Tempête de boulettes géantes

Anyone involved with the elementary school world as at least heard of the Barret classic "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." As a teacher, I was thrilled to learn it was to be made a movie. As usual, however, that leads to the problem of whether it would stick too much to the book to be entertaining for the screen or a Hollywood catastrophe that steals only the title?

I know it's irritating to read from those book loyalists, but it's only a fair comparison. I felt this movie found a perfect balance of big-screen awesomeness and the charm of the book.

For book enthusiasts, they pretty much had everything right. This film does indeed follow the plot of the book. Entire illustrations are recreated for the movie with stunning nods to Ron Barret's artwork. Then again, one must keep in mind that the book was an extremely general plot. The movie goes into detail, very much into detail, of what was going on in the town.

We have the classic nerd, Flint Lockwood, a lovable and goofy character who embodies the wannabe coolness and social awkwardness and desperation of every social outcast. He's almost painful to watch, but I think it's what makes him so likable--you feel sorry for him. Anywho, in a desperate attempt to prove his worth to his father, he invents a machine that turns water into food. And hence the coming of the trademark weather of Swallow Falls (later renamed to Barrets' Chewandswallow).

Honestly, I was surprised at the plot they got going out of this--while still maintaining the basics of the book. It had an ADHD spirit with wonderfully over-the-top characters. This will probably annoy many a soul, but I thought it a winning combination for those who can put up with it all. Really, you need the heart and mind of a child for this, but if you can summon those up, you will be impressed.

I saw it in the normal format, but I'm sure it was an intense hoot in 3D. That might have been a bit much for me, but I'm sure the kids loved food flying at them. Regardless, the animation was stunning, combining a tribute to Ron Barret's amazing illustrations in background with pleasantly cartoony characters.

This was much better than expected. It was creative, extremely fun, and paid reference to everything from "Independence Day" to "The Twilight Zone". You may need the heart and mind of a child for this, but if you can summon those up, you will be impressed.

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")

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.

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

An exuberant and quite entertaining little feature- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs can feel a little too safe at times- but does anage to be quite an enjoyable ride. First off, the animation is very well developed, very original, and very easy to look at. From its popping colors and cartoon like expressions, it's a refreshing take on the often mimicked-like animation style so many people want to copy from brands like Pixar- and truly feels like its own thing. As for the plot and story of the film- it can be interesting- but it never really feels like it takes any leaps. Yes, it has some bold ideas, but even those ideas tend to play it safe from time to time. Its sense of humor also feels the same way, pure wackiness- which is very enjoyable to watch- but never made me laugh out loud like many other animated films i've come to love. Its soundtrack is very bright and cheery, and its score is surprisingly epic- and I would be lying if I said some of the themes used in this film wouldn't be stuck in my head until the next day. The voice cast is impressive and everyone does a really good job- my personal favorites being James Caan as Tim Lockwood and Bruce Campbell as the Mayor. It does seem to follow quite a few animated cliches, which i've honestly come to expect with these films, but nothing that ever truly weighs it down. In the end, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a fun and solid animated flick. It never wows or amazes like Toy Story or makes me crack up like Shrek, but it manages to be a decent watch and be pretty sweet in the end- and that is completely fine with me.

My Rating: 6.8/10.