1536. Storks (2016)

Starring: Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer

Director: Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland

Running Time: 87 mins

Storks is an American film about a world of storks which has moved on from delivering babies to becoming a package postage service. However, when a prospective manager and a human orphan stuck in the depot discover a new baby, they must work together to get her delivered to her family.

I absolutely adored this film. Yet another hugely entertaining animation from Warner Bros., Storks is one of the most insane yet absolutely delightful films you’ll see all year. Mixing rapid-fire and random humour with a heartfelt and warm story about family, there was barely a moment where I wasn’t grinning ear-to-ear in this film, making it one of the happiest, funniest and most enjoyable animations I’ve seen in quite a while.

Over the course of this film, the level of comedy changes quite significantly, but I want to start off by talking about the first two-thirds. Simply put, the humour during this part of the movie is utterly insane. Not only incredibly rapid and frantic, the sheer randomness of everything that happens on screen is at times bewildering to see, from a nerdy chicken with a jet pack to a pack of wolves turning into a submarine, there are literally no bounds to what this film will come up with, but that makes for massive laughs time and time again.

What’s brilliant is that this film knows how silly it wants to be, and that gives it a real confidence in the delivery of the insane brand of humour. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I guarantee that so many kids will love every second of it, and even adults can have a huge amount of fun too if they approach with the right attitude. Don’t expect this to be a Pixar classic, because that’s not what it’s trying to be. If you’re prepared to sit back and be hit with a barrage of utterly hilarious madness, then this film will be a massively entertaining watch.

That brand of ridiculous comedy is by far the film’s best feature, and it keeps it consistently entertaining and funny for the best part of an hour. There is a brief moment where it feels a little exhaustive, but that’s fortunately when everything takes a different direction.

Still retaining good humour, the final third of Storks is actually quite an emotional one. It’s not necessarily a tearjerker, however the final act’s heavy emphasis on family values and unity is exceptionally heartwarming to watch, and added an impressive level of depth to the characters and story as the film comes to a close, making it an even more wonderful watch beyond the hilarious comedy.

Finally, I want to quickly talk about the performances. Andy Samberg and Katie Crown are simply fantastic in the central roles, with excellent chemistry throughout, and fantastic comedic prowess at every moment. Along with the leads, the likes of Kelsey Grammer and Stephen Kramer Glickman provide some hugely entertaining voice performances for supporting characters, giving the film even more vibrancy and energy wherever you look.

Overall, I thought Storks was an absolutely brilliant film. Principally a hilarious and utterly insane family comedy, featuring bewildering humour, crazy animation and hilarious voice performances, it adds another level of delight in its final act with a heartfelt and happy climax, so that’s why I’m giving it an 8.3.