Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Trailer
Sony Pictures Animation Movie Stars Bill Hader, Anna Faris
Mar 19, 2009
It's trailer time once again, and our latest contestant comes from CGI newcomer Sony Pictures Animation. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is adapted from the 1978 book written and illustrated by Judi and Ron Barrett respectively.
The flick's first trailer recently hit Cyberland, and it's a good 'un. It expertly sets up the film's premise: ambitious young scientist Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) tries to solve world hunger by causing food to fall from the sky. This is one of those "it seemed like a good idea at the time" scenarios that eventually has disastrous consequences. Anna Faris (The House Bunny) voices inevitable love interest Sam Sparks, "a weathergirl covering the phenomenon who hides her intelligence behind a perky exterior."
Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness), Andy Samberg (Space Chimps), James Caan (Apocalypse Now), and Tracy Morgan also voice roles in the film, while Mr. T. pities the fool who doesn't go see this movie (yes, he has a part, too).
Thankfully, the trailer lets you know what's happening without giving away the entire plot. And, most importantly, it brings the funny. While we're at it, you gotta love the "Food, Glorious Food," taken from the Oliver! soundtrack.
Although the spot sells the flick well, its release date is a cause for concern. September is commonly regarded as a dump period for movies; films that the studio thinks won't measure up during more competitive seasons. The fact that Sony clearly thinks this film can't hang with the big boys either means that the studio is playing it safe or that Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs isn't everything it's advertised.
Sony Pictures Animation's History: Open Season, Surf's Up
Ever since it made its debut with 2006's Open Season, Sony Pictures Animation has had a rough ride in theatres. Open Season was a middle-of-the-road contender that made enough box office to warrant a direct-to-DVD sequel, but was merely another talking animals flick in a year when every studio was releasing a CGI animated flick infested with talking critters.
SPA's next film, 2007's Surf's Up, fared even worse. Despite some critical love due to its unusual format (an animated 'mockumentary,' a la Spinal Tap or Best in Show), the flick failed to make back its studio costs in theatres despite the presence of It Boy Shia LaBoeuf.
Ironically, Sony Pictures Classics (the conglomerate's art house division) had better luck, distributing the Cannes Jury Prize-winning Persepolis in 2007 and the Oscar-nominated Waltz With Bashir in 2008. Both those films examined weightier subjects than most animated films: Persepolis was a child's eye view of the Iranian theocratic revolution, while Waltz With Bashir examined Israel's role in the 1982 Sabra and Shatila Massacres.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs opens September 19th.
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