via a small wooden box to break the news to Yivo, but shkle proposes to them before they can do so. Everyone is so touched that they are unable to refuse the offer. Bender initiates his plan to take over the world, but Fry announces that because they are getting married, they will be moving onto Yivo's body, since shkle is unable to breathe beyond schler own universe. Everyone in this universe ascends to the Anomaly on a series of golden escalators. Stricken by the irony that humanity has already left without trouble, Bender now truly feels alone.

Act XII

Yivo makes everyone promise to never make contact with any other universes for as long as they are together. Leela still believes that Yivo is using them for some erotic purpose, especially when she sees that shklis body looks exactly like Heaven. Shkle explains that shkle once transmitted an image of shkler body to artists on Earth: the clouds are gases that shkle emits, and that shkle is covered with birds that look exactly like angels which keep shklis body free of parasites. One evening, Fry writes a letter to Bender back on Earth, now ruled by the robots, depicting his experiences on Yivo—this ultimately breaks his promise to Yivo. When Bender receives the letter, which is made of electromatter, he decides to bring humanity back to Earth.

Bender and his army prepare to attack.

Leela does see that everyone is living like it really is Heaven, but she still feels that it is too beneficial to be true. But it doesn't take long before she begins to succumb to her own loneliness, and she finally accepts Yivo for what shkle is doing for everyone. As soon as everyone in the universe is happy, giant harpoons begin emerging from beyond the Anomaly and pierce Yivo in the back, causing shklim great pain. Bender's robot army, led by Bender himself, drags Yivo into their own universe where they attack shklim.

Fry convinces Bender to spare Yivo because they are all so happy together. However, Yivo examines the robots' weapons and sees that they are lined with the electromatter from Fry's letter. Realizing that Fry has broken his promise, Yivo's heart is also broken and places everyone on the robots' vessel. Shkle prepares to leave for shklis own universe with great haste for the sake of shklis survival, but finds shklimself unable to take Fry with shklim for what he had done. Instead, shkle takes Colleen, whom shkle feels understands shklis emotions and has inspired her to become even more broad-minded and fall in love with all shkler tentacles. Yivo convinces Fry to return home and move on with his life before returning to shklis own universe with Colleen through the Anomaly, which shkle closes forever.

Fry takes Yivo's advice and begins looking for love. Leela rejects him as usual, though this time apparently for Fry's relationship with Colleen. Amy cannot take him as, as testy as her relationship with Kif is now, she is still his Fonfon Ru, though this is uncertain as "Fonfon Ru" literally translates to "one who doesn't sleep with my superior officer"; Kif also finally gives Zapp a very well-deserved punch in the gut when he rubs it in. Farnsworth and Wernstrom also go back to being archrivals. Soon everyone gets into a big argument that is broken up by Bender. They complain how they were all so happy and in love before Bender's previous intervention, but Bender claims that what they experienced was not love, as love doesn't share itself with the world—in his own words, "There is no great love without great jealousy!" The film ends with Bender giving Fry and Leela a big hug around the neck (choking them both), telling them both how much he loves them.

Additional info

Miscellany

See Miscellany of The Beast with a Billion Backs for trivia, quotes, etc.

Appearances

(In alphabetic order)

Characters

Plot involved and debuting characters.

For cameo characters, see Miscellany of The Beast with a Billion Backs: Character Cameos.

• Amy
• Bender
• Debut: Bender's First Born Son
• Billionaire Bot
• Debut: Blatherbot
• Bolt Rolands
• Boxy
• Calculon
• Chu
• Debut: Colleen
• Debut: Cowardman
• Debut: Enema Bot
• Professor Farnsworth
• Fatbot
• Debut: The Funkalistics
• Debut: Francine
• Fry
• Debut: Giant medium-sized ant
• The Grand Midwife
• Hedonism Bot
• Hermes
• Kif Kroker
• Debut: King Kong
• Debut: Mr. and Mrs. Kroker
• LaBarbara (mentioned in Part 3)
• Leela
• Linda
• Lrrr
• M5438
• Morbo
• Debut: Ndulu
• Richard Nixon's head
• Robot 1-X
• Robot Devil
• Debut: Schlomo
• Smitty and URL
• Debut: Sportsbot 5000
• Stephen Hawking's head
• Unknown superhero
• Debut: Three-Eyed Zebra
• Dr. Ogden Wernstrom
• Leo and Inez Wong
• Yivo
• Zapp Brannigan
• Dr. Zoidberg

Miscellaneous

• "Kill all humans"
• Debut: YouTube (mentioned in speech only)

Cast

Teaser from "Futurama Returns"

• Billy West as Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan, Richard Nixon's Head, Leo Wong, Ron Whitey, Mr. Kroker, Superhero, M5438, Hydroponic Farmer, Carnival Barker, Land Squid, Transition Announcer #2, Guard #1
• Katey Sagal as Turanga Leela
• John DiMaggio as Bender, Randy Munchnik, URL, Human Friend, The Funkalistics Lead Singer, Fender
• Tress MacNeille as Linda, Hattie McDoogal, The Grand Midwife, Monique, Petunia, Morgan Proctor, Crazed Calculon Fan, Bender's First Born Son, Pocket Pal, Thog, Miss Vega 4, Suicide Booth, Mrs. Kroker, Francine
• Maurice LaMarche as Kif Kroker, Calculon, Morbo, Lrrr, Horrible Gelatinous Blob, Hedonismbot, Destructor, Harold Zoid, Schlomo, Sportsbot 5000, "Fishy" Joseph Gilman, Guard #2, King Kong
• Phil LaMarr as Hermes Conrad, Bolt Rolands, Convenience Store Bot, Ndulu, Robot 1-X, Billionaire Bot
• Lauren Tom as Amy Wong, Inez Wong
• David Herman as Dr. Ogden Wernstrom, Mayor C. Randall Poopenmeyer, Pazuzu, Chu, Fatbot, Plastic Surgeon Robot, Blatherbot, Enema Bot, Warden Vogel, Three-Eyed Zebra and giant medium-sized Ant
• Dan Castellaneta as the Robot Devil
• David Cross as Yivo
• Stephen Hawking as Himself
• Brittany Murphy as Colleen

The DVD

The DVD contains:

• The film itself
  • Commentary by Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Michael Rowe, Claudia Katz, Peter Avanzino and Lee Supercinski
• Futurama: The Lost Adventure - A long-lost, full-length adventure produced for the Futurama video game
  • Audio commentary by Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Michael Rowe, J. Stewart Burns and Lee Supercinski
• Meet Yivo! featurette with David Cross
• "A Brief History Of Deathball" featurette
• Blooperama: The Futurama Cast At "Work"
• 3D Models With Animator Discussion
• Old Farmers Wikipedia easter egg.
• Storyboard Animatic: The Beast With A Billion Backs, Part One
• Deleted Scenes/Storyboards
  • Original Opening
  • Fry and Colleen Meeting
  • St. Asimov Parade
  • Zapp and Scientists
  • Amy, Fry and Leela
  • Scruffy, the Janitor
• Bender's Game - A Sneak Peek at the Next Futurama Epic!

See also

• Murder on the Planet Express

References

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