Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)

Flint Lockwood now works at The Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V. But he’s forced to leave his post when he learns that his most infamous machine is still operational, and is churning out menacing food-animal hybrids. (IMDb)

Amped-up animation featuring the fantastically imaginative foodimals (the accompanying puns were a delight as well) keeps this thing afloat in spite of the generic and painfully predictable plot (the left-hanging dad neglect thread probably would have been more interesting; the environmentalist sub-theme that came to a head in another wacky climax certainly was). The main characters lost a little of their luster, but Chester V was a pretty funny addition (see his super bendy arms).

6.5/10 (Alright)

 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

The “frustrated young adult failure with big dreams and a disapproving dad” opening act is generic, but sharp humour keeps it engaging (see Flint’s “saying what I’m doing!”) and a wild second half makes up for it, with its fantastically animated food action (see especially the meatball mission) and emotional climax (see dad, translated) as potent as the barrage of self-aware (“The disaster seems to be hitting all the major cities first”) and wacky (see macaroni head) hilarity leading up to it.

7