Review: ‘Storks’ delivers plenty of laughs as it answers where babies come from

Posted on September 30, 2016

By MARK VIOLA

I don’t have kids, but I have to imagine that one of the moments parents dread most is when they face the question, “Where do babies come from?”

The new animated film “Storks” tackles this question directly–they come from storks, of course–but also features a hilarious moment when a young boys asks his parents this very question.

“Storks” is the second film from the newly formed Warner Animation Group, which made a splash with its first work, “The Lego Movie.” Although I wouldn’t call this movie as good as that one, it does continue the studio’s trend of making parents feel guilty about not paying enough attention to their kids.

As I mentioned before, in this world, babies come from storks, or at least they used to, because the storks have left the baby delivery business behind them and now deliver packages for Cornerstore.com.

The mastermind of this transition is Hunter (voiced by Kelsey Grammer, “Boss”), who is about to move up the chain and is looking to promote Junior (Andy Samberg, “Hotel Transylvania”) to replace him. His final task for his protege is to fire Tulip (Katie Crown, “Clarence”), a human orphan who has lived among the storks since they failed to deliver her as a baby. In fact, the incident surrounding her non-delivery is one of the main reasons why the storks left the baby delivery business.

Meanwhile, a young boy whose parents work too much to give him much attention decides he wants a younger brother to play with. Thus he sends a letter to the storks asking for one, not knowing they no longer deliver babies. Through a series of mishaps, however, the letter is received and a baby is created (using the storks’ magical baby-making machine).

Now it’s up to Junior and Tulip to deliver the baby before anyone else finds out, especially Hunter, destroying Junior’s chance for a promotion.

Overall, this is a funny movie that packs enough jokes for both kids and adults. I will say it starts off a bit slow, with the first 15-20 minutes leaving me a little cold and few of the jokes hitting their mark. One character in particular, Pigeon Toady (Stephen Kramer Glickman, “Big Time Rush”), I found downright
annoying.

Once the delivery adventure begins, however, the film finds its wings (pun intended) and the jokes start hitting pretty hard. Much of the humor comes from downright absurd situations, such as an extended sequence when Junior, Tulip and the baby are threatened by a pack of wolves (including two voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele). These moments don’t exactly make sense, but they keep the laughs coming at a fast enough clip that you don’t mind.

“Storks” is a funny movie that should provide plenty of laughs for the entire movie. It does start a bit slow but finishes strong.

The film is rated PG for mild action and some thematic elements.

(This is a abbreviated version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

 

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