While many live-action films seem a dime a dozen and repetitive to the point of being completely
superfluous, there's no shortage of originality in the land of computer animated cinematic marvels.
Though Pixar deservedly earns the most respect among those outfits that produce films for this
newfound cinematic cash cow, several other studios have ventured forth with their own pictures
and
franchises to cash in on the digital craze, but not (yet) to the detriment of the genre. Sony's latest
foray into the family-friendly but kid-oriented marketplace is the mouth-watering Cloudy With a
Chance of Meatballs, a film loosely based on a book of the same name but with its own identity
and centered about but the shell of the original story. This zany but predictable picture is a laugh
generator with plenty of heart and spirit; though children will love the jokes and scrumptious
visuals, film connoisseurs will appreciate the movie's surprisingly deep characters, nuanced humor,
and meaningful plot.
Unfortunately, Flint will soon realize that he's stuck with now-worthless gift cards to Outback.
Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) is an inventor of oddball and impractical gadgets, including spray-on
shoes that never come off meant to solve the "untied laces" epidemic. His mother encourages
his dreams, and years later, Flint is on the verge of a breakthrough: a device that will turn water
into any type of food imaginable, a desperately-needed gadget on the small island of Swallow
Falls,
located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (underneath the "A" in "Atlantic," in fact) and where
sardines are the only thing available to eat. When it
turns out that Flint's device is in need of more power to work, his father Tim (James Caan)
instructs his
son to give up on his dreams and come to work at his fish store. Undeterred, Flint finds the
necessary power but inadvertently launches the food-making device into Earth's atmosphere
during the
town mayor's (Bruce Campbell) grand unveiling of a new scheme to attract tourists to the dull
island. Soon
thereafter, a pickle falls from the sky, and then a piece of cheese. No sooner can anyone say
"meat patty" do thousands of scrumptious cheeseburgers begin falling from the sky. A weather
network intern sent to cover the town's festivities, Sam (Anna Faris), finds herself broadcasting
the
biggest meteorological story of her life while at the same time falling for fellow "nerd" Flint. It
doesn't take long for the mayor to use the falling food to his advantage (and to the detriment of
his waistline) in promoting the town as the world's hottest tourist attraction. However, things
turn messy, and not from the gallons of hot fudge pouring from the sky; Flint's invention is
producing ever-larger food, and as the town quickly comes to realize that too much of any good
thing has a net negative impact, it's up to Flint, Sam, and friends to stop the food before it
devours the entire planet.
A film made by "a lot of people," Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is as scrumptious as
a five-course meal; it's hip and happening with plenty of action and genuine laugh-out-loud
humor, all surrounded by a heart that puts plenty of other and more ambitious pictures to
shame. Indeed, it's Meatballs' effortless approach that makes it such a winner. Not a
picture with lofty goals, the film nevertheless works far better than many others of its kind
thanks to a wholly genuine and wholesome approach to its material. It's never pretentious,
forced, or preachy. The simple life lessons that revolve around overindulgence and the negative
side effects incurred when there's too much of a good thing are well-shrouded underneath layers
of fun and
originality, gadgets and gizmos, a light romance, well-developed primary characters, plenty of
food, and heartfelt drama that's perfectly entwined into the story's humor and
larger-than-life visuals. Whether physical comedy and accentuated visual gags or more subtle
humor that older audiences may very well find just as appealing as the more obvious fun,
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs takes full advantage of its setting, characters, and
story, the result a film with nary a dull second intermixed with purposeful drama and
sincere father-son moments that just might bring a tear to the eye, and not simply from a stray
house-sized onion, either.
From a technical perspective, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is just as impressive as
its fun and honest story. The film's animation is top-notch, with characters, locations, and,
of course, the food all wonderfully realized and exceptionally detailed. Swallow Falls never once
feels artificial but instead organic and real, whether during the early "calm before the storm"
moments or
in the midst of falling steak, cake, or clam bake. Additionally, each character is wonderfully
designed; no two people look alike, and each is given a physical appearance that compliments
their personality nicely. Some are tall and lanky, others short and rotund; some have squared
and large noses, others but a hint of a sniffer. The digital artists have taken care to design each
character with love and attention to detail, each complimented by seamless voice acting that
never screams out "actor" but rather meshes from the first syllable to the last with the voice
cast's respective characters. Such names and recognizable voices as those belonging to James
Caan, Bruce Campbell, and Mr. T are never once easily identifiable in the midst of the movie;
that's a compliment to the talent of the actors, the strength of the script, and Meatballs'
perfectly-balanced approach that never accentuates anything but the food and smartly places
story, purposeful dialogue, heartfelt drama, and plenty of laughs ahead of haphazardly forcing
name voices into the movie.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs caters for viewers a satisfying 1080p, 2.35:1-framed
transfer. As expected of a digitally-rendered animation Blu-ray, Meatballs' visuals are
nearly perfect, the Blu-ray presentation clean, smooth, colorful, and wonderfully detailed.
Though no 3-D option is available for this release, the transfer nevertheless enjoys a strong sense
of depth; characters and locations -- from Times Square to overhead shots of Swallow Falls -- are
all exceptionally rendered, and most every inch of the transfer feels spacious and deep, with crisp
details extending to the edges of the screen. Though not quite as painstakingly detailed as
something like Wall●E, the
environments seen throughout Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs are nicely realized in
every frame. From worn wooden planks to rusty industrial buildings, the film's digital artists have
created a handsome environment in which to populate it with plenty of appetizing foods. Indeed,
whether the textured outer layers of an ice cream sandwich or seeds on a hamburger bun, this
Blu-ray transfer reveals every meticulous detail to perfection. Color reproduction, too, is startling;
while not every frame of the film is bright and glossy (some shots can appear downright dark),
colors on a sweeping scale are consistently brilliant. The only negative is a hint of
banding in a few scenes, but it's hardly a cause for alarm in the midst of everything else that
makes Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs a pleasure to behold, particularly on this
Blu-ray release.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs cooks up a wonderfully zesty DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless
soundtrack. This track is finely balanced, and every sound -- from nuanced background ambience to
full-fledged and speaker-busting sound effects -- is cleanly and precisely delivered all around the
soundstage. Meatballs' soundtrack enjoys a consistent back channel presence; sound
effects and music blend seamlessly into the surround speakers to create a satisfying 360-degree
sound field that's the perfect compliment to the film's zany story and nicely-rendered visuals.
Directional effects are immensely satisfying, too, and the track enjoys a strong sense of space that
practically removes the boundaries of the speakers and the listening area and completely engulfs
the audience in the mustard-drenched streets of Swallow Falls. The track is kinetic and alive; only
some brief scenes lack either aggressive music or a cacophony of sound effects. This is a very active
soundtrack, and the DTS mix does it justice in every frame. Also featuring faultless dialogue
reproduction, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs makes for yet another reference-quality
lossless
soundtrack from Sony.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs drops down plenty of extras for this Blu-ray release,
all sure to satisfy both younger viewers and audiences interested in the technical handiwork
behind the film.
First up is a feature-length commentary track with Actor Bill Hader and Writers/Directors
Christopher Miller and Phil Lord. The track is jovial and fun, with the participants sharing a strong
camaraderie as they discuss the arduous work of voiceovers, writing the script, analyzing Mark
Mothersbaugh's
wonderful score, the technology of the film, and much
more.
The track is engaging and irresistible; it's as friendly and inviting as the film itself, and fans will
definitely want to give this one a listen. Splat Mode! is an interactive supplement that
allows users to throw virtual food at the screen during the film. Choices include cherry pie, eggs,
whipped cream, and meatballs. Users can wipe the screen clean with a virtual squeegee by
pressing
the "yellow" button on the remote. Flint's Food Fight Game tasks users with shooting
food during a fierce battle with the F.L.D.S.M.D.F.R. The game is reminiscent of Space
Invaders.
A Recipe For Success: The Making of 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' (1080p, 10:51)
offers a brief overview of the plot, connections to the original book, the voiceover work, the
design of the food and the special effects, and more. Key Ingredients: The Voices of 'Cloudy
With a Chance of Meatballs' (1080p, 12:39) introduces audiences to the actors behind the
characters and examines the strengths the primaries brought to the film. Next up are two
extended scenes: Elevator Joke (1080p, 0:38) and Twister -- Early Cut With
Awesome Food Fight (1080p, 1:59). Early Development Scenes (1080p, 5:47)
allow viewers to see two scenes -- Flint's Letter to Super Scientist Vance LeFleur and
Early Storyboard Version of Twister -- in a hand-drawn stage. Progression Reels With
Introductions By Visual FX Supervisor Rob Bredow is a feature that takes viewers through
various elements of the animation process. Included are the following segments: From
Conceptual Paintings to Final Renderings: The Evolution of Color (1080p, 1:13), Roofless
Restaurant Lighting Technology (1080p, 1:54), Environmental Clouds Surrounding
Giant Meatball (1080p, 1:23), Making a Spaghetti Twister (1080p, 2:05), and
Food Avalanche Elements (1080p, 1:32). Next is Make it Rain Food (1080p,
0:32), an advertisement for Feeding America. Also included is the Raining Sunshine
music video by Miranda Cosgrove (480p, 3:45); a Sing-A-Long version of Raining
Sunshine (480p, 3:45); Behind the Scenes of the Music Video (480p, 2:17); and
1080p trailers for Open Season 3, Hachi: A Dog's
Take, Planet 51, Open Season, Open Season 2, Surf's Up , Monster House, The Water Horse: Legend of
the Deep, and Daddy Day Camp. A
PSP-only digital copy that was unavailable for download at time of publication is to be found on
disc one, while disc two of this set houses a standard-definition DVD of Cloudy With a Chance
of Meatballs.
Like the best of the recent wave of digitally-animated pictures, Cloudy With a Chance of
Meatballs appeals to all audiences with its direct and indirect humor; a wonderfully crafted
story; appealing characters; and deeper meaning to be found under the hamburgers, ice cream
sandwiches, and meatballs. Indeed, Sony's latest animated marvel ranks among the best of its kind
and for all the right reasons. There's enough charm, wit, humor, and originality here for two
movies, but a double serving of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is just as palatable.
Sony's Blu-ray release is as tasty as the movie itself. With a nearly flawless technical
presentation and plenty of extras that are but icing on the cake, Cloudy With a Chance of
Meatballs is an early favorite to earn a spot on 2010's "best of" Blu-ray list. Highly
recommended!
During the week ended January 10, Sony Pictures' animated movie 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' was the top-selling title on Blu-ray, according to Nielsen Videoscan. 'The Hangover' followed close by, unexpectedly beating another new entry, 'The Final Destination', ...
Some of the best childhood memories often involve sitting down with family or friends to read books filled with fantasy and general nonsense. Hollywood, ever exploring ways to draw in new audiences, has adapted many of these childhood favorites to film, including ...
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced the technical specs for the upcoming Blu-ray release of 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs', which is scheduled to be released on January 5th. For this computer animated feature, video will be presented in 2.35:1 1080p ...
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'. This computer-animated movie, about a scientist who invents a device that makes food rain from the sky, will be released on Blu-ray on January 5, 2010, day-and-date with the DVD. ...
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