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“ | For the park! | „ |
~ Norvirus Raccoon's catchphrase. |
“ | Shiny! | „ |
~ Raccoon obtaining the dog whistle. |
Norvirus Raccoon, more shortly by his surname Raccoon, is the main antagonist of the 2014 animated film The Nut Job and a minor character in its 2017 sequel The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature. He is the former ruler of Liberty Park and Surly's archenemy.
He was voiced by Liam Neeson, who also played Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins, Harry Rawlings in Widows, Clinch Leatherwood in A Million Ways to Die in the Old West, Phango in Khumba, Bad Cop in The LEGO Movie franchise, High-T in Men In Black: International, Jimmy Conlon in Run All Night, and himself in Family Guy.
Biography[]
The Nut Job[]
Raccoon is the self-proclaimed ruler of Liberty Park. His leadership over the community may appear trustworthy and noble, but behind the handsome face is (secretly) a calculating and ruthless cad who is consumed by a lust for control and fortune.
Raccoon is first seen leading his group, convincing them to bring more food to store for the winter inside a massive tree in the park. There is only one animal Racoon despises, and that's Surly, a (formerly) very selfish squirrel whose thieving qualities make him an outcast. When Surly tries to rob a nut cart, he makes the mistake of launching it into the tree, blowing it up. Raccoon exiles him from the park, forcing him to live in the city.
Later, Raccoon sends Andie, and a dimwitted squirrel, Grayson, to find food, only to have them get separated. But Raccoon doesn't stop there. His true colors are revealed when he sends his mole henchman and cardinal assistant to sabotage a raid planned out by Surly. Precious, a guard dog owned by King, catches Mole, who reveals Raccoon's evil plan.
After Surly escapes from thugs, he is captured by the Rat Gang, who are working for Raccoon. Raccoon tells Surly his intentions of hurting the other animals. Surly escapes and saves the animals. When they escape in a truck driven by the robbers, Raccoon lies to them about Surly betraying them and locks them up, although Surly and Grayson bust them out later on.
Raccoon tries to throw Surly off, but Mole turns against him. There is a huge chase through the street, which results in Surly landing on a log and Raccoon trying to kill him. The two of them fought as the log began to break. The animals arrive to rescue Surly, who very selflessly sacrifices himself by letting go of the log. The two of them go over a waterfall, killing Raccoon and Surly apparently. After a while, Surly survives the fall. With Raccoon finally ousted, the animals manage to rebuild their home while King and his gang get arrested for their crimes.
A mid-credits scene reveals that Raccoon and Cardinal survived and were drifted out to sea, but sharks now surround them, leaving their fate ambiguous.
The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature[]
In the post-credits scene of The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature, it is revealed that Raccoon is still alive and he is swimming back home to exact vengeance on Surly with sharks still pursuing him.
Personality[]
At first, Raccoon appeared to be a noble and wise leader, who cared deeply for the park, and dislikes those who don’t work for him and the park, such as Surly, who he deems a thief. But this was all a façade, as Raccoon was shown to be selfish, controlling, greedy, arrogant, and vengeful. He’s A Monster. He was shown to be intelligent, but he was still made some foolish mistakes, like believing the park would still work for him, even though he bad been exposed, or calling Andy a traitor, when he was the real traitor. Raccoon cares about nothing more than staying in power, and he believes that the less food the park has, the more easier the animals will be controlled. So if Surly's heist succeeded, Raccoon thought he would lose control of the park, so he had Mole sabotage the heist, which cause the Park to stave. This shows how far Raccoon would go to remain in power.
Quotes[]
“ | Animals are controlled by the amount of food they have. It is our duty to keep it from them. | „ |
~ Norvirus Raccoon's motto. |
“ | Not so fast, thief! | „ |
~ Raccoon attacking Surly. |
“ | Andie: Raccoon, climb up! We can save both of you! Hurry! Raccoon: Never, you backstabbing vermin. Surly goes down with me. Surly: Buddy, that was some score. We almost pulled it off, didn't we? Andie: Surly, don't you dare let go! Surly: I'm sorry, Andie. Raccoon: WHAT? |
„ |
~ Raccoon's final words and defeat in the first film. |
Trivia[]
- Despite being named Norvirus Raccoon, he is never referred to as such throughout the film. Instead, he is solely referred to as Raccoon.
- Raccoon is portrayed by Liam Neeson, who also played Ra's Al Ghul in the Nolanverse movies and Bad Cop from The LEGO Movie. The Nut Job and The LEGO Movie both came out in 2014.
- Plus Neeson co-starred with Surly's voice actor, Will Arnett in The Lego Movie.
- Raccoon serves as a dark parallel to Surly as they are both loners and want food for themselves. However, Surly learns to accept what it means to give food to his friends and be kind to those around him. Raccoon on the other hand does not share his food. Raccoon serves as an example of what Surly would've become if he allowed his greed and selfishness to consume him.
External links[]
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Villains | ||
The Nut Job The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature |