Blu-ray Review: Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs

It is taken as a given that Pixar are the rightful rulers of CG Animated Movieland(TM) and despite numerous imitations none of the other studios can replicate their magical formula.  Dreamworks continue to cram as many pop culture references as is humanly possible into their outings, and previous Sony titles have been a trifle insipid such as Open Season.

But now we have Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, based on a childrens book I have never heard of (because I am neither a child or a parent), it follows the story of Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) a well meaning inventor who just can’t quite get things right.  Still living with his stoic father (James Caan) on the tiny island of Swallow Falls, Flint is trying to realise his lifelong dream of being a great inventor in a custom made laboratory in the back yard.

Here he is ably assisted by monkey Steve, and Flint is working on a machine that can turn water into food if only he can find enough power to do so.
The once prosperous town is now a veritable ghost town and the nefarious mayor (Bruce Campbell) is trying anything he can to bring tourists into the area.

So when Flints invention finally works and starts raining cheeseburgers down on the town, this greasy manna from heaven is just what the town needs to really be put on the map (and is located under the A of the Atlantic Sea on the map, a nice touch).
Rookie weather anchor Sam Sparks (the always dependable Anna Faris) is on hand to report the incredible story, but when the town starts requesting anything and everything falls from the sky the inevitable DANGER zone is soon entered.

When the steak hits the flan, Flint and Sam (and STEVE!) have to save the day before the entire world is covered in a food mountain.

I will happily admit I was proven wrong by Cloudy With A Chance.. I was half expecting another slightly uninspiring Pixar wannabe but ended up with an animated movie that finally holds a candle to Pixar.
Unlike a movie such as Shrek which has numerous references that go over the heads of children but strike a chord with parents and adults that are a little more…risque, Cloudy amuses adults but in a cheeky manner.

It is its cleverness that makes Cloudy such a joy to watch, and while the “stick legs, large body” animation style won’t be to everyones taste the technical brilliance of the animation is the closest thing I’ve seen yet that comes close to that other studio (especially the water).  Oh and Mr T is in it.  I could have saved myself 500 words and just said that.

Audio Visual
Digital perfection.  That is all I can say, we have a 1080p MPEG 4 encode and a DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack that are pure reference quality.  It goes without saying that a digital movie from a digital source going direct to a digital format is going to be as close to perfect as you can get and that is what you get here.

The picture is stunning and the audio packs a real punch to all of the speakers (especially in the action packed final fifteen minutes).

Bonus Features
Commentary – Co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller join up with Flint voice actor Bill Hader for an extremely lively commentary!  There’s no staid and dull chat here, just a whole lot of friendly banter.  Anyone looking for a technical commentary will be left out in the cold this time around, but having listened to plenty of these over the years this light hearted muck about was a welcome break.

Making Of – Again its a light hearted featurette than runs for 11 minutes which is a little EPK-ish.  Director and voice actor interviews pad out the runtime but its a bit of throwaway fun.

Music Video – Speaking of throwaway.  Yes it’s a music video, which also gets a 2 minute making of.

The Voices – This is more like it.  A featurette that features on voice actors Bill Hader, Anna Faris and of course Mr T.  The theme of lark about fun continues here.  Again.  Mr T.  Say no more.

Extended Scenes – A couple of scenes  are slightly extended, one with unfinished animation and they total three minutes.

Progression Reels – This is a feature for viewers who have been crying out for a little bit of technical info.  Visual FX supervisor Rob Bredow introduces some animations that show the process a fully animated movie goes through.  Sadly, its only for ten minutes.

Early Development Scenes – Some storyboard sequences that are hand animated from early in the movies development process.

BD Exclusives – Interactive “Splat” Feature.  One for the younger viewers and perhaps the young at heart (I did find it rather amusing).  You can select to throw various food items (including meatballs, of course) at the screen while watching the movie and then clean them off with a “virtual squeegee”.

Flint’s Food Fight Game – A Java based Space Invaders clone where you (yes, YOU!) must fight against Flint’s food machine.

Summing Up
With the exception of Disney’s Bolt, few animated movies have come even close to replicating the Pixar magic, and Bolt even had overseeing from Andrew Stanton.  Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs is a delightfully fun animated romp that will entertain both parents and children.

I can’t praise this movie enough, from the superb animation, picture quality, sound and vocal performances right down to a decent set of bonus features this is a top notch Blu-ray disc.  Oh and it comes with a DVD copy as well.  A must purchase.

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Category: HD, Reviews