Why's The Minecraft Movie Receiving Backlash? The Memes Surrounding The Notorious Trailer Explained

The upcoming Minecraft movie is officially titled A Minecraft Movie and its first teaser trailer released this week, causing memes and backlash on social media.

Users on Twitter / X, Reddit, TikTok and the rest of web are clowning the realistic animation style and actor Jack Black's overenthusiastic delivery of "I am Steve," among other moments in the one-minute "cringe" fest as purported by Minecraft diehards turned disappointed fans.

Will this animated children's movie ruin the childhoods of Zoomers everywhere? Or is this backlash being blown out of proportion? Let's explain.

What Is The Minecraft Movie?

The Minecraft Movie is an upcoming animated film based on the world-famous video game Minecraft. The official title of the film is A Minecraft Movie. It's been produced by Warner Bros. Studios and directed by Jared Hess who's widely known for directing the alt-comedy classic Napoleon Dynamite.

The film stars Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Eugene Hansen and Steve Carrell, among others. Many of these names are known for pop culture classics like Aquaman and The Office.

This week, the first teaser trailer for A Minecraft Movie was released online. It went viral on X and YouTube, amassing millions of views over the course of a day.

Why Is The Minecraft Movie Trailer Receiving Backlash?

The teaser trailer for the movie went viral, no doubt, but also stirred up controversy and backlash. The beloved Minecraft has a devoted fanbase who seem to have expected more — or at least something different — from what's been previewed.

Much of the viral criticism has centered on the film's realistic animation style that many are already comparing to the infamous Ugly Sonic Incident.

For those uninformed, back in 2019, the first trailer for the then-upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie dropped online and fans were outraged by Sonic's realistic design. The backlash was so severe that the studio decided to scrap the original Sonic and make him more cartoony. The film was delayed by many months but received critical acclaim once released.

Director Jared Hess has already stated that he doesn't want his Minecraft Movie to be an Ugly Sonic situation. But fans, after seeing that baaing pink sheep, are worried that this "graphics in 2013 ahh" look might taint their fandom's chance at movie adaption glory.

Why Is Jack Black Receiving Backlash For The Minecraft Movie?

Actor Jack Black is known for many roles, including those in Nacho Libre, School of Rock and Tenacious D, among other famous 2000s comedies. In the eyes of movie executives, he's become a rather safe choice, especially for Gen Alpha audiences as evident in his role as Bowser in the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie.

His reputation in Hollywood definitely helped him get cast in the upcoming A Minecraft Movie, however, after seeing the trailer, many think that it might be a miscast. One user noted that they just put him in a blue shirt and called him Steve. This, of course, references the fact that Minecraft's Steve is Black and Jack Black is not.

Others online have speculated that perhaps Warner Bros. executives spent too much money on stars like Black and Momoa, thereby stripping funds away from the VFX team.

All of this is not helping Jack Black beat the "cash grab" allegations, especially so soon after his recent fall-out with Tenacious D member Kyle Gass.

A few months ago, Gass made a joke that humorously praised the attempt on Donald Trump's life. Someone in the audience of the Tenacious D tour recorded the incident and posted it to TikTok, resulting in backlash from the former President's supporters.

In turn, Black canceled the rest of the tour and condemned Gass' comments. Many believed that he broke up the band for the success of A Minecraft Movie which, seemingly in Black's and Warner Bros. minds, needed every family to come unoffended. This theory has been expressed in viral posts.

When Does 'A Minecraft Movie' Release In Theaters?

If the film isn't overhauled after this viral backlash, then it will be released in American theaters on April 5th, 2025.

No matter where one stands on the film's animation, dialogue or cast, there will be millions of curious and thrilled moviegoers waiting to see A Minecraft Movie. Granted, many of them will be children and parents. Let's just hope that those parents aren't cringing the entire time or crying on the inside.

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For the full history of 'A Minecraft Movie,' be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.