film review

 STORKS

This unexpectedly charming animation bursts out of the screen with an aesthetic that is a sugar rush of cuteness. This probably would be quite off-putting, were it not for the sharp humour that elevates it from easily digestible kiddy fodder to something that offers sustenance to parents as well.

The film, written and directed by Nicholas Stoller. imagines a world in which storks have sidelined their original baby delivery services in favour of a highly lucrative online shopping organisation. Junior (Andy Samberg) is the company’s high-achieving bird and is hotly tipped to take over when the boss retires. But he finds his ambitions thwarted by Orphan Tulip (Katie Crown), an undelivered human baby, now an adult, who is something of a glitch in the smooth-running stork business model. Tulip inadvertently creates a baby, who must now be covertly delivered to her family.

Deliciously silly sight gags abound, but high points include Junior having to find his way through a glass factory (when birds can’t see glass) and the enterprising exploits of a pack of wolves.