Dreamworks take note: this is how you make an animated film that competes with Pixar (or at least doesn't embarrass itself trying). I had no intention to see this movie, but my girlfriend is a 1st-grade teacher, so I guess it was inevitable. I was not in the greatest mood either after having to trek down to the lobby twice in order to get the prerequisite 3-D glasses necessary to watch the movie without developing a migraine. Our ticket-taker neglected to hand them to us despite the box being directly behind her and the theater not being particularly busy. Then when I came back downstairs sans ticket, she told me I needed the ticket in order to get the glasses. You know because people like taking cheap 3-D glasses for no reason save for how kewl they look. Why must it always be so difficult?
Anyways, the film managed to lighten my mood considerably. Bill Hader provides the voice of Flint, the somewhat hapless inventor in the small town/island of Swallow Falls (located under the 'A' in 'Atlantic Ocean' on the map). I didn't even realize it was Hader until the credits. Between this and his dead-on James Carville on SNL a while back, he's really starting to impress me. (Another note to Dreamworks: actually employ voice talent based on talent, and not just how famous the actual voice is, mmkay?) James Caan voices Tim, Flint's Luddite father who spends most of the film disapproving of Flint's work with his demonstrative furrowed brow. The film also employs the under-appreciated comedic talents of Anna Faris (if she were a guy she'd be as successful as Seth Rogen by now; there is no justice!). Plus there's Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell and Mr. T (!). Really impressive line-up to say the least.
The plot is pretty straight-forward with Flint inventing a device that turns water into food and accidentally launching it into the atmosphere. This in turn makes Swallow Falls the most sought after tourist destination in the world. Of course things go awry as the machine goes haywire from over-use. The movie takes its time to flesh out the relationships between the characters, especially the one between Flint and his father which is central to the film. We also get a nice romantic angle with Faris's somewhat ditzy (but secretly brainy) Sam Sparks. One of the most memorable scenes involves a reversal of the cliched "girl takes off glasses and lets down her hair, turns out to be stunning"-routine seen in countless stories since Hans Christian Anderson picked up a pen.
The movie does get all action-adventure-y in the 3rd act, but I didn't mind. It didn't feel as if the transition was unwarranted. It fit with the story well enough. Also I liked how most of Flint's past failed inventions popped up again for a bit of redemption. Some real thought went into this project. This adaptation couldn't really rely on the book for its narrative or so I've been told. So much credit to the creative team behind the film (I loved how the film opens with the credit "A film by a lot of people").
Let's be clear: this does not match up to Pixar in top gear (i.e. Wall-E, Nemo, Up or Ratatouille). But it's miles beyond the execrable Shrek sequels. I'd put it right up there with Toy Story 2, maybe a bit above. Definitely above say Cars. Either way, Sony should definitely be proud of this. It won't do anywhere near as well as the Ice Age franchise (I guess you can't compete with prehistoric mammals, who knew?), but artistically this is revelatory for a non-Pixar film. Expectations have been raised.
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