Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3 (2025) is the anticipated continuation of the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs franchise, which has charmed audiences with its quirky, imaginative world where food falls from the sky. The first two films, based loosely on the beloved children’s book, took audiences on wild adventures filled with food-based chaos and humor. A third film could explore new food-related disasters, introduce fresh characters, and continue the story of Flint Lockwood and his friends as they deal with the aftermath of the chaotic food storms. Here’s a speculative breakdown of what Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3 could bring.

Story:

Flint’s New Invention Gone Wrong:
- After the events of the second film, where Flint Lockwood and his friends saved the day by shutting down the FLDSMDFR (Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator), the third movie could center around Flint inventing something new. However, like his previous inventions, it could go awry, unleashing even greater chaos.
- This time, Flint might try to create a device that helps control the weather, but it backfires, causing unpredictable weather patterns, including food storms, but on an even larger scale—perhaps even impacting the entire world. This could lead Flint, his friends, and the entire community to embark on a global adventure to restore balance.
Global Food Chaos:
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3 could expand the scope beyond the town of Swallow Falls, with food storms spreading across the world. Cities might experience localized storms where different types of food dominate the landscape—imagine a city where ice cream falls from the sky or a country where giant fruits overrun the land.
- Flint and his friends could travel to these different locations, meeting new characters and facing challenges in new environments. These global adventures would provide a fresh perspective while still staying true to the franchise’s zany food-based humor.
The Return of the Foodimals:
- One of the most memorable parts of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was the introduction of the “foodimals”—animals made out of food, such as tacodiles, shrimpanzees, and hippotatamuses. In Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3, these quirky creatures could make a comeback, perhaps in even more bizarre and imaginative forms. Flint could work with the foodimals, using their unique characteristics to help him solve the latest food-based catastrophe.
- This time, the foodimals might not just be part of the chaos—they could play a pivotal role in restoring balance to the world, or even helping Flint invent something to reverse the effects of the global food storms.
Flint and Sam’s Relationship:
- Flint and Sam Sparks’ relationship was a key emotional thread in the first two films. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3 could explore the next step in their relationship, perhaps dealing with the pressures of Flint’s scientific ambitions and how they balance their love for each other with their careers and responsibilities.
- The story could touch on themes of partnership and teamwork, showing Flint and Sam working together to solve the food-related problems and finding new ways to support each other in the face of global chaos.
New Villain or Rival Inventor:
- A new antagonist could be introduced—perhaps a rival scientist or entrepreneur who wants to harness Flint’s inventions for personal gain. This new villain could try to profit from the food storms or use them as a weapon. Flint and his team would need to outsmart this new adversary while dealing with the food-based chaos in the background.
- This villain might be another eccentric inventor with a wild plan that pushes Flint to think outside the box in order to save the day once again.

Characters:

Flint Lockwood: The brilliant but often misguided inventor will likely remain the central character. Flint’s inventive nature and desire to save the world could be a key part of his character arc in the third film. His challenge will be finding balance between his love for inventing and the responsibility that comes with his creations.
Sam Sparks: Flint’s girlfriend and a pᴀssionate weather reporter, Sam will likely continue to be a strong partner in the adventure. She could play a central role in the narrative, both in terms of supporting Flint and perhaps even helping him work through personal or professional dilemmas.
Steve (The Monkey): Steve, Flint’s loyal pet monkey, could return for more comedic antics, helping Flint and the team in his own unique way. His interactions with the foodimals could provide some of the movie’s most fun and heartwarming moments.
Manny, Tim, and the Town of Swallow Falls: The residents of Swallow Falls will likely return, with familiar faces such as the mayor, Manny the police officer, and Tim the sardine-turned-food-critter. They could be caught up in the global chaos and contribute to the mission to stop the food storms.
New Characters: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3 could introduce new characters, such as international scientists, leaders of other cities affected by the food storms, or even new foodimals that help or hinder the team’s efforts.

Visual Style:

The vibrant, colorful animation style will continue to be one of the highlights of the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs films. Expect exaggerated, whimsical visuals as food falls from the sky in increasingly bizarre and creative forms. The global setting could provide even more varied and imaginative backgrounds, with different cities and countries offering unique challenges and visual styles.
The foodimals and food-based disasters will provide opportunities for fun and creative animation, with the film’s fast-paced action and slapstick humor brought to life in visually spectacular ways.

Music:

The soundtrack will likely continue to feature upbeat, energetic music that complements the fast-paced, comedic action. Expect fun, quirky tracks, possibly with jazz and pop influences, that keep the tone light and humorous. The music will enhance the film’s overall feel-good atmosphere while supporting the zany, food-related antics.

Tone:

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3 will likely retain the same fun, family-friendly tone of its predecessors, with a mix of slapstick comedy, heartwarming moments, and high-energy action. While the story may involve global-scale chaos, the film will still focus on the themes of teamwork, responsibility, and the importance of family and friendship.

Overall Expectations:

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3 (2025) promises to be a fun and wild continuation of the beloved series, with even bigger food-related disasters, new characters, and more heartwarming moments. The film will likely expand on the original concept, offering new adventures in a broader world while retaining the humor, creativity, and charm that made the first two films so popular. Fans can expect visually spectacular animation, plenty of quirky foodimals, and the heart of the story centered on Flint’s growth as an inventor and his relationships with Sam, Steve, and his friends.

A Farmer’s Misplaced Hammer Led to the Largest Roman Treasure in Britain

Hoxne Hoard treasures. Photo by Helen Simonsson CC by SA-2.0

November 16, 1992 was the day which changed Suffolk-resident Eric Lawes’ life in a huge way. What he thought would have been an innocent search for a hammer he had misplaced on his farm in Hoxne Village, Suffolk, England ended up bringing him much more than he had bargained for — namely, uncovering the hiding spot of a long-hidden treasure. Based on the Guardian’s coverage of the story, Eric Lawes had been previously gifted a metal detector upon his retirement as a parting token. He decided to put his retirement gift to good use in order to locate the hammer which he had had some trouble finding. According to a 2018 Smithsonian Magazine article, when the device started recording that there was a strong signal coming from the earth, he knew that he was about to discover something big. As he started digging, it soon became clear to him that he had unearthed a treasure trove.

Hoxne Village. Photo by Duncan Grey CC BY-SA 2.0

The Guardian reports that, when Lawes saw that his preliminary digging had yielded a few gold coins and silver spoons, he immediately contacted both the local archaeological society and the police department. Archaeologists came to the property the following day and had the area of earth holding the treasure carefully sectioned-off and removed. Their hope was that at a later stage, in their laboratory, they could examined the items in order to identify both their age and how they were stored.

Hoxne Hoard: Display case at the British Museum showing a reconstruction of the arrangement of the hoard treasure when excavated in 1992. Photo by Mike Peel CC BY-SA 4.0

When all was said and done, close to 60 pounds of items made from silver and gold were found on the site. These included more than 15,000 Roman coins, 200 gold objects, and several silver spoons. For archaeologists, this find — which later became labeled as the Hoxne Hoard — was an incredible discovery. AP News reported that archaeologist Judith Plouviez was over-the-moon about the discovery, saying that it was “an incredibly exciting and amazing find.” What’s more, another archaeologist, Rachel Wilkinson, told Smithsonian Magazine that this discovery was “the largest and latest ever found in Britain.”

Hoxne Hoard: Coins. Photo by Mike Peel CC BY-SA 4.0

Ordinarily, archaeologists would use radiocarbon dating as a means of identifying the age of ancient relics. However, they couldn’t locate any suitable material from the haul. Consequently, they determined the age by examining writing on the coins, as well as the ruler carved into them, estimating that the treasure was probably buried in either 408 or 409 AD.

The silver “Hoxne Tigress” – the broken-off handle from an unknown object – is the best known single piece out of some 15,000 in the hoard. Photo by Mike Peel CC BY-SA 4.0

Roman-era archaeologist Peter Guest told Smithsonian Magazine that “if you look at them a little more carefully, then they should be dated to the period after the separation of Britain from the Roman Empire.” He offers as part of his evidence the fact that almost all of the coins found in the Hoxne Hoard were clipped – in other words, small chunks of their edges had been taken off. These clippings would have been used to create coins which were similar to the Roman coins of that era.

A silver-gilt spoon with a marine beast from the Hoxne Hoard. Currently in the British Museum. Photo by JMiall CC BY-SA 3.0

Guest has a logical reason for this, arguing that “The Roman Empire wasn’t supplying Britain with new gold and silver coins, and in light of that, the population tried to get over this sudden cutoff in the supply of their precious metals by making the existing supplies go further.”

Reconstruction of the Hoxne treasure chest. Photo by Mike Peel CC-BY-SA-4.0

Archaeologists also believe that the treasure belonged to a Romano-British family. During that time, considering that there was so much societal discord and upheaval, it was common for Romans who had settled in Britain to bury their most prized possessions.

Two gold bracelets from the Hoxne Hoard, in the British Museum. Photo by Fæ CC BY-SA 3.0

That said, one archaeologist is of the belief that the hoard had a lot of sentimental value for the Romano-British family to whom it is believed to have belonged. In her book The Hoxne Late Roman Treasure: Gold Jewellery and Silver Plate, Catherine Johns claims that the manner in which the treasure was kept supported this claim. Some of the items which were recovered had been packaged in small, wooden boxes which were lined with leather. What’s more, pieces of wood, locks, and nails, among other things, surrounded the gold and silver pieces. This leads Catherine to assert that the package was carefully buried and not simply chucked away in a rush.

Three silver-gilt Roman piperatoria or pepper pots from the Hoxne Hoard on display at the British Museum

Interestingly enough, the items unearthed might shed some light on the identity of the family who owned them. They cite a gold bracelet bearing the inscription “UTERE FELIX DOMINA IULIANE,” which roughly translates to “use this happily Lady Juliane”. A second name “Aurelius Ursicinus” has also been discovered. This has consequently led some to believe that Juliane and Aurelius were the couple and the original owners of the treasure. That said, that has yet to be confirmed.

Two toiletry items, one in the shape of a crane-like bird; the other with an empty socket, probably for bristles for a makeup brush. Photo by Fæ CC BY-SA 3.0

All in all, the discovery was a real treasure for archaeologists, and by extension, for Lawes. According to Smithsonian Magazine, in recognition of his discovery and willingness to contact authorities, the British government rewarded him with over £1.7 million, an amount which he shared with the farmer whose land was dug out in order to get the treasure. Funnily enough, apart from the treasure, Lawes also found his lost hammer — which now resides in the British Museum.