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Ty Burrell

Storks: Sticking to the Plan

storks3The word stork brings to mind one of two things. One is a white bird with gangly legs living in tide pools and marshes worldwide.? The other is a bird who carries a white bundle in its mouth and delivers it to families?often with the phrase, ?Congratulations.? You?re a mother.?? When parents want to avoid the talk with their kids about where babies come from, the stork comes up.? Sometimes, we even celebrate a new arrival to the world by placing a sign in the person?s front yard, often with?you guessed it?a stork on the front.? It is in this conversation that directors Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland bring the public an animated feature called Storks. Although it suffers from believability in places, it is laugh-out-loud funny and can be an effective way to discuss family and finding one?s place in the world with kids.

The concept of the film is fairly simple: Storks are pretty good at delivering things, but got out of the baby business when a mishap occurred with a package. With megalomaniacal Hunter (voice of Kelsey Grammer) at the controls of the company, he transformed it into cornerstore.com, a massive delivery company reminiscent of Amazon.com. The storks are really good at their job?so much so that Junior (voice of Andy Samberg) just completed his one millionth delivery.? His reward is to become boss of the company (said by Hunter in a way that blows one?s mind).? There is one catch?he has to fire Tulip (voiced by Katie Crown)–the package ?mishap? from earlier who?s now a teenager and extremely klutzy–and get her off the mountain.? But Junior can?t do it, delegating her to the letter writing department?a dark area of the factory that hasn?t been utilized in eighteen years.? Tulip proceeds to nearly go crazy by herself?until a letter arrives.
storks4That letter was written by a kid named Nate (voiced by Anton Starkman), who desperately wants a baby brother with ninja skills.? He also wants attention from his parents (voiced by Ty Burrell and Jennifer Aniston), but they?re so focused on their at-home real estate job and electronic contraptions that they barely give him the time of day.? When he mentions the idea of a brother to them, both laugh. Nate?s letter about a baby brother gets into the hands of Tulip, and before Junior can stop her, she?s placed it in a machine that creates an adorable, pink-haired baby.

Storks then shifts to Junior and Tulip?two characters that seem diametrically opposite?teaming up to get the baby to Nate?s parents.? Along the way, they meet a wolf pack (its leaders voiced by Key and Peele), nasty penguins (featuring the quietest brawl ever put to film), and a reclusive bird named Jasper (voiced by Danny Trejo). The joy in a film of this nature is getting to the conclusion?even if it?s partially telegraphed along the way?and it?s a pretty good one.

The film is incredibly funny and creative at points, such as when the wolf pack decides to transform a la the Wonder Twins into some impressive contraptions. Grammer?s Hunter is fiendishly cruel to chickadees and even had his office made out of glass to torture his flock of employees (Fun Fact: Grammer had the line, ?I?m not a stork—I?m a crane? in the film [referring to his role on Frasier], but it was deleted).
storks1Storks doesn?t really clear up the confusion between storks delivering kids and/or parents having them, but kids won?t care due to the jokes, sight gags, and fast-paced nature of the movie.? However, since the film is about family, discovering one?s place in the world, and (yes) babies, I think it?s a good idea for parents to have a discussion about the film with them afterward. There will be things to talk about; that?s for sure!

Near the end, Junior gathers the storks from cornerstore.com and gives them a mission statement to follow: ?Make a plan.? Stick to the plan.? Always deliver!?? This sure sounds like something God would say.? After all, when he created the world, he had a plan in mind when Adam and Eve were caught off-guard by the serpent?s temptation. Falling into sin, there would be one (Jesus) who would eventually redeem the world through his death and return to life from a crucifixion.? The time between is recounted in the Old Testament?a time of warfare, slavery, mistakes aplenty, and miracles galore. All through that time, God stuck to his plan even when he could?ve given up on his creation and walked away permanently. And he will deliver in the end!

(NOTE: There is a mini-feature preceding Storks called ?The Master.?? It?s a tease for a Lego Ninjago film coming out next fall and features a karate master and a chicken that wreaks havoc during the filming of a commercial.? It?s quite funny.)

Special features include “Storks: Guide to Your New Baby,” a new animated short starring Pigeon Toady; the aforementioned “The Master”; the music video for Jason Derulo’s “Kiss the Sky”; and deleted scenes.?

Finding Dory – Finding a Way to a Forgotten Home

?What if I forget you? Will you ever forget me??

FINDING DORY

Finding Dory, as you might guess from the title, is centered on the blue tang from Finding Nemo. In this sequel (co-directed by Andrew Stanton, who directed Finding Nemo, and Angus MacLane), we get to see Dory (again voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) in her childhood as her parents try to teach her how to manage in the world in spite of her short-term memory problems. When the inevitable happens and she can?t find her way home, she begins the journey of her lifetime, trying to remember what she?s lost until she literally runs into Marlin in the Nemo storyline.

The story then moves up one year to a point where Marlin (Albert Brooks), Nemo (Hayden Rolence), and Dory have settled into a calm, steady life. Until one day Dory realizes that she must have had parents and that they are probably worried about her. She has an occasional flashback that gives her little clues. She is determined to set off across the ocean to Morro Bay, California and the Marine Life Institute. Of course, with her forgetfulness, this is not a journey she can undertake on her own. Marlin and Nemo set off with her.But like Odysseus, she must find ways to navigate the many obstacles along the way.

Like Odysseus, she does so with her own ingenuity, plus the help of others who care about her. Among those who help her find her way home are Hank (Ed O?Neill), a curmudgeonly octopus; Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), a very nearsighted whale shark; and Bailey (Ty Burrell), a beluga whale who has bumped his head and messed up his echolocation skills. Each of those she meets brings their particular skill to the journey, but more than anything else, Dory?s own skill for adaptation and innovation are the most important.

FINDING DORY ? When Dory finds herself in the Marine Life Institute, a rehabilitation center and aquarium, Hank?a cantankerous octopus?is the first to greet her. Featuring Ed O'Neill as the voice of Hank and Ellen DeGeneres as the voice of Dory, "Finding Dory" opens on June 17, 2016. ?2016 Disney?Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

The title, besides tying this film to the previous one, also points to the real journey, not just to home, but to self-discovery. Dory, with her memory issues, at times feels very inadequate. However, because she doesn?t know failure (she can?t remember failing) she is always optimistic about what she can accomplish, often with wonderful results. Her motto is ?there?s always another way.? When all others think nothing more can be done, Dory keeps going. It is not only Dory who discovers that this is an amazing gift, others along the way, especially Marlin, discover that asking themselves ?what would Dory do?? can be a very helpful approach to any problem.

FINDING DORY

Dory?s longing and search for home is something of an archetype of literature. I alluded to Homer?s Odyssey above, but this story can also be found in the Bible?the Exodus and later the Exile and return. It was during the Exile that a Psalmist wrote:

If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you. (Ps. 137:5-6, NRSV)

That is the very fear Dory expresses to her parents at the beginning of the movie?and the reality that she has had to live with through her life. Her journey to ?home? is an act of hope. She has no idea if her parents are still there or if they even want to see her again after all this time. Perhaps they are angry that she got lost. Perhaps they have forgotten about her. Yet, she sets out with the hope not only that she can find them, but that it will be a wonderful reunion. This is a story that is rich in hope. In spite of the obstacles, Dory believes there is a place for her at the end of her journey. Little does she know that her hope (and her faith and love, if you want to bring the three cardinal virtues together) will touch and transform many along the way?including herself.

PIPER

I would be remiss if I didn?t also mention Piper. Pixar films always come with a short that opens the screening. Piper is the story of a young (and very cute) sandpiper whose mother is trying to coax him out of the nest to feed itself. It is scary to leave the nest, but becomes even scarier once a wave knocks Piper over. Piper too has a voyage of self-discovery, although it is only a few yards. Without denigrating Finding Dory or any of the other Pixar films, I usually come away saying ?the short was even better than the feature.? I applaud Pixar for giving us such wonderful short films.

Photos courtesy Disney-Pixar

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