Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Sony Pictures Animation have had mixed success in comparison to the more established studios like Pixar, Dreamworks and Blue Sky with their films coming out at the wrong time with Open Season opening after the glut of talking animal films and Surf's Up which opened after Happy Feet but with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, SPA has finally found a hit film, the animation is stunning especially the water and the food weather and unlike say, Shrek the look is cartoony but works in its favour, the voice actors are equally as good with Bill Hader as Flint, Mr T as Earl and Anna Faris as Sam but it's Steve the Monkey who steals the film. The story itself works very well expanding on the original book and while the second half lags a bit, overall I left the cinema both with a smile and hungry.

If The Smurfs and Hotel Transylvania are half as good as Cloudy then Sony Pictures Animation will continue to thrive.

In the small island of Swallow Falls, the outcast boy Flint Lockwood is a clumsy inventor encouraged by his mother. When the island is not capable of exporting the production of sardine, the fish becomes the basis of the alimentation of the locals that have to consume it all the times. Years later, Flint's mother dies and his skeptical father Tim Lockwood, who is an old fisherman that has a store that sells sardine, gives a partnership in his store and invites Flint to work with him. But Flint has just invented a food processor that converts water into food and decides to test the piece of equipment. However, he accidentally launches it to the space and begins to rain hamburgers and other food in the island. A television sends the trainee of the weather department Sam Sparks to cover the phenomenon and Flint becomes famous. However, the greedy and glutton Mayor Shelbourne overworks the machine and the food becomes a menace to the human race.

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" is an animation silly for adults but also funny and entertaining. The satire with the world of destructive fast food loses the opportunity to give a message to children about the wrong type of food and prefers a naive and foolish story with a beautiful visual. But children will certainly love this movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Tá Chovendo Hamburguer" ("It Is Raining Hamburguer")

Truly great animation, with the expressions of the eyes reminiscent of anime. A story that is about the child within each of us, yet all the while considering the risks involved during the whole of life. This is a story about innocence, in the true meaning of "knowing oneself completely" and all that this implies. It is also a story very much about the importance of imagination and creativity.

I am a child and an adult. What I've been taught, not entirely by just my fellow human beings, is that judgment is never productive. At its best, it is a desire to share with others something we do or do not appreciate. At its worst, it is a shutting down of the connection we have with each other. Perhaps a more productive way of sharing opinions about anything might be making distinctions between what is appreciated about the thing, and what is not, and the reasons for both aspects of these thoughts/feelings. This story actually addresses this tough issue, while entertaining us with a romp and a grand adventure.

My appreciation of this film is that it inspires me to laugh at myself (it's quite funny), at us, and my culture. And all the while, it is kind. The story and animation are tremendously imaginative, a quality I've found missing in many stories, animated or not. One of the themes, if not the main thread of the story, is that we humans are creative beings, and that, while this involves risks, we must express our imagination or take the greater risk of becoming stuck, stale and static, living only in the past tense.

The greatest compliment I can give this film is that I want my 2-year-old granddaughter to see it, for I am absolutely sure she will enjoy it almost as much as I have at age 61.

Greg Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

From the title through every character right to the end this film is a roller-coaster ride of absolutely ridiculous fun that will have kids and adults alike doubled over with laughter. I personally nearly choked from laughing so hard at one particular point.

What makes this movie so great is the characters...you can't go wrong with Bill Hader ever and Anna Faris I wouldn't be a fan of at all but she is cast completely out of character here and you would never guess it is her. The real entertainment lies in the support cast though. James Caan is outstanding as the father and Mr. T as the loving father and over enthusiastic local cop will have you in tears. Benjamin Bratt and Neil Patrick Harris didn't have much work to do with their characters but even with so few lines they are stars, particularly Steve the 'talking' monkey. There was one bit character that I found highly entertaining who had the best line in the whole thing when referring to hamburgers as tasting "significantly better than sardines".

I would consider myself a bit of a movie buff and my leaning is very much toward the art-house. On a recent Saturday afternoon, I choose to take a risk and cross the sticky floor, trying to avoid stepping on one of the many screaming kids running around, my heart beating fast and hard with nervousness and anxiety that maybe this was a mistake. When the time came I casually donned my 3D glasses and 90minutes later with a pain in my side I wanted to go again... It's been an long time since that has happened!

Living in the UK, I had never heard of the children's book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and to be honest, I thought it sounded a little too peculiar and odd for my tastes going by the title and trailers. However, being a big fan of animated movies, I decided to take the risk and judge the movie for myself; and I'm so glad I did.

Not only does Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs have a quirky, thoughtful and imaginative storyline, it also exudes humour through its likable characters, discerning messages and vivid visual style. Telling the tale of a young man's quest to become an inventor, the film shies away from numerous Disney clichés creating a unique and original world full of colour and inspired characters. Unlike most Dreamworks animations, the characters are fully developed and rounded without the need for countless A-list celebrity voice-overs. The screenplay is similarly outstanding in terms of humour with countless laugh-out-loud moments that will appeal to both adults and children alike.

The animation and visual style of the film isn't up to the stunning beauty of the latest Pixar movies such as Ratatouille or WALL-E but it certainly exudes a similar level of ingeniousness, creativity and originality as seen in such movies. Albeit, amongst the wild plot and genuinely hilarious dialogue lies a subtle moral tale of parental recognition, portion sizes and personal confidence.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs took me by surprise, I went into the cinema expecting an average computer generated movie incomparable with today's best of the genre and came out astonished by the sheer creativity oozing from every aspect of the film.

8/10.