Movie #124 - Bee Movie

"On November 2 Hold on to your honey."

Back when I still had The Movie Network, I was watching movies every couple of days. I decided to give Bee Movie a chance, even though I think I've grown out of the CGI type of cartoons. Despite this lack of enthusiasm to watch the movie, I found it quite entertaining. I've noticed a trend ever since Toy Story - all of these CGI films are actually geared more to adults than children. Adults are the ones with the money, the ones who have to sit through countless repeat viewings of these films on DVD, and they are the ones who buy the kids the merchandise, clothing, and toys.

All that being said, the film would be quite entertaining for the kids and for the adults who think or still act like children. The film is cast quite well, with an abundance of recognizable names including Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock, and Kathy Bates. You'll also get quite a few celebrity cameos with Ray Liotta, Larry King, Sting, Oprah Winfrey, Megan Mullaly, and even Michael Richards.

Originally, I wasn't sold on the fact that Seinfeld could produce some good voice over work. He's no Robin Williams, but he does a good job emoting and providing intonation in his voice. Children love it when the character voices are quite animated (no pun intended) and he does a good job with it. Ideally, from the adult perspective, having a plot, well-written comedic script, and a happy ending for the children in the audience helps bring this movie along. However, when you've seen one summer blockbuster cartoon, you've seen them all.

Despite having a clever cast and a strong plot, this movie is similar to every other cartoon that is generated every quarter year or so. Children are a large marketing target, and unfortunately, also have short memories. Because of this, movie corporations are churning out children's cartoons at an alarming rate due to the technology available. Gone are the days of the hand drawn cartoon movie epics - hello to the movies you can make in 3-6 months using a bunch of Mac computers.

Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that the new technology makes larger panoramic cartoon shots and allows the producers to spend on voice over talent budgets, but scripts still need to be fresh and dynamic. Despite being somewhat predictable, Bee Movie is a fun film for the family and one of the better CGI cartoons I've seen recently. That being said, I've only seen three in the past five years, so that may not say much either!