Courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation

In the mood for a big, juicy cheeseburger? How about some steamy macaroni and cheese? In the small town of Swallow Falls in Sony Pictures Animation’s newest film “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” a person’s greatest craving may just fall from the sky. Never has a movie been more mouth- watering.

The story follows aspiring inventor Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader), whose only goal is to better people’s lives with his inventions. His chance comes when the town’s largest factory, Baby Brent Sardines, closes down and everyone is forced to eat the leftover fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lockwood gets started perfecting his Flint Lockwood Diatomic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator: a machine that molecularly transforms water into food. The invention works well and even prompts the town to change its name to Chew and Swallow. However, when his creation accidentally blasts itself into the atmosphere, the weather gets a little wacky.

Climate conditions such as a snowfall of ice cream lure weather intern Sam Sparks (voiced by Anna Faris) to the scene along with her subtle yet zesty cameraman Manny (voiced by Benjamin Bratt), creating a team to be reckoned with. Along with Lockwood, the trio must unite to stop Mayor Shelbourne’s evil plans to eat his way to success.

The movie is rated PG but is full of witty tidbits and amusing moments to keep anyone and everyone enchanted. In the beginning, young Lockwood is teased by a bully because, “He wants to be smart, but that’s lame!” Later, Lockwood declares, “We’ve got carpe to diem.”
“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” has a Disney / Pixar-esque cast of characters, voiced by talents such as Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Al Roker, Will Forte, James Caan and Mr. T, who voices an overzealous cop named Earl Devereaux.

The movie is action-packed and moves at the right speed so no one loses interest. It also pleases aesthetically: Every scene is bursting with vivid color and smooth animation. Plus, the movie is shown in 3D to make it seem as if food is actually falling from above.
“Meatballs” is also innovative: Animators at Sony used new technologies to better its animation, including a new type of camera that adds human limitation to the animation, which makes the movie seem more realistic.

The movie is based on the children’s book by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. However, the two differ immensely. While most movies-turned-to-film attempt to condense a large novel into a two-hour movie, screenwriters and directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord had to instead expand a short story into one with main characters and a more substantial plot. Nonetheless, the magic and core ideas of Barrett’s book remain.

“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” is a delicious treat for anyone. It serves up a hearty portion of fun and leaves the viewers coming back for seconds.

Movie: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Animation
Directed by: Chris Miller and Phil Lord
Release Date: Friday
Grade: A?