Area 51...oops I mean Planet 51

Sitting in the movie theatre with Nat behind a large group of 9 year old ladies was quite the experience. It reminded me of when I used to go and see movies with my parents and insisted that they didn't sit with me or my friends...when did I get to be so old? When did I get to be so embarrasing?

Nat's daughter had a birthday this past week and so off we went to see Planet 51, a new animated movie with the voices of Justin Long, Jessica Biel and and Dwayne Johnson. It was relatively cute and funny, though I never truly laughed out loud, but to be truthful, I did chuckle a couple of times. The basic story line of the film is that an astronaut discovers Planet 51 inhabited by aliens...however can you call them aliens when you are the only human around? Hmmm, food for thought.

A lot of this movie was spent running; running from the aliens, running from the human, running from the law, running from the army...pick something and they are running from it. It wasn't a long movie, so luckily time was on my side with regards to the amount of time that I could sit there and expect greatness. Unfortunately, greatness wasn't to be found. This is not a great movie. It's a cute movie, with no real point except that it's a funny concept. Which brings me back to my first point...can you call them aliens when you are the only human around?

Of course in all children's movies, good will defeat evil and any challenges that arise will sort themselves out in a neat and tidy 90 minute package. With movies like UP, Monsters Inc and The Incredibles, they are a tough act to follow. I appreciate that...however since the bar has been raised and children and adults alike have shown that they respond positively to a decent animated films made well, shouldn't we expect that for all animated films to come? Where do we draw the line and call it "just a kids flick" and when does a film's appeal to the entire family?

I am challenging all future animated film makers....don't underestimate your audience...let's make animated fluff films a thing of the past. Let's make quality animated films that the entire family can enjoy and appreciate. They don't have to be dramatic or heavy, but they do have to be creative, smart and funny. I'd like to see if someone other than Brad Bird - the genius behind The Incredibles and The Iron Giant (another fantastic film) is able to achieve this.