By Kelly and Shelby
Sometimes you want to take a break from all the explosions and sci-fi and comic book heroes and go back to a simpler time when movies were about things like snails who dreamed of racing in the Indy 500. OK, maybe not exclusively that specific plotline, but we’ll always feel a pull toward a well-made and well-told animated movie. Maybe we’re all just kids at heart. Or maybe we’re just suckers for good storytelling. With Pixar seemingly stuck in a hamster wheel of prequels and sequels, we’ve found ourselves turning more frequently to competitor DreamWorks, the studio that brought us the exquisite How to Train Your Dragon and now brings us a healthy does of summer fun with some fast and not-so-furious snails in Turbo, which opens today everywhere. Here’s what two Chicksters thought of the movie, which stars Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Michelle Rodriguez, Richard Jenkins, Kurtwood Smith, Ken Jeong, Samuel L. Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Luis Guzman and Ben Schwartz.
Shelby: Dreamworks has really been hitting it out of the park and giving Pixar a run for their money with some of their recent animated efforts, and Turbo is no exception. What do you think set this movie apart from the glut of other animated movies?
Kelly: I really enjoyed the humor. The morning hellos being interrupted by a snail being taken by a crow and then a collective sigh and “too bad.” The snail who insisted on referring to himself as “White Shadow” for no clear reason and saying it at odd moments. Samuel L. Jackson being a tough/crazy snail. In fact the cast had some really fantastic characters. Who was your favorite snail?
Shelby: I think White Shadow and Paul Giamatti’s snail (Turbo’s brother) were my favorites. The human parts were all well-cast too, especially Michael Pena as Turbo’s human champion. Do you think this movie will be more enjoyed by kids or adults?
Kelly: I think both could equally enjoy it, which is what I love most about Pixar movies. They always seem to make their movies for both adults and kids at the same time. They have obvious laughs for the kids with more sophisticated jokes for the adults. I loved the YouTube video going viral and even turning into a remix and then a ringtone. That was the best! What did you think was clever about the movie?
Shelby: Definitely that viral bit that you mentioned! You know, in essence, this story was almost the exact same as Pixar’s Cars, but this felt like it had so much more heart to it and such a great message for kids (“Never give up”). It’s a simple message, but I feel like the delivery system here was more entertaining and offered more for adults. It looked great too! Do you have any criticisms of the movie?
Kelly: The one thing that I didn’t buy was how the snail became fast. Race cars and nitrous are cool, but I don’t think getting soaked in that would make you fast or suddenly car-like. So the logic there failed for me a little. I would’ve preferred him being radioactive or something. Did you agree or notice other fallacies?
Shelby: That didn’t bother me so much actually. I thought it was a nice way to do a send-up of Fast and the Furious-type movies. Also, I never thought I would say this ever, but I was relieved there wasn’t a love story. I liked how it mostly focused on the brother relationship, between Chet and Turbo and between the Dos Bros Tacos guys, instead. That was refreshing.
Turbo is now open in Austin in 2D and 3D.