John Cusack, Molly Shannon, Steve Buscemi and many other well known actors provide the voices in this MGM-produced, animated film. Studios like Pixar, Dreamworks and Disney dominate the animated genre and based on this mildly entertaining result from MGM, conventional film studios have a ways to go if they are to compete with the animation studios.
John Cusack Provides the Voice of Igor
The plot is centered around the character of Igor, who because of his hunchback is forced into the role of a mad scientist's servant. However, Igor is a skilled scientist himself and longs to become the recognized mad scientist that society prevents him from being. The setting is the town of Malaria, which long ago become covered by thick clouds that killed off the arable farmland and impoverished its citizens. Its mayor, voiced by Jay Leno, came to the rescue with a plan to blackmail the rest of the world by developing evil inventions that would threaten other countries. Malaria's mad scientists invent these evil contraptions and showcase them on live television each year in a contest watched by the rest of the world. The evil inventions are so fearful that cash pours in.
Molly Shannon is Eve, Igor's Handmade MonsterIgor finds the opportunity to compete in this year's contest and mirroring the plot of Frankenstein, creates his own evil monster in the form of a patchwork woman, Eve. However, Eve is evil and this causes a host of problems for Igor. The plotline concerning Igor and Eve is not developed strongly enough and their romance, intended to be the core plot line, doesn't pay off as it should. This is a PG-rated kids movie so the romantic development between the two very different partners does not have to be as well developed as Dr. Zhivago or West Side Story. However, the relationship between the two does not producing a satisfying "ah" at the film's end.
Steve Buscemi and Sean Hayes are Igor's Slapstick Sidekicks
Buscemi is known for his oddball roles such as the hitman in Fargo, and Hayes is best known for his role as Jack, Will & Grace's gay friend in the show of the same name. Buscemi plays Igor's immortal bunny, crafted by Igor early in his inventing career. Despite inane attempts to off himself, the rabbit doesn't die. Buscemi's voice is perfect for the role of a cynical cat who is depressed because he can't die.
Hayes does not have as distinctive a voice as Cusack or Buscemi, and most moviegoers would be hard pressed to put a face to a voice. His role is another of Igor's inventions, a low-IQ brain-in-a-jar. Both actors do acceptable jobs and often are the ones stealing the show through their antics.
All in All, a Good Effort, but Expect an Average Grade from Most Reviewers
The movie has all the components of a successful, feature length animated film: Excellent animation, zany characters and a highly unusual plot. However, the film does not leave the audience pulling hard for the main characters and the ending, while it has an unusual plot twist, seems flat. Children probably appreciate the action-oriented animation more than adults, and will leave the theater satisfied. The writers have put in several chuckle-generating adult references that strive to make the film for all ages. However, the plot doesn't develop the lines as strongly as recent movies like Ratatouille, and the jokes can't make up for this.
Igor is worth seeing with children, who nearly always appreciate any animated film with enough action. However, don't expect that it will break any records or have nearly the impact of other great films from Pixar, Dreamworks and Disney.
See the film's official website here.
