Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

[Anthony G Williams]

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is an animated film concerning the adventures of unsuccessful but determined young inventor Flint Lockwood, who devises a machine that is able to convert water into food. This accidentally ends up in the sky, from where it promptly begins to suck in the clouds and shower whatever food Flint specifies onto his home town. This promises to save the town from economic disaster and makes him a hero – but inevitably, things start to go wrong. The film has fun lampooning targets such as the ambitious politician who wishes to become bigger than his job of town mayor permits (and he does…) and the condescending sexism of a TV presenter, and it must be commended for making the hero a science nerd. Furthermore, the cute weathergirl sent to report on his efforts, with whom he instantly becomes smitten, turns out to be a science nerd herself, and who secretly wears (shock, horror) glasses!

I find that I have a patchy relationship with animated films, which although aimed at youngsters vary greatly in their appeal to adults in general (and me in particular). Leaving aside the marvellous stop-motion products of Aardman Animation (especially the Wallace and Gromit series), animations which I have enjoyed include Ratatouille (particularly) and Wall-E, those I haven't persevered with include Toy Story and Up. Cloudy falls just on the favourable side of that divide.

(An extract from my SFF blog: Science Fiction & Fantasy)

 

[George Ian]

Dear fellow-Derbyshire-person
I loved Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - the penalty of having young grandchildren.
I'm sad to admit that my favourite part-animation is the original Smurfs movie. Great for adults, too. Hank Azaria is brilliant.