Turbo

Turbo

Director: David Soren Writers: Darren Lemke, Robert D. Siegel, David Soren Starring: (voices) Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Peña Runtime: 96 minutes Certification: U

For Theo, aka Turbo (Reynolds), being a snail is hardly something that will keep him from dreaming of becoming a successful, celebrated racer. Staying up night after night watching his idol human driver Guy Gagné (Bill Hader, effectively laying on the cheese) spew out inspirational monologues, Turbo too, wishes to compete in the annual Indy 500 race.

And of course, due to exceptional circumstances that involves Turbo drinking some dodgy nitrous oxide from a sports car, he finds a way to enter the competition, which puts him in direct competition with his hero.

Of course, the plot is as preposterous and laughable as they come, a tiny little snail whizzing past Ferraris to actually compete in the real world, but once you can take in the fact that this is a DreamWorks Animation’s movie aimed mainly for children and hopefully the more open-minded adults, the film succeeds in creating a vibrant, colourful atmosphere for audiences of a wide demographic to enjoy. When the race is on, it marks the film’s finest moment - as Turbo dodges obstacles, slides under cars, and skillfully navigates his way around the track - the camera moves at a rapid pace to keep up with all the action that is happening, and with all the noise and excitement, it’s impossible not to be swept up by the sheer level of energy that turns out to become more infectious than you would have ever imagined. Turbo gets a friendly little support gang together prior to his big showdown: snails he meets at a taco truck, owned by kind-hearted Mexican Tito (Peña) who makes it a hobby to collect snails (and no, never inhumanely so) and race them with his friends at a struggling run-down strip mall. And voiced by the excellent supporting cast that consists of Smauel L. Jackson who never disappoints, as well as Michelle Rodriguez and Ken Jeong, Turbo finds room for humour as our lead character finds friendship and playful dialogue when he isn’t showing off his new skills and his snazzy blue glowing shell (a side-effect of the nitrous oxide).

Less fun is the family aspect the film focuses on. Turbo has an older brother Chet (Giamatti) who constantly tries to put a stop to his younger brother’s crazy dreams. This same fraternal relationship is further echoed in Tito’s life story, as he too, has a disapproving older brother who is the sensible realist having to shout at his younger hermano for not selling enough tacos. When the message of following your dream, your passion, and your heart is hammered home, it’s at times difficult to have any sympathy left for the characters when it truly matters.

But in the end the message is a healthy, supposed-to-be-heart-warming one, something that can be taken in by both children and adults alike, with a voice cast diverse and funny enough to entertain throughout, lead by the always-reliable Reynolds.

Aside from turning the table on how one of the slowest creatures on the planet ends up as one of the fastest, there are very few original ideas and imaginative developments to make this extra special - but to pass the time with a visually thrilling feature, there’s nothing safer than a harmless bit of no-thoughts-required animation.