CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS

Directors: Phil Lord & Chris Miller
Stars: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Mr. T, Bruce Campbell, Andy Samberg, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris
Year: 2009
Rating: PG

Based on the hit children's book by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a fun, lighthearted and very visually stunning animated film about a young inventor named Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) who - ever since he was a boy - has wanted to invent something that will make him both famous and a beloved by millions. Unfortunately, past examples of Flint's experiments and inventions have, instead, usually proven to be a disaster - causing endless taunting and ridicule from classmates when he was a kid, and endless embarrassment for his father. But through it all Flint had his mom, who remained faithful and encouraging, and told Flint to her dying day that he would always be great someday.

Now an adult, Flint is more than ever determined to live up to his mom's memory by proving her right - and believes he can finally do so when he discovers a way to turn water into food. Flint's hometown, you see, is poverty-stricken and badly in need of food; once an island (found in the Atlantic Ocean, just below the "A" for Atlantic on any map) known for producing the best sardines in the world, since the sardine market dropped out and people stopped eating them, Flint's hometown has not only gone virtually broke - its inhabitants have also pretty much had to turn to relying on sardines, day and night, for food.

So when Flint invents a way to turn water into any sort of food he wants, he decides to shoot a rocket into space that will contain a machine that can use the water in the clouds ... transform that water into food ... and then literally rain the food down on the townspeople.

The initial rocket launch causes a disaster in town, further enhancing the anger and frustration of everyone toward Flint - but when cheeseburgers suddenly begin raining on the city, everyone (including out-of-town weather girl Sam Sparks, voiced by Anna Faris) is bowled over by Flint's genius ... and hungry for more.

Soon everything from steaks to corn on the cob to hot dogs and more are dropping from the sky - and the town is back on the map again as a tourist attraction. Virtually overnight, Flint Lockwood has gone from pariah to hero, taking food orders from residents and programming them into his computer on earth, which then sends the signal to the computer station hovering above the clouds, dictating what food to make. Flint, along with his monkey Steve (a scene-stealing character voiced hilariously by Neil Patrick Harris), are both famous and adored at last ... Flint so wrapped up in his celebrity and the adoration he'd been seeking, he fails to see that his machine has its limits - as the food that falls from the sky starts to get bigger ... and bigger ... and BIGGER ...

Before the weather goes berserk and spaghetti tornadoes, along with candy corn and nacho chips (among other things) the size of automobiles, drop from the sky, which has turned dark and continues to make more food - now a dangerous, out-of-control menace that threatens to not only destroy the town, but the entire world.

I imagine this film was killer in 3-D, in theaters - and seriously regret not seeing it that way. The story is straightforward, often funny, and you the computer animation is done with bright colors and very cartoon-ish-looking characters that was actually the perfect choice for this film. Mr. T is very funny as an overexcited police officer, as is Bruce Campbell as the greedy (both for money and food) mayor - and in fact the film really benefits from both the supporting characters and those actors who voiced them. This is a big, bold, colorful film with enough action to satisfy both older and younger viewers, and no disturbing themes or scenes for almost even the youngest of children ... though, admittedly, this may probably come off as more a kid's film than one for adults, even though some of the messages in the film do cater toward the "older crowd."

A really good film worth catching, with pristine animation; just expect to be very, very hungry afterward! ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome