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Storks (2016), PG, ★★★


Hmmm...I don't know what is with me against Warner Bros. Animation that gets me to meet lower expectations against their projects. With The LEGO Movie, I thought it was a marketing ploy and a cash-grab but after watching that movie, it was a big surprise and it was a funny, delight film that was easily the best animated movie of that year. With this latest movie from their studio, I had, again, low expectations based on their promotion and also when it is released. I have to admit that I am actually surprised how much I enjoyed this movie regardless of their logic. The movie is funny and sincere.

Storks had a record of delivering babies around the world but not a corporate company has merged with their business and has now become home of a e-commerce website in which they deliver packaged goods. Junior (voiced by Andy Samberg) is the top delivery stork and has been called in to his boss' office, Hunter (voiced by Kelsey Grammar). Hunter is having a big promotion and is considering to promote Junior up to the Vice President of the company. Junior is initially excited but Hunter orders Junior to fire Tulip (voiced by Katie Crown), who is the sole human employee at the company. Now that Tulip is 18, Hunter tells Junior that it is time for her to go into the human world.

As Junior heads over to talk to Tulip regarding bad news, Tulip is persistent but screws up a part of the factory which causes a fire. Junior cannot bring himself to fire Tulip so she is moved into the letters department. A letter from a young boy named Nate Gardner (Anton Starkman) makes its way into the the factory and into Tulip's possession. She mistakenly slips it into the baby-making machine whereas right after Junior makes the action to press the emergency-stop button, a baby has been created. Junior makes the decision to deliver the baby before Monday so his promotion can be intact.


My main criticism of this movie is that every character is wacky and fast-talking. The tone of the film edges out to become tiresome as the comedy starts to wane a little bit towards the end but the film has enough humor to balance out with a surprisingly good story as they race against time to get the baby into her home. The villain is a bit one-dimensional as he is trying to make the business better because he wants to have more income for his packaging good company whereas Junior wants to make the company more simplistic and self-aware as they want to still deliver babies to families who want a child.

However, the movie has a good message across the board as the story is about a history of stork delivering babies to families who want a child and the theme is family as a child is in a world of storks and enjoys her life even though she does not belong. It is definitely noticed in its surprisingly emotional third act as we witness why storks, as a business, deliver babies to the families which was wonderful but not enough for me to tear up. But, again, this is a nice surprise from Warner Animation Studios to give us a charming, harmless and funny animated comedy that can have you and your children or young relatives to have a good time in September.

***


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