Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is less than a month away, so we’re getting ready for another trip to our favorite cursed children’s pizza joint by re-watching the first film from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures.
The first Five Nights at Freddy’s from director Emma Tammi put a fun spin on the lore from the games created by Scott Cawthon and weaved it into one hell of a horror gateway flick for genre newbies or folks interested in a cinematic take on the franchise. Hey, we took one look at the animatronics from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and our Chuck E. Cheese band puppet nostalgia was activated. The genre mashup was exciting, plus the cute plushes and new favorite icons like Chica and Cupcake stole our hearts (especially at this year’s Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights).
Here’s a recap of everything you need to remember about Five Nights at Freddy’s before its sequel releases on December 5.
1. The new spin on Five Nights at Freddy’s game lore
Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) is haunted by the kidnapping of his younger brother, Garrett, back in the ’80s. In the movie’s present day, it’s the 2000s, and he’s now the adult caretaker of their youngest sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), after the loss of their mother and their dad’s absence.
2. Mike took the worst job ever
After attacking a dad at the mall—mistakenly thinking the man was abducting his own child—Mike loses his job and is on thin ice as Abby’s guardian. Their meddling aunt tries to swoop in to get custody in order to get the guardianship money from the state. Mike’s last-ditch effort to get a job, any job, lands him at the desk of Steve Raglan (Matthew Lillard), who offers him a gig no one else can seem to hold down.
3. The job: night shift at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza
That job turns out to be the night guard at a run-down Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a formerly popular children’s entertainment center and pizzeria known for its beloved animatronic mascot performers. Raglan plays the role of the caller from the games who instructs him on what to do to keep the owner happy, which is to keep people out and the place clean. Mike keeps watch through the security broadcast on the television screen, evoking that isolating Five Nights vibe.
4. The past is all connected
Overnight, Mike continues to battle his inner demons, which come in the form of recurring nightmares about the day Garrett was taken. However, his dreams take a turn as he sees new children appear to him in the dream who weren’t previously there. When he wakes, he gets the sense that the animatronics he’s supposed to be watching might be watching him.
5. Deaths in this world are metal as hell, literally
The first victims of the animatronic gang are led by Abby’s babysitter, bribed by Mike’s aunt in an effort to sabotage his new job. The babysitter and her pals stage a break-in and end up becoming broken toys themselves for Freddy and friends. The babysitter gets such a brutal death, being chomped cleanly in half by Freddy. It’s what she deserves, though, for trespassing and all.
6. There are ghosts!
Mike is forced to take Abby with him to spend the night at Freddy’s since her sitter is a no-show. There, she, like us, becomes obsessed with the puppet animals, who look so cuddly and friendly. They likewise become obsessed with Abby and quickly reveal to her and Mike that they’re alive. As it turns out, the animatronics are controlled by the ghosts of missing children: Gabriel (Freddy), Cassidy (Golden Freddy), Jeremy (Bonnie), Fritz (Foxy), and Susie (Chica). Earlier, Mike learned that Freddy Fazbear’s folded when five kids went missing at that location back in the ’80s—thanks to Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), the police officer who checks up on the place during the day.
7. But friendship with ghosts is magic!
Vanessa shows up and tells Mike that she knows the possessed puppets, and they have cute, fun playtimes together. Abby discovers their adorable drawings but notices there is a constant in all of them: a mysterious Yellow Rabbit they all mention to her as a scary presence. Vanessa encourages Mike to keep Abby away from the animatronics because they can be a lot. The adorable friendship between Abby, Freddy, Foxy, Chica, and Bonnie goes south relatively quickly as the animatronics decide they want her to be their friend forever. As in forever, through joining them in an animatronic suit of her own.
8. Abby was almost traded for information about Garrett
Since they all disappeared around the same time, it is implied that Garrett might have been abducted by the same person who murdered the ghost kids. Mike briefly considers trading Abby for information about Garrett but quickly changes his mind because that’s crazy. To the ghost kids, who react as kids do, it’s not cool at all, and they attempt to kill Mike in one of the decommissioned springlock suits. Thankfully, Vanessa shows up to save him.
9. The truth about Vanessa
Meanwhile, Cassidy/Golden Freddy and the gang take matters into their own robotic hands and follow Abby to her aunt’s place to give the toxic relative a well-earned death and take their bestie back to Freddy Fazbear’s. Once they’re all back, Vanessa confesses that she’s the daughter of Freddy Fazbear’s owner, William Afton, who kidnapped and murdered kids she helped lure for him. It’s something she too carries over as trauma, as she knew their bodies were hidden in the animatronics.
10. The Yellow Rabbit reveal
As Mike deactivates the animatronics before they can claim Abby, the Yellow Rabbit shows up to wreak havoc on the situation. It turns out that this Springtrap is not operated by a ghost but by William Afton, who posed as Steve Raglan, and he’s very mad that too many people now know his big secret. It’s a secret Vanessa has been in on since she’s still her daddy’s little girl and, for obvious implications, has helped keep his dirty secrets locked down despite trying to stay on the right side of the law as an adult.
She was pretty much covering up for both of them since she saw herself as an accomplice, but she turns on him as he tries to kill Mike. That results in his stabbing her, and we have to mention Lillard wipes his character’s knife in the way he did as Ghostface (love a Scream Easter egg). Abby quickly draws the truth of who killed her ghost friends and shows them, and they set their sights on Afton, realizing he’s the Yellow Bunny, and tear him apart. Afton promises he will come back; he always does, as he dies in the suit.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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![The Animation Industry Still Hopes for Hollywood’s Full Respect
Years after Guillermo del Toro declared “animation is cinema” at the Oscars, the industry remains a redheaded stepchild of Hollywood. A recent Variety report with several professionals in the industry discuss how animation’s perceived in the west. At the same time it’s viewed as a “babysitter” medium mainly meant for entertaining kids, it’s been a reliable moneymaker for decades. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is currently 2026’s only movie to make over billion, while Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 have been big hits for Disney. But as one animator told the outlet, the success has also been “frustrating” to see: a studio will brag about an animated film’s financial and awards success, then “turn to people who’ve worked here forever and say, ‘We don’t need you anymore.’” While Pixar president Jim Morris rightfully noted animation’s “propping up a lot of studios right now,” chief creative officer Pete Docter had a different view. He said animation can’t not be considered “films for kids” when most of said films are “funny, goofy, [and] a little bit like babysitter material. We could step our game up [as an industry].” However, Docter doesn’t expound on what “stepping up” would entail, and it’s worth acknowledging Pixar’s backtracking on more specific themes and perspectives in recent years—and his views on such walk backs. Alternatively, Laika’s solution is making people see their movies as simply movies. Chief marketing officer David Burke told Variety the Wildwood studio doesn’t actively sell their films as animated, instead trusting “[our] audience to find our movies, irrespective of the medium. They defy categorization.” Granted, this may also be due to the studio having a number of live-action projects in development, but Burke’s general point stands: to avoid stigma, animated movies can (and should) be promoted like they’re just regular movies.
For those interested in animation, a true sign of the medium’s respect would be if an animated movie won “Best Feature” at the Oscars. That’s a tall order, and an idea professionals are split on. Morris wants animation employees to be eligible come Oscar voting time, while Jorge Gutiérrez believes live-action movies have a natural edge and “too many Academy members” automatically treat animated fare as something to endure.
You can read the full story here for more insight on what Hollywood’s animation arm is thinking. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Animation #Industry #Hopes #Hollywoods #Full #RespectAnimation,disney,Pixar,The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,Zootopia 2](https://i1.wp.com/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/05/Super-Mario-Galaxy-flying-1280x853.jpg?ssl=1 "The Animation Industry Still Hopes for Hollywood’s Full Respect
Years after Guillermo del Toro declared “animation is cinema” at the Oscars, the industry remains a redheaded stepchild of Hollywood. A recent Variety report with several professionals in the industry discuss how animation’s perceived in the west. At the same time it’s viewed as a “babysitter” medium mainly meant for entertaining kids, it’s been a reliable moneymaker for decades. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is currently 2026’s only movie to make over billion, while Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 have been big hits for Disney. But as one animator told the outlet, the success has also been “frustrating” to see: a studio will brag about an animated film’s financial and awards success, then “turn to people who’ve worked here forever and say, ‘We don’t need you anymore.’” While Pixar president Jim Morris rightfully noted animation’s “propping up a lot of studios right now,” chief creative officer Pete Docter had a different view. He said animation can’t not be considered “films for kids” when most of said films are “funny, goofy, [and] a little bit like babysitter material. We could step our game up [as an industry].” However, Docter doesn’t expound on what “stepping up” would entail, and it’s worth acknowledging Pixar’s backtracking on more specific themes and perspectives in recent years—and his views on such walk backs. Alternatively, Laika’s solution is making people see their movies as simply movies. Chief marketing officer David Burke told Variety the Wildwood studio doesn’t actively sell their films as animated, instead trusting “[our] audience to find our movies, irrespective of the medium. They defy categorization.” Granted, this may also be due to the studio having a number of live-action projects in development, but Burke’s general point stands: to avoid stigma, animated movies can (and should) be promoted like they’re just regular movies.
For those interested in animation, a true sign of the medium’s respect would be if an animated movie won “Best Feature” at the Oscars. That’s a tall order, and an idea professionals are split on. Morris wants animation employees to be eligible come Oscar voting time, while Jorge Gutiérrez believes live-action movies have a natural edge and “too many Academy members” automatically treat animated fare as something to endure.
You can read the full story here for more insight on what Hollywood’s animation arm is thinking. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Animation #Industry #Hopes #Hollywoods #Full #RespectAnimation,disney,Pixar,The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,Zootopia 2")
![The Animation Industry Still Hopes for Hollywood’s Full Respect
Years after Guillermo del Toro declared “animation is cinema” at the Oscars, the industry remains a redheaded stepchild of Hollywood. A recent Variety report with several professionals in the industry discuss how animation’s perceived in the west. At the same time it’s viewed as a “babysitter” medium mainly meant for entertaining kids, it’s been a reliable moneymaker for decades. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is currently 2026’s only movie to make over $1 billion, while Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 have been big hits for Disney. But as one animator told the outlet, the success has also been “frustrating” to see: a studio will brag about an animated film’s financial and awards success, then “turn to people who’ve worked here forever and say, ‘We don’t need you anymore.’” While Pixar president Jim Morris rightfully noted animation’s “propping up a lot of studios right now,” chief creative officer Pete Docter had a different view. He said animation can’t not be considered “films for kids” when most of said films are “funny, goofy, [and] a little bit like babysitter material. We could step our game up [as an industry].” However, Docter doesn’t expound on what “stepping up” would entail, and it’s worth acknowledging Pixar’s backtracking on more specific themes and perspectives in recent years—and his views on such walk backs. Alternatively, Laika’s solution is making people see their movies as simply movies. Chief marketing officer David Burke told Variety the Wildwood studio doesn’t actively sell their films as animated, instead trusting “[our] audience to find our movies, irrespective of the medium. They defy categorization.” Granted, this may also be due to the studio having a number of live-action projects in development, but Burke’s general point stands: to avoid stigma, animated movies can (and should) be promoted like they’re just regular movies.
For those interested in animation, a true sign of the medium’s respect would be if an animated movie won “Best Feature” at the Oscars. That’s a tall order, and an idea professionals are split on. Morris wants animation employees to be eligible come Oscar voting time, while Jorge Gutiérrez believes live-action movies have a natural edge and “too many Academy members” automatically treat animated fare as something to endure.
You can read the full story here for more insight on what Hollywood’s animation arm is thinking. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Animation #Industry #Hopes #Hollywoods #Full #RespectAnimation,disney,Pixar,The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,Zootopia 2](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/05/Super-Mario-Galaxy-flying-1280x853.jpg "The Animation Industry Still Hopes for Hollywood’s Full Respect
Years after Guillermo del Toro declared “animation is cinema” at the Oscars, the industry remains a redheaded stepchild of Hollywood. A recent Variety report with several professionals in the industry discuss how animation’s perceived in the west. At the same time it’s viewed as a “babysitter” medium mainly meant for entertaining kids, it’s been a reliable moneymaker for decades. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is currently 2026’s only movie to make over $1 billion, while Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 have been big hits for Disney. But as one animator told the outlet, the success has also been “frustrating” to see: a studio will brag about an animated film’s financial and awards success, then “turn to people who’ve worked here forever and say, ‘We don’t need you anymore.’” While Pixar president Jim Morris rightfully noted animation’s “propping up a lot of studios right now,” chief creative officer Pete Docter had a different view. He said animation can’t not be considered “films for kids” when most of said films are “funny, goofy, [and] a little bit like babysitter material. We could step our game up [as an industry].” However, Docter doesn’t expound on what “stepping up” would entail, and it’s worth acknowledging Pixar’s backtracking on more specific themes and perspectives in recent years—and his views on such walk backs. Alternatively, Laika’s solution is making people see their movies as simply movies. Chief marketing officer David Burke told Variety the Wildwood studio doesn’t actively sell their films as animated, instead trusting “[our] audience to find our movies, irrespective of the medium. They defy categorization.” Granted, this may also be due to the studio having a number of live-action projects in development, but Burke’s general point stands: to avoid stigma, animated movies can (and should) be promoted like they’re just regular movies.
For those interested in animation, a true sign of the medium’s respect would be if an animated movie won “Best Feature” at the Oscars. That’s a tall order, and an idea professionals are split on. Morris wants animation employees to be eligible come Oscar voting time, while Jorge Gutiérrez believes live-action movies have a natural edge and “too many Academy members” automatically treat animated fare as something to endure.
You can read the full story here for more insight on what Hollywood’s animation arm is thinking. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Animation #Industry #Hopes #Hollywoods #Full #RespectAnimation,disney,Pixar,The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,Zootopia 2")
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