Storks (2016) Reviews

• Threadbare. Uneven. Underrated. HYSTERICALLY Funny.

  amnesiac120012017-03-25

  I found STORKS in the way that you're supposed to find underrated/cult classics: by accident. When it was released, I bought into the collective sigh of underwhelm that most critics expressed and that was my mistake. It's easy to understand why the critical community didn't like it: in an era where Pixar, Disney and even Dreamworks keep churning out magnificently multi-layered heart-warmers that set the bar stratospherically high, STORKS doesn't register all that well. We've been spoiled by excellence. As a result, we've lost the ability to enjoy the simple pleasures of pure entertainment. And that's what STORKS delivers better than babies or packages: entertainment. You might have noticed people commenting on how forced and thin the storyline is and how uneven it feels, and those complaints are accurate. The plot is extremely thin (virtually an extended sitcom-sized premise stretched into an epic road-trip format), and the story moves so quickly that it goes too far too fast with nary any breathing room to savor the experience or give the characters the tension or time to build any real catharsis or change. But the characters are so authentic to themselves that you know just about everything you need to know about them from their first scenes. I think the main reason STORKS gets such middling reviews in print and here on IMDb is because it's an old-fashioned type of comedy: a screwball-slapstick hybrid. The emphasis on sight gags, pain-humor, and wackiness has generally been avoided in animated films as passe and vulgar--low comedy. The rapid-fire snark between the main characters of Tulip and Junior hearken back to the old Howard Hawks workplace comedies of the 1930s, which is definitely an acquired taste in the post-narrative style of humor found in kids entertainment today--where non-sequiturs and punchlines exist in a vacuum and visual comedy is derived from abstraction rather than plasticity. But the comedic energy and the variety of jokes from modern "Office"-style cringe (Pigeon Toady) to the machine-gun-speed HIS GIRL FRIDAYy-style verbal sparring (Tulip & Junior), absurdism (the wolves), post-modern meta-humor (the boy and his parents) to classical WB slapstick of yesteryear, and the film is riotously funny because of it. At the end of the day, that's what STORKS wants to be: FUNNY. STORKS is not a great film. It's not a masterpiece like TOY STORY or UP. It won't win any Oscars and it won't be everyone's cup of tea. But there's an excellent chance that it will live on as a multi-generational favorite for the same reasons as dumb-fun-with-a-heart-of-gold treasures like SPACEBALLS, DUMB & DUMBER, THE NAKED GUN, and NATIONAL LAMPOONS CHRISTMASs VACATION: Because you can watch it 1,000 times and it will NEVER stop being funny. So try it out. There's a 50-50 chance you'll be among the ones who can't stop watching it.

• Underrated - this movie is one of the best animated films out there

  jemseletaria2017-01-12

  If you want a movie that is entertaining, funny, action-packed with twists and turns throughout - then this movie is for you! The animation quality is as good as any out there. The voice actors are sensational. Kelsey Grammar and Andy Samberg and their back and forth bantering is totally brilliant and any of us involved in business can understand the dynamic and completely understand the humour. It is one of those movies that you can watch again and again and never get bored. Kids love it and there is plenty of content to keep adults laughing. This movie is a terrific and I can't understand how anyone could not thoroughly enjoy this movie!

• Highly Underrated

  grebeigna2016-10-29

  I entered to watch Storks expecting the worse. However, I got an really enjoyable movie. The Characters are charismatic and they have good chemistry. In Fact, I LOVED Tulip and The Wolfs were hilarious. If you want a funny and heart-warming film, then Storks is a great option for you. It's such a shame to see how uninterested was Warner in marketing this film. I Trust that in a few years Storks will have the recognition that it deserves, and a big fan base.

• Tulip is awesome

  ericstevenson2016-10-08

  I admit that while it's not one of my favorite animated movies of the year, it's still definitely something I would recommend. I admit that it does start a bit slow. It really gets better when the character Tulip is introduced. She is the heart of this movie and by far the most entertaining part. Thank you for featuring her so much. Almost everything she says is funny. I guess I just have a soft spot for genki girls. Pinkie Pie is the one who comes to mind most at any time. She even has red (pink?) hair like her. The best parts are probably her interacting with her personas. I admit that the story makes little sense. How exactly are babies brought into this world now? We briefly get to see the process of how a baby is made. I love how big and epic this movie gets. Yes, it's technically short, but it still gives you everything you would want in a good movie. They have a lot of great details and it leads up to an exciting climax. As a huge fan of "The Lego Movie", you have to watch the great short that precedes this. If only "Looney Tunes" did stuff like that nowadays. It's great to see a good movie based on an original concept too. ***

• What a cute and adorable movie!

  MichaelNontonMulu2016-09-23

  Watching this movie in the earlier parts, I could not help to feel that the funny scenes were a little bit forced, but as the movie continues, the funny scenes becoming more and more fluid. The funny moments became more natural. And since the baby girl was "produced", the movie became much more alive. I think the star of the movie was really the baby. The animation of this baby was soooo cute and adorable that you would really want to hug and play with the baby. You would also be enjoying the very colorful scenes and the funny moments during the chase by the wolves. Those were some of the most enjoyable moments. But the moment that I laughed the hardest was during the scene involving penguins (and the fork). It was priceless! I also loved that the trailer shown many times in the theaters was only showing some brief introduction about Storks and baby making machine. This helped us to be enjoying the movie without knowing there were so many plots inside this one. For parents who want to bring their children to watch this, I believe they would be able to enjoy it. For teenagers & adults, this movie would also be enjoyable to watch. However, please do not expect logic or the making sense of the story of Storks delivering babies. If you can only enjoy movie when logic is very much a great factor, then I do not think this movie is right for you. If you are looking for some fun and good laughter, then you can definitely watch this one! By the way, this movie was produced by Warner Bros Animation Group (WAG) which also produced The Lego Movie. Hence, it was not a surprise to see there was a short funny animated Lego movie of a Chinese Kung Fu Master and a chicken before the start of the movie. I guess WAG also wanted to follow the success of such pattern used by Disney, Pixar and even Illuminati (remember those cute minions in The Secret Life of Pets ?). It did give us a nice thing to enjoy before the start of the actual movie. So when you already bought the tickets for this film, please make sure you are not late to be able to watch this short fun movie. please read my full review in michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id