Storks (2016) User Reviews (145)

Threadbare. Uneven. Underrated. HYSTERICALLY Funny.

[amnesiac12001 · 7/10 · 25 March 2017]

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.

Highly Underrated

[grebeigna · 8/10 · 29 October 2016]

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.

Under-rated

[sarahly-88280 · 8/10 · 7 January 2023]

I hadn't watched this movie at first because I thought it looked super corny but i actually really enjoyed and have a watched it a handful of times now.

There's definitely moments in this movie that resonated deeply with me and I'm sure it did with other parents as well especially the interaction between the stork and Tulip when the baby is up all night.

I could have gone without the Trump haired bird character completely and I think representation of different families other families such as LGBT+ And people with different body types Would have been nice at the end during the quick shots.

Overall I really enjoyed and the main young character other than the baby is a bit mature for his age but the reasons are valid and I think many kids in his situation would relate to this as well. I grew up with three older sister and still could relate to that feeling.

People rate kids movies too harshly. Tbh kids really can't relate to what's on the screen for quite some time and even when they do start reaching an age where they can start grasping that information (three) they loose interests very quickly because their attentions spans are much shorter than ours. There are definitely lots of movies that are hot stinkers but this one is very cute and my daughter and I will be watching it again soon.

Big surprise

[nickyeskens · 7/10 · 6 January 2017]

Storks wasn't specifically on my watch list. I had seen ads here and there, but it seemed to get overshadowed with the release of other movies. When i got the chance to watch it on a flight, i took it. Mostly because there was nothing else to watch. I ended up laughing out loud a couple of times and being charmed by some of the characters.

The movie was cute and a little awkward at times, and had a fun and not too serious premise. The awkwardness is especially what drew me in. This movie might not be for everyone, the comedy might be a bit too obvious and cringy, and kids might not understand the humor at times. I personally don't think those are bad things, since i enjoy that type of humor. The voice acting was okay. I mean Andy Samberg was Andy Samberg and Ty Burell was Ty Burell. I enjoy both actors very much, but it made it hard for me to get into their characters. Stephen Kramer Glickman, Kelsey Grammar and Danny Trejo were outstanding in their performance.

Overall this movie was a fun ride, and took me by surprise. I got a little lost in the storytelling sometimes, and wasn't sure what 'message' they were trying to convey. But overall it was enjoyable and cute, and not every movie needs a 'message'. I'm not sure if every kid will enjoy this movie, but i think adults who like awkward humor and great animation (I forgot to mention that) will enjoy this movie. This movie is definitely underrated and got drowned out by other (hyped) animated movies that got released around the same time.

7,5

Family entertainment

[Gordon-11 · 14 January 2017]

This film tells the story of a delivery company run by storks. They stopped delivering babies for many years, until one incompetent employee broke the rules and created a baby for delivery.

There are many reasons to like "Storks". The animation is super cute, and the story is very sweet. Most people would connect with babies, making this film an easy success. The wolves are funny too. However the broken heart has gone just one step too far as it gets too repetitive and non functional like the other formation of the wolves. I also like the literal downfall of the boss. Adults can relate to that too. It is rare to see a film that can be enjoyed by all ages. I liked it.

Wacky Flick for the Whole Family

[elicopperman · 7/10 · 1 November 2017]

In 2016, Nicholas Stoller (Get Him to the Greek & Neighbors) and Doug Sweetland (Presto) presented Storks, an animated film from Warner Bros. Animation Group (The Lego Movie). While it had a mixed critical reception, it's definitely a movie that typical movie-goers and families may find adorable and funny?

The main plot centers on a stork company that delivers packages and babies. When the top delivery stork, Junior, becomes boss of the workers, he is told to fire the only human working there, Orphan Tulip. Instead of firing her, he sends her to the defunct mail room. Meanwhile, the son of two workaholic parents, Nate Gardner, sends a letter to the company asking for a baby sibling to play with. When the letter arrives, it creates a baby, so now Junior and Tulip have to deliver the baby to it's guardians while going through many obstacles like avoiding getting noticed by the company's CEO Hunter, a pack of hysterical wolves, and trying to care for the baby itself.

In concept, the film has all the right ideas to make a charming comedy for the whole family, and it mostly succeeds in it's execution. Even though the journey Junior and Tulip go on feels similar to almost every Pixar film (e.g. Inside Out and Finding Nemo), the film gives the characters enough time to develop off each other, where they came from, and what each other's goals are, even if their quirky eccentric personalities don't always contrast that well. The subplot featuring Nate and his family, however, does come off as rather straightforward and it's easy to guess what will happen since all his goal is to have a baby sibling. It doesn't help that the movie itself does come with some tired film clichés, not just the duo who overcome each other on their obstacles, but also the workaholic parents who try to make their son happy, the big promotion from one job to another, the side villain finding out where the heroes are, and even how the main villain tries to get rid of the protagonists.

As for the rest of the characters, the CEO of the company Hunter at first comes off as a trustworthy boss, but there's quite a nerve he has with babies which presents him as threatening and cunning. The pigeon Toady can either be amusing or annoying with his exaggerated "bro" voice, but he's also a decent deuteragonist as he only follows his orders to make the most of his job. As stated before, the Gardner family have the same trope of the little kid who wants his busy parents to spend more time with him, so they decide to bond with him more to make him happy. And then there are the wolves led by the alpha and beta, who deliver the absolute funniest parts of the movie due to their personalities constantly shifting from menacing to energetically adoring the baby, as well as performing the best visual gags in the film.

However, if there are two things this movie really nailed in the execution, it would be the heart and the humor. The filmmakers definitely knew when to have cute sentimental moments with the baby, and they always come off as adorable instead of schmaltzy. Also, when the movie's main characters have their moments of relief and sentimentality, it gives the film a lighthearted tone that never comes out randomly, and portrays the scene with just the right emotion to make the audience feel for them. However, the humor would have to be the highlight of the movie, as there's plenty of one liners, visual gags, surprisingly decent pop culture jokes, slapstick, subversion and line deliveries, and it's very rare when they miss their mark as they have such exquisite timing and charm to them. Also, since Junior and Tulip do spend the journey caring for the baby, they spend time feeding and trying to put the baby to sleep, which also makes the movie relatable to any parents who raised their own offspring.

Since the movie acts more on the cartoony side, it creates the animation to be as cartoony as it can, and it did the job beautifully. The characters look kinda simplistic, but given the silly nature of the film, they contrast well, and their movements can get exaggerated and wacky at just the right moments. Although some of the places they leads go to range from a cave, to the Arctic, to suburbs, the animators still give the backgrounds life and present them in colorful, unique, vibrant, and bright manners. The effects animation is also quite creative such as the factory robots, the water, the machine that creates babies, and even some of the lights and electrical effects. The only criticism there is to give the animation is that many of the storks look like the exact same model (probably by means of cheaping out a bit), but they don't ruin the sporadically wonderful quality that the visuals have to offer.

While Storks may not have flown as high up as other animated films of 2016 such as Kung Fu Panda 3, Zootopia and Kubo & the Two Strings, it did offer enough good laughs, silly concepts, well crafted animation and memorable characters to stand on it's own. If you're in the mood for a cute little family comedy with some relatability to those who have raised babies before, then this will be a delight from beginning to end, especially since it knows who to aim itself towards. If Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland can do this good of a job with cartoony movies, then I can't wait to see what they have in store next for animation….like Captain Underpants, nice job Nick.

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

[jemseletaria · 10/10 · 12 January 2017]

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!

Well-made movie with good animation and super score on cuteness factor

[jay-techie2007 · 7/10 · 25 September 2016]

Storks is undoubtedly funny and keeps up with the audience attention just enough in spite of an at par performance in pretty much all departments. The movie doesn't have any wow factor, except for the "baby cuteness", but I didn't find it bad either.

Story (7/10): I've heard about this concept for the first time, but apparently, storks, in some mythologies, are associated with baby delivery and that's what the story is about. In the modern times, though, they have moved away from baby delivery to cell phones. However, in a dramatic turn of events, one of the soon-to-be-boss storks, Junior, is unable to prevent the restart of a baby-making machine by Tulip - the only human at the facility, which creates a baby. Along with Tulip, he has to not just hide it from the rest of the storks at the facility, but also deliver the baby. And in that process, he has to prevent the babies from external enemies as well. I didn't find the story so exciting but what I liked about it was the screenplay that had good punches - although inexplicable on some occasions. What I also loved the most was some of the innovative stuff with wolves and penguins, which was innovative and great to watch. The characterization of Tulip and establishing her chemistry with Junior was a little tricky but the writer managed to do it pretty much smoothly without making it looked forced. Overall, a pretty neat job by Nicholas Stoller.

Animation (8/10): The animation is really good, especially the ones on creating various baby faces and expressions. It was pretty much like they poured in all of their energy into that. Also, the work around landscaping and making the entire visual very colorful is great.

Direction (7/10): The combination of Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland has pulled out quite well. While the former hasn't had a great run with the movies yet, Doug's experience with the animation movies seems to have come handy, even though it was a first time for him. The idea of getting wolves creating amazing shapes - totally fitting into the context of the story - and the silent fight with the penguins was great. However, the direction could have improved in the beginning of the movie, which was a little slow and low on momentum.

Overall (7/10): A well-made movie with good animation and super score on cuteness factor!

Fast paced, hilarious, absurd and slightly evil

[wincel-867-129631 · 10/10 · 23 January 2017]

Saw it on a long flight, had never even heard of this movie before despite us watching anime and cartoon regularly. What happened there WB?? So I ended up seeing it more by coincidence - the same as many other adults on the 5 hour flight. And the plane was full of laughter. One of the most absurd and hilarious movies I've seen in a long time. It is very fast paced, lots of word play and verbal humor, slightly evil in touching all kinds of topics from career-nuts adults, over-ambition and sacrificing it all, bullying, casual nastiness to people. Delivered by a fast-talking, bright, very cheeky teen girl with a big heart and a stork trying to keep up and sorting it all into his very structure perspective on life. Go watch it!

Got lost, but still fun

[xconwombats · 7/10 · 5 February 2022]

Got a little lost during this at some points and some of the development and scenes seemed a tad rushed.

But other than that, I really enjoyed this movie! It had a lot of cute moments, great comedic timing, and adorable characters! I loved the soundtrack.

A decent enjoyable flick!

[iamianiman · 5/10 · 22 September 2016]

First thing of all, this is the kind of a movie that's surely not for everyone and it doesn't really give that stereotype where children will absolutely have fun watching it.

The storyline follows a group of storks engineers a vast industry relating to delivering babies to their respective families. Things go south when the living storks are tired by umpteenth of accidents occurring on arriving the destination that eventually turns into an industry of selling goods. With the help of an unknown boy, an unintentional event takes place for re-living back the old era of the storks.

The plot is fairly decent, and it does give much time for the character to develop but it takes too many spaces in their limited duration of the movie. It drags the movie at certain parts that we won't be needing to see. Despite all of this, there are a few sequences that do take place abruptly, leading to many inevitable questions. Children that are trying to learn and understand stories may get confused with 'em. The pacing is half the chance being good and bad, people will judge in their own way. As for me, it starts to get bad after 40 minutes in.

The humor here is enjoyable, but it can get cringe-worthy sometimes. Basically, the script is telling the characters to force the jokes from themselves.

As far as I can tell, there are moments in the movie that trigger your mind if this movie is really worth spending your money for. The motion images are tolerable, it's totally not as bad as Norm In The North and totally not as good as Kingsglaive Final Fantasy XV.

The moral values here are worth it but it does not contain as much as you have seen in Inside Out or Toy Story. A major example that can be taken is to give love to each member of your family without regarding career or any other things.

The best time to watch this movie is when you're having a daytime off with your family on a Sunday afternoon. Overall, it is an enjoyable flick and to my point of view, it deserves 5 out of 10.

Underrated by far

[torreza-39297 · 10/10 · 27 June 2019]

I love this movie just happened to come across it by chance and ended up loving it! My 3 year old loves it and she also thinks it's funny. My husband and I laughed so much...we all quote it randomly and laugh. I can't believe ther reading isn't higher. So much better than some of the Disney movies I've seen that have gotten better reviews and shouldn't have. Seriously the comedy and sweet storyline are solid.

Messy, but enjoyable with a strong emotional core

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 15 October 2016]

'Storks' will never be up there with the greatest animated films, which have more focused plots, humour of more consistent quality balanced with great emotional power and for some a dark and daring element. However, 'Storks' is also a long way from being one of the worst.

The biggest problem with 'Storks' is the story. It definitely has its moments, but things do get over-complicated and chaotic, predictability is high in the second act and the pacing is erratic with a couple of parts lacking momentum and some so hyperactive that you don't have much time to process before having to keep up again.

While most of 'Storks' is incredibly entertaining, the laughs are not consistent, some of them in the second act being repetitive and laboured, a couple also try too hard and feel forced as a result. One character doesn't come off very well, and that's Pidgeon Toady, who is meant to be funny but is far too over-the-top and annoying.

However, the visuals are spectacularly beautiful. The colours are incredibly rich, the backgrounds are rich in imagination and detail and the characters are all modelled well. The soundtrack is infectious and upbeat but also dynamic and with some tender understated pathos at the end. The dialogue is on the silly side but there are some amusingly witty moments. The sight gags are much more memorable, with the multi-tasking wolf pack being an absolute hoot and the silent penguin fight being every bit as hilarious.

For 'Storks' to work, the relationship between the central characters has to come off well. Luckily, Junior and Tulip's chemistry is both fun and heartfelt and dealt with in a sympathetic way. So it was easy to root for them, particularly Tulip who is essentially the heart of the film. The babies are simply adorable, and the last act more than makes up for the predictable and fragmented (in execution of the humour) middle act. The climax is exciting and the ending is incredibly touching. What 'Storks' also does very well is how much it has to say on family life and the execution of its message never feels forced or over-didactic.

Voice acting is very good on the whole, especially Andy Samberg, Katie Crown and Danny Trejo. Kelsey Grammar also does a very good job, suave and articulate-sounding as ever, if a somewhat predictable casting choice, think a less mid-Atlantic Sideshow Bob and you know what to expect. The only exception is Stephen Kramer Glickman who overdoes it dreadfully as Toady.

On the whole, messy but enjoyable with a strong emotional core. It is a bright and breezy diversion, with some inspired humorous moments and a genuinely touching ending, but kids and adults alike will find trying to keep up with, or completely understanding, the plot a bit of an endeavour. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Nope.

[ticatica · 1/10 · 14 August 2017]

I was so disappointed. This is possibly the worst cartoon I watched. At 44mins in, I haven't laughed once. It is borderline painful to watch how a somewhat cute idea was so badly delivered. The script is just ridiculously awful and forced with idiotic jokes. I expected an easy to watch, cute kids movie, but watching Storks became almost a challenge to see how long can I endure wasting my time watching this pointless thing.

The proof of the importance of the last sequence

[shimenpf · 7/10 · 27 August 2019]

I was gonna give the movie a 6. The premise is really interesting, and I think it was executed properly. The comedy is great, absurd, self-conscious and fun. However, the pace turned too slow during the first half of the second act, specially when they get strained in the ice place. It was also a little cliche to have the characters getting stuck in their way to achieve their goal. Happens in Monsters Inc, Ice Age, Finding Nemo... The climax is weak. There is never really a showdown between the heroes and Hunter, where after an intense battle, the antagonist almost wins. Even after all that, I gave the movie a 7, all because of the last sequence. The montage where the storks go back to deliver babies was powerful. And then, Junior has to say goodbye to the baby that's been with him (and Tulip) for the whole journey. And he touched her, their goodbye, and sees her whole life go through. I can't tell why, but it resonated with me and took me to the verge of tears. Then, Tulip finds her family and they meet. That was powerful too. And that gave the movie a whole point up for me.

Harmless Fun

[jogibbson · 6/10 · 21 April 2020]

Andy Samberg is fun as his normal Brooklyn 99-ish character. The stand-our was Frasier as the head stork but everything else was pretty generic. I love Key and Peele's but which was fun, but the movie lacks originality or a more emotional plot to really connect you with the jokes and the emotion of the scenes.

Tulip is awesome

[ericstevenson · 8/10 · 8 October 2016]

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. ***

Totally underrated movie

[cat8864 · 7/10 · 14 January 2017]

I admit this movie is not on my watch list.

In the beginning of this movie I can't stop my mind to think why they create this world-a world the baby is delivered by storks.

This is no sense and totally different world with the real world.

Why? In the end of movie I think it give me the reason.

In the final scene, the storks start to deliver baby again we can see so many family receive a baby include Same-sex marriage couple.

In such a Utopian world, we don't need a man and woman to get a baby. We just write a letter to storks.

I see so many good idea in this movie.

Baby is most wonderful thing in the world no one want hurt baby > Everyone told you that you want to be boss, but most important is what do you want to do after be a boss

The funny scene in this movie make me laugh loudly

What a cute and adorable movie!

[MichaelNontonMulu · 8/10 · 23 September 2016]

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

You're Fired!

[nogodnomasters · 7/10 · 24 September 2017]

Storks no longer deliver babies. They have a large warehouse not named Amazon, where they deliver packages and hopefully life won't imitate art. Tulip, is a undelivered human who works there and messes things up. Her most recent error is to process a baby delivery which involves a long perilous formula trek.

The theme once again is family and friends, give up that electronic device to bond with your kid(s). The kids seemed to like the film, while I had a hard time getting into the characters, finding Tulip's situation sad as were her cute antics as in talking to herself. The film had some funny moments, mostly for the kids.

had some good moments

[djurrepower · 5/10 · 28 March 2021]

Some good humor but overall not that much to write home about. Very formulaic film thats just goes through a standard checklist of kids movies. All in all this peaks in mediocrity.

5/10: uhh.

A heartwarming story about family values

[supansa-42260 · 9/10 · 6 April 2017]

I loved how the movie reflects family values. The problem of modern times is that we can fall into the trap of working for no purpose and all the time. This movie makes me appreciate the miracle of life. The wolves formation were really unbelievable but definitely entertaining :)

Delivering Cuteness Wherever They Flock

[rgkarim · 7/10 · 23 September 2016]

"Where do babies come from?" For decades kids ask this question to parents and in a state of desperation creative answers, (aka lies) are cooked up. One popular story wielded by parents is the concept of the stork delivering babies to doorsteps. This weekend, the creative geniuses over in La La land have managed to craft an animated film all about the miracle of these white winged wonders. Yes, today I'm reviewing Storks starring Andy Samberg and Katie Crown.

LIKES: • Originality • Cute • Emotional

We all know there is really no original story anymore, but animated films usually put a creative twist on things. Storks breaks the mold of princesses and dogs by switching to birds with the fabled job of bringing life…literally…to people's doors. I enjoyed the poke at our online consumerism by making the storks trade babies for technology, which isn't the iconic adventure setting. Along the way, the orphaned Tulip (Crown) accidentally creates a baby through a giant magic wielding device that leads to a simplistic adventure to return her home. It's a fun twist on the tale of creatures uniting to accomplish a goal (Ice Age anyone), topped with a few unique kicks to sweeten the deal, including Lego versions of wolves.

Stupid as all this may sound, Storks main attraction is the cuteness bundled in the 100 minute run time. I don't just mean the baby, although the magenta haired munchkin will certainly melt many aspiring/current parents' hearts. Much of my audience awed at some of the sweet moments our first time "foster" parents experience, many of which will bring nostalgic memories of your child's firsts rushing back. But if the main story isn't up your alley, the side tale of a family struggling to spend quality time might be the ticket for you, especially with that song track they play.

Perhaps the biggest bang of Storks though, is the emotion the team have placed throughout the journey. A simple opening starts to soften the heart as the intentions of Tulip are shared, which no surprise is the preachy, noble, and justice filled goals all protagonists have. It's just an opening I promise. As they travel through the world, various themes of parenting and letting go fill the screen that again will start to knock the walls down further. Yet the ending is where the true punch is. Without ruining anything, Storks ending has a powerful, well animated, montage, complete with orchestrated sappy music, to open the flood gate of tears of most parents in the audience. Not me of course, I'm pretty much a robot, but there were loads of sniffles at the heartfelt moment portrayed. Sigh, such a nice wrap up of the movie, despite the predictability.

DISLIKES • Predictable • Misdirected Comedy • Annoying at times

No surprise, Storks has a predictable plot that most animated movies have and I'm being a stickler. I know this isn't a shock so it's why I'm saying it is a minor weakness. Despite the unique twist on the story, Storks originality does not extend much past that and falls into the time tested pattern once again. Oh sure, I was wrong on one prediction, but the trailers have given much of the little surprise away. Such a shame with the promise they made, but hey we at least got laughs out of it right? Right?

Wrong! You might go into Storks thinking or hoping for kiddy laughs with a few clever puns thrown in the mix. This was not the case. Surprisingly, this movie's jokes are geared towards a more adult audience in terms of delivery, content, and comprehension. I don't mean sex jokes (this isn't Sausage Party), but much of Storks gears towards parenting humor and themes of abandonment that might be a little over your little ones' heads. Yes, there is some slapstick comedy, bodily harm, and a pigeon with a goofy voice named Pigeon Toady that will make them laugh. Aside from that, most of the comedy is a shot at entertaining parents, which I'm sorry to say failed for the most part in the laugh department.

In fact, much of the comedy was actually annoying to me. First off they rely on constant banter for much of their dialogue. It was kind of entertaining at first, but they ran too far with it and by the fifth round of arguing… it had gotten old and rather stupid. The wolves that seemed to be so funny in the trailers were indeed entertaining…in the beginning. However, their comedic ploy also got annoying, particularly in the way they spoke in a very direct, robotic like manner. And as for Pigeon Toady, there were times I laughed hard, but this character gets old quickly, especially his gigolo like attitude that seemed like a diluted SNL character. I could go on, but I think three strikes is enough to make my point.

The Verdict:

If you found Storks' trailers cute, then the movie will only amplify that factor as you watch it. This simplistic film is fun for kids, but ironically seems to be geared towards parents for the true emotional kick. Unfortunately, the comedic aspect failed to take flight and stumbled into the stormy skies of annoyance and stupidity. Can't say it's the best animated feature to grace the silver screen, it is a decent distraction for a rainy day. My recommendation is to wait for a Redbox rent, except for parents wanting to recapture baby magic.

My scores are: Animation/Adventure/Comedy: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0

Awful movie

[imdb-71132 · 1/10 · 4 February 2017]

I have been using IMDb to view ratings for years, but I had to create an account to review this movie.

Storks was truly awful. Even our 4 year old said he didn't want to watch it after about 15 minutes. Thank goodness because we were also not wanting to watch it anymore (Two adults and a 14 year old).

Our son will watch almost anything, including some of the low budget animated movies you find on Netflix.

The conversations the characters are having seem quite odd. They are talking fast with random comments that don't really seem to fit any narrative.

It was like watching a bunch of ADHD characters amped on up caffeine spouting out random thoughts to try and be funny. Sure, a few moments like that can be funny, but we just did not find much humor in this movie.

Hard-edged story for a such a soft subject.

[JohnDeSando · 22 September 2016]

"No! Just a brief exposure to baby cuteness can ruin your life!" Junior (voice of Andy Samberg)

Actually, Storks is not as cute as that quote, for part of it has a hard edge I find disconcerting for a kid-friendly animation. That storks no longer deliver babies in favor of a delivery contract service like Amazon's ambitious plans forms the conflict of the story whose resolution you could compose right now. The film is hard until the babies arrive, as is true in life itself.

The conceit of their not delivering babies anymore still leaves kids without a clue about how the babies are born and delivered. The lack of an adequate explanation compounds the already difficult task parents have explaining the origins of babies anyway. For much of the film, the world is a bleak, sterile place where an orphan with soul, Tulip (voice of Katie Crown), is about to lose her job at Stork Mountain because of her accident-prone imagination.

Hunter (voice of Kelsey Grammar), the head of the company, represents tycoons who are in business for the bucks, and he is out of the baby business to deliver inert packages. Junior hooks up with Tulip to deliver an unwanted baby, encountering various challenges on the way to the home, including an amusing pack of wolves ("I'm gonna devour this thing." Then wolf licks baby, who coos).

The story picks up and moves to warmth the closer the heroes get to delivering the babies. Perhaps I was turned off by the stork figures that have a beak tough to make varied or even likable.

Important, too, is a married couple so mired in their work they ignore their loving boy, who orders a baby brother to love. The comment on the distracted parents is a poignant criticism of the overextended modern husband and wife.