By Divina
Wow! The animation and the 3D effects on Walt Disney Pictures’ latest motion picture, Mars Needs Moms, are amazing. When compared to similar technology in movies such as Polar Express and A Christmas Carol and this Disney Digital 3D movie blows them away.
But first a quick synopsis from Disney:
Take out the trash and eat your broccoli—who needs moms, anyway? Nine-year-old Milo (Seth Green) finds out just how much he needs his mom (Joan Cusack) when she’s nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own kids. Mars Needs Moms showcases Milo’s quest to save his mom—a wild adventure in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D that involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet and taking on the alien nation and their leader (Mindy Sterling). With the help of a tech-savvy, underground earthman named Gribble (Dan Fogler) and a rebel Martian girl called Ki (Elisabeth Harnois), Milo just might find his way back to his mom—in more ways than one.
Mars Needs Moms is the latest movie that uses performance capture system to turn life action into animation and it works beautifully! You really do feel like you are in Mars hanging out with a bunch of Martians as you try to rescue Milo’s mom. I could not get over how far technology has improved especially when characters are crying. I teared up several times as they race against the clock to save Milo’s mom.
The voice talents; Seth Green, Seth Dusky, Joan Cusack and Elisabeth Harnois do a good job but the standouts are Dan Folger and Mindy Sterling. Dan Folger voices another human living on Mars who grew up in the 80s and had Eddy and I laughing when he kept referencing Top Gun, He Man and some other 80s favorites. Mindy Sterling (Frau Farbissina in the Austin Powers movies) is just so good at being mean.
The story is adapted from book by Berkeley Breathed and has some very interesting concepts like Earth moms are the best. A true fact by the way! Other interesting tidbits that we learn are that Martian moms are not very motherly and Martian dads are too silly to be dads and are put out with the garbage. The loopy family message notwithstanding, the movie is very entertaining for families but the true star of the film is the animation.
I would definitely recommend you take the family out for this G-rated family flick that opens March 11, 2011 and pay extra to see it in 3D or IMAX 3D like the Dancing Hotdogs family saw it. Trust me it’s worth it!
Disclosure: I saw a Disney sponsored pre-screening of the film but my post is my unbiased opinion on the movie.
About Divina Rodriguez
Divina is a wife, a Mami of 2 boys under the age of four and a full fledged social media butterfly with a Masters in Communications. She loves sharing the best of Disney on TheDisneyFiles.com whether its movies, video games, shopping or the themeparks. In addition to TheDisneyFiles, Divina writes about entertainment, technology and family products on www.DancingHotdogs.com and is a founding mother & partner at Trumpeting Media, a social media consulting company that is dedicated to using social media for social good.
