Re: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
 

A new "50 greatest animated films" list has come out, with commentary provided by Terry Gilliam. Amazingly, after only three weeks in theaters, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs has come in at number 49, with this from Gilliam:

Too soon? Perhaps, but we’re convinced that this maddeningly ingenious and wildly original smart kids’ adventure will one day take its rightful place in the animated pantheon. In time-honoured cartoon fashion, ‘Cloudy… ’ takes a simple idea – scientist creates machine that turns water into food – and milks it for all its worth: you want spaghetti tornadoes? Ice-cream snowfalls? Palaces made of jelly? Killer Gummi-Bears? ‘Cloudy… ’ has it all.

But perhaps the film’s most notable characteristic is it’s absolute refusal to fall prey to this century’s most annoying cartoon bugbear: cultural referencing. From the industry in-jokes of ‘Shrek’ to the soul-searching self-help psychology of the ‘Ice Age’ movies, animators seem to have forgotten how to make movies for kids without patronising their parents. ‘Cloudy… ’ gets the balance just right, with a winning parade of witty asides, outrageous sight gags and beautifully judged character moments.

Re: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
 

Yeah, I know - I'm pushing this film pretty hard here. But after working for years on a project that's ultimately only going to be in theaters for a few weeks, you would push it pretty hard for that short payoff time too.

Anyway, great article about Cloudy, and animated films in general here:

"I didn't manage to motivate myself to the theater for the blockbuster Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs until this weekend, when friends with kids invited me along on a family outing. Had that not happened, I might have missed one of the most visually interesting and genuinely funny comedies I've seen in a long time.

It made me wonder: Adults read Harry Potter books and Twilight, both of which are nominally aimed at young adults (at the oldest). Why doesn't it feel as likely that they'll go to purported kids' movies?"

Re: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
 

Nice! Must be rewarding reading stuff like this. Glad to see it's doing so well.

Re: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
 

Alot of PHHHHEEEEEWWWWW!