You can also check out my review for the movie at www.christiananswers.net/spotlight.
"Storks don't deliver babies anymore"
It’s the 21st century, and with the future comes change… big changes. And that goes for the storks at Stork Mountain, as well. Storks don’t deliver babies anymore. Instead, they deliver packages for an on-line shopping conglomerate called Cornerstore.com. Popular employee Junior (voiced by Andy Samberg) is about to be promoted to being a “boss” by the current boss, Hunter (voiced by Kelsey Grammer). There’s just one thing that needs to be done: fire the only human working in the company, Tulip (voiced by Katie Crown), who, due to difficulties beyond the storks’ control, was never delivered to her family as a baby. Junior can’t find it in his heart to fire the ever-positive Tulip, so he instead puts her in charge of the abandoned “letters room.” When an unexpected letter actually arrives, Tulip accidentally starts up the baby-making machine, and one baby comes out. In an attempt to stop the machine, Junior accidentally breaks his wing, leaving him temporarily flightless. What to do? Well, it’s the stork motto “Always deliver” that encourages Junior and Tulip to make the journey themselves to deliver this baby to her family.
The animation is pretty creative at times, especially when the baby factory comes to life later in the film. The characters are cartoony and the animation effects bring to mind the whiz-bang shenanigans of the Looney Tunes (need I remind everyone this is a Warner Bros. Production?). A pack of wolves in particular bring in some very fun sight gags. There are a few great heartwarming moments in the script, as well as some very good-natured humor (the film lacks in adult innuendo, and doesn't overuse bathroom humor either).
The voice cast does a nice job, and Grammer, in particular, is fun as Hunter (though he doesn't quite appear as often as you might think). Newcomer Crown also does nicely as the lively Tulip. She and Samberg do have solid chemistry and playfulness in some scenes, and Ty Burrell and Jennifer Aniston are really interesting as a pair of parents trying to make time for their son. Just about everyone hams it up, sometimes a little too over-the-top. This especially applies to Steven Kramer Glickman (Big Time Rush), as Pigeon Toady is as annoying as he sounds in the trailer.
Mychael and Jeff Danna's music score is very solid.
On the downside, the script is full of over-the-top, goofy dialog. And sometimes, that is to the film’s detriment. The way the dialogue plays out sets up for a few poorly written “heartfelt” scenes. A few of those scenes that might have been intended to be serious failed to really engage as much as they could have. Toward the end, however, the screenwriters do ease up and let the heartfelt moments shine a little bit more.
I've already talked about Pigeon Toady (he only has a couple of funny moments), there is a way out of left field musical moment when he covers "How You Like Me Now?". It's inclusion is somewhat awkward (though not entirely unsurprising since director Nicholas Stoller sometimes does that in his previous movies I've heard). Finally, the end of the movie is a little disappointing, as the film takes a progressive approach to a message that makes it somewhat controversial for a family movie.
Storks might just be one of the most interesting ideas for an animated movie this decade. It takes a concept from yesteryear and brings it into the 21st century with style and intrigue. In terms of humor and dialogue, I felt like this reminded me of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, with not quite as much heart or wit.
There are also a few great messages here and there about family and valuing time with others. This especially comes into play with a B-plot that includes a lonely boy named Nate wishing for a baby brother. In this way, Storks offers a few moments for adults that might just make them think a little.
But, even though its rare non-Disney/Pixar animated movies have interesting themes to offer, Storks still is much too goofy and scattershot to really contend to be an animated classic. And the film also loses a couple of points for an ending that may wind up controversial and off-putting for some families and viewers. (parents can check the "Content" information below)
That's too bad though, because for the most part, this film is a fun, occasionally sweet and hysterical way to spend 85 minutes.
Score: 6.6/10
NOTE: Storks is preceded by a LEGO Ninjago short, as an early promotion for a movie about Ninjago hitting theaters in 2017. Overall, the short was absolutely hysterical, with a great running gag and some fun animation. (Grade: A-).
Language: One time, someone says “suck it!” We also hear “oh my gosh,” “what the heck?”, “jeez,” and an unfinished “what the…?”
Adult Content: None really, though Nate does ask “where did I come from?”, resulting in his parents giggling knowingly of the answer. This will likely go over younger children’s heads. A bird’s bare (feathered and pixelated) rear is briefly shown. Animated bare baby rears are shown briefly also.
On a much more negative note, there is a brief moment in the film that might be a cause for concern for some families. In a montage at the end of the film, we witness storks delivering babies to several different couples. Among these are two brief depictions of same-sex couples (one of two women and one of two men).
Violence: only of the cartoonish, slapstick variety (think Looney Tunes). Storks are poked in the eye, battered around, and hit by babies and the elements. One is dragged through the ground through various obstacles, at the beginning. Another is nearly hit by a plane. A plane falls out of the sky and nearly crashes on the ground. Wolves knock out someone with a stick and almost take out Tulip and Junior. A wall is crashed through by a contraption, and an entire building nearly collapses, and there are a couple of explosions. A character crashes into a wall and into a blimp. Birds crash into glass (because they can’t see it). Two characters are stabbed by a fork. Penguins snap and bite Junior in an action scene. Tiny birds are whacked, squeezed, and hit with a golf club. Characters fall from great heights. A pack of wolves talk of “ripping an arm off.”
Drugs/Alcohol: None.
Other: Surprisingly, bathroom humor is only used sparingly. A couple of moments where a diaper is sniffed to check on whether or not it is clean. Junior mentions that he “peed” on the airplane seat. Someone vomits off-screen, at one point. Someone lies.
