The Nut Job review: above average animal nuttiness kids will enjoy

The Nut Job is an animated movie about a squirrel that needs to steal some nuts so that he and his friends can eat for the winter.  There are some plot curve balls, but at its core, that’s what the movie is about.  It’s better than the preview, features the always likable Will Arnet and Liam Neeson among others, and is worth seeing for a couple of reasons.

The elephant in the room

Disney and Universal make animated movies and that’s it.  Every other company that has tried to do it have failed or gone straight to DVD.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, as long as they made money for the company it’s good for the state of animation.

There are dozens of companies that make movies, but only 2 that make good animated movies.  It doesn’t need to be that way, does it?

Plus, animated movies have the unspoken expectation of, if it’s not a classic, it’s not worth seeing.  It’s OK to see a movie that is simple, entertaining and a distraction.  It doesn’t have to be a water cooler movie that pleases every movie going demographic.

The Nut Job was produced by Gulfstream Pictures, Red Rover Entertainment and ToonBox Entertainment.  The animation is very sharp and the perspective of things stands out in a great way.  Figure that the focus of most of the movie are squirrels and other small critters, it gives you the opportunity to see the world from their vantage point.  The background is blurred, the subject is in sharp focus and the wide shots provide viewers a great feel of where our small friends are located.

The Nut Job

The Nut Job stands on its own and doesn’t need to be graded on a curve because of what company may or may not have made the movie. It’s not a classic movie, but it’s very entertaining for children 4-12.  We took our 4 year old and he laughed out loud on three occasions, which was pretty good for a reserved child who was sleepy.

The plot of The Nut Job mirrors a bank robbery that is happening at the same time.  Surly, a self-centered squirrel was kicked out of the park and banished to the city.  Gradually some other squirrels come to the city looking for him and/or food.  In the meantime Surly has discovered a nut store and plans to get as many nuts as possible for the winter.  But are the nuts for him or for his friends in the park too?

I liked that the trailer for The Nut Job told you about the movie, but didn’t spoil anything about it.  The entire movie is better than the trailer-at anything it’s worth seeing in spite of the trailer.

The vocal work was very good and it’s nice to hear Liam Neeson, Stephen Lang and Jeff Dunham in animated form.  However, Brendan Fraser, who I genuinely like, plays the same character that he did in the much worse Escape From Planet Earth.  He’s a likable, talented guy who I’d like to see in more movies, but the confident superhero vocal work for him is a bit tired.

I took part in a blogger question and answer with Will Arnett and Katherine Heigl.  They’re both parents and said that working on the film gave them a chance to share what they do with their kids.

Adults will enjoy The Nut Job and will most likely think that it’s better than they expected.  It won’t produce major laughs, but is very pleasing with great graphics.  Kids are obviously the target demographic and they’ll enjoy the movie much more.  If the movie is in non-3D, see it there instead.  While the 3D was good, it didn’t add enough to pay extra for.