Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - A Kid's Movie for, Well, the Kids!
Written: Oct 04 '09 (Updated Oct 27 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great movie for kids that adults will enjoy
Cons: 3D version isn't necessary
The Bottom Line: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is one of the best children's movies I've seen. Adults will enjoy it too.
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| mmcphee's Full Review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs |
I dangled the carrot. I told my children if they cleaned the playroom and living room to my satisfaction, I would take them to see the animated movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. They'd been waiting for months to see the movie so it was really no trick to get them to clean.
The Story
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is inspired by the book of the same name and tells the story of Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader). Since he was a young boy, Flint has been trying to invent something that will change the world, much to the chagrin of the entire town, including his father Tim. Eventually Flint builds a machine that works, one that transforms water into food. An errant rocket sends the machine into the atmosphere where it eventually begins to rain food onto the island town. To an island that subsists on sardines, Flint's machine is providing manna from heaven.
An Amusing Cast of Characters
It certainly doesn't require much thought to figure out where the movie is going; the fun is in the journey. And on this journey is an interesting assortment of small town characters. Mr. T voices Earl Devereaux, the cop out to get Flint for all the problems he has caused the town over the years with his inventions. Flint's sidekick is Steve, a Gummi Bear fixated monkey who talks with the help of one of Flint's own inventions. Mayor Shelbourne is a slick, gluttonous politician out to make sure Flint's invention helps his political career. And then there is Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) the weather girl from the mainland who becomes Flint's love interest.
Our Experience
We thoroughly enjoyed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, I more so than I expected. I found Mr. T's over the top cop act to be hysterical, he was perfect for the role. Particularly well voiced were Flint and Sam, which made their budding romance believable and an interesting subplot. This is one of the best voiced animated movies I have ever seen, the characters felt real. I don't often care about animated characters, something that always leaves me wanting more from an animated movie. In Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs I was rooting for Flint the whole time, I felt his pain being misunderstood by his father, and his nerdy awkwardness while trying to impress Sam.
As a kid's flick, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs quite simply, works. As a parent I cringed a bit at the reference to a "crotch kick", albeit to a chicken but for the most part there was nothing too offensive. There are a lot of sight gags that my children loved, particularly surrounding Flint's failed inventions, like permanent spray on shoes. Although they did not get the Twilight Zone Nightmare at 20,000 Feet allusion, after two weeks they are still talking about Steve the monkey fighting off the Gummi Bears on the wing of the plane. The plot is simple and my four year old son had no problems following it. It is paced quite well for children, being fast enough to keep their attention but slow enough for the story to be well developed. While some adult viewers may not like being hit over the head with the moral lessons, it seemed appropriate for a children's movie. Children don't need to connect the dots to see that the town had a role in the problems Flint's machine causes; Mr. T comes right out and tells us. While it may be clear to adults that Flint and his father seem to speak a different language, it is clear to the kids too, once Tim wears the monkey's voice translator.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a feast for the eyes. It is completely computer generated and every square inch of the screen was considered in the making of this movie. The details inside the food making machine were incredibly rich. We did see this in 3D and while it adds to the depth of the animation, there wasn't as much jumping out of screen as I expected. I only remember one food falling scene that really employed the 3D technology; the 3D previews for Disney's A Christmas Carol were actually more impressive. I was actually happy that the movie didn't rely on lots of 3D animation gags to thrill its audience; Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs stands perfectly well without it. I wouldn't bother to spend the extra money on the 3D version.
Final Thoughts
There are only a handful of animated movies that come out in a year, and most are geared for adults and simply appropriate for children. I was pleased to discover that Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was actually made for kids, but adults will enjoy it too. The story is fun and it isn't too intense for younger viewers. The movie is well voiced and the animation is flawless. While purists may balk at how far the movie strays from the original book, this is still a great movie.
Recommended:
Yes
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mmcphee
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Member: Mary Ellen
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