Not to animation studios: it’s probably not the best idea to schedule your footage screenings directly after Pixar. The Disney/Pixar footage of UP ran long so Sony was forced to wait a bit to start their 3D presentation of CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS. So most of the attendees went right from UP – a touching, funny and adventurous movie – to MEATBALLS, something different entirely.
We saw the trailer for the film, which you can check out here, and then two new scenes from the film. It’s not that I didn’t like what I saw out of MEATBALLS but the UP footage was an emotional experience. I think the best way I can phrase it is that MEATBALLS is a movie that kids will love. It’s funny, goofy and takes full advantage of the 3D format.
Where most movies shy away from the gimmick of having things fly out of the screen, MEATBALLS seems to be taking full advantage of it. People are throwing stuff at the screen or jumping out at the screen and all that stuff. While it didn’t exactly knock my socks off, it still looks like something kids are really going to love, whereas UP is a film that adults and kids will love. (Oddly both UP and MEATBALLS feature animals that can talk with the help of a modulator and a fantastical flying creature with bright plumage.)
CLOUDY opens on September 18th.
Yes that is a giant meatball.