Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, 3D Blu-ray (2014)

by | Jan 22, 2014 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, 3D Blu-ray (2014)

Voice cast: Bill Haden Will Forte, Neil Patrick Harris, James Caan
Directors: Cory Cameron & Kris Pearn
Studio: Sony Pictures 42506 [1/28/14] (3 discs: Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray 2D + DVD, Ultraviolet)
Video: 2:40 anamorphic/enhanced for 16:9 1080p HD color 3D & 2D
Audio (Blu-rays): English or French DolbyTrueHD 1.5, DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English, French
Extras: On Blu-rays: 4 mini-movies, Foddimal-Funimal App; On DVD:  Filmmaker commentary track, Anatomy of a Foodimal, Production Design, Cloudy cafe: Who’s On the Menu?, Cody Simpson music video, Building the Foodimals, more
All regions
Length: 189 minutes
Rating: ***

Not as good as the original, in which Flint Lockwood invented a gadget which takes water at the top and produces various foods at the bottom. Then it goes crazy and creates a disastrous food storm, forcing Flint and his friends to leave their island town of Swallow Falls. In Part 2 it is discovered that sentient food beasts (foodimals) have overrun the island, the Flint is asked by his celebrity inventor hero (with evil plans behind the invitation) to return and save the world again. The island has become a sort of Jurassic Park with living food creatures.

Many animated features out there are just as much fun for the parents as for the kids. Not this one – it’s a silly, super-fast-moving flick with monkeys, a big black cop, and a supposedly cute little strawberry with legs and arms. (They even sent a doll of it to promote the film.) There’s some jokes about pooping, which should go over great with the kids. If the whole family ends up watching this, the grownups will probably sleep thru it. And the four “mini-movies” are even sillier, if that’s possible. They are done in a much simpler, stylized ‘50s Mister Magoo style, but without any of the sly humor and satire of those animations. They seemed cut of the same cloth as the Itchy & Scratchy animations featured on The Simpsons TV series. Yes, the 3D effects on the feature are terrific.

—John Sunier

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