Perhaps it’s only fitting that “Storks” is a welcome late-summer/early-autumn surprise. Written and co-directed by Nicholas Stoller, who continues to exceed general expectations with charming comedies like “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “The Five-Year Engagement” and the “Neighbors” films, and under WB’s newly-minted Warner Animation Group division, the team behind 2014’s astonishingly good “The Lego Movie,” it’s yet another triumph from the type of people who like to make the unanticipated succeed. Inspired and lively, it delivers the goods, and follows a string of successful and satisfying family animated films this year that has included “Kung Fu Panda 3,” “Zootopia” and “Kubo and the Two Strings.”
“Storks” attempts to reimagine the child-sending stork fable with inspiration from “Monsters Inc.,” “Arthur Christmas,” “The Santa Clause,” “Elf” and early “Looney Tunes” shorts, specifically “Baby Bottleneck.” Once the most prominent business venture among the white-featured Ciconiidae bird, the popular practice has now gone, ahem, to the birds. Much like bookstores and the home video business, it’s all online shipping these days. Realizing it was way too much hassle to send them around the world with little reward, the storks have reprioritized themselves. Now, they deliver everyday appliances, in the Amazon-esque sky-based business Cornerstore, run ruthlessly by executive CEO Hunter (voiced by Kelsey Grammer).
Business isn’t as heartfelt as it was back in the day, but the numbers don’t lie. Operations are much smoother and far more effective when the package isn’t a newborn, and productivity is skyrocketing with each passing day. Playing a major role in Cornerstore’s continued success is Junior (voiced by Andy Samberg), the company’s top delivery stork. He might not have a lot of friendships outside of the office, but management has taken notice. He’s primed to earn a top management position after the weekend, but only if he can complete a simple task: fire Tulip (voiced by Katie Crown), the company’s only human worker. Due to a failed delivery, Tulip never found her way home. Therefore, she has lived and worked alongside the storks her whole life. But she’s a terrible employee, as one would expect from a human among birds, and since today is her 18th birthday, she’s no longer their responsibility.
But Junior isn’t Hunter. He doesn’t have the heart to give Tulip the pink slip. Instead, Junior lies and gives her a fake promotion in the abandoned mailroom, hoping she won’t be noticed. It seems like the perfect solution at first, until Nate (voiced by Anton Starkman), a lonely son to two overworked parents (voiced by Ty Burrell and Jennifer Aniston), writes a letter requesting a new sibling — preferably one with ninja skills. Normally, such a letter would be discarded, but with Tulip unintentionally put in charge, she slips the letter through the baby delivery machine, producing the company’s first human child in years. Now Junior and Tulip have a baby on their hands, and to make matters worse, Junior broke his wing trying to shut down the machine, making it impossible to deliver the infant himself. But thankfully and conveniently, Tulip has built a makeshift airplane, which results in an off-road trip through sky, mountain, river and land to get the baby to her destination before management catches wind.
At first glance, there’s a busyness and breathlessness to “Storks,” one that might justifiably earn comparisons to Sony’s sugary and jumpy “Hotel Transylvania” franchise. The animation is a little too bouncy, the plotting is a tad too familiar and the general vibe is perhaps a little too quick-to-please. It comes across desperate and insincere, almost as if it’s working overtime to earn our affections. But that’s common in animated films outside of Disney. Once you’ve grown accustomed to the film’s rhythm, however, you’re disarmed by the excessive energy and — instead of being nulled by its incessant behavior — you’re won over by its charms, much like in Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s own “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”
The jokes get cleverer, the world building becomes more engaging, the visual gags are more surprising, the supporting characters grow more pleasing, namely Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s Alpha and Beta and Stephen Kramer Glickman’s weirdly persistent Pigeon Toady, and there’s an authentic beating heart at the film’s center. “Storks” isn’t an all-out winner, but it’s endearing, and that’s because the energy is directed towards the characters and the plot, not merely the jokes. The enthusiasm isn’t always lovable, but this is one of those few times where the “everything and the kitchen sink” approach works in its favor. The jokes — which can often range from random to bizarre to observational to oddly specific — are jam packed with the same sharp wit you’ll often find in Stoller’s better efforts, including the screenplays for “The Muppets” and “Muppets Most Wanted.” There’s a gleefulness to the madness, but eventually you find yourself won over.
There’s a nagging sense “Storks” is basically what “The Angry Birds Movie” should have been earlier this spring. Likable, heartfelt and sweet in all the right places, Stoller and co-director Doug Sweetland have put together a charming surprise that’s as joyful and friendly as it is funny and well-meaning, and establishes Warner Animation Group as an impressive new player in the animation field. [B]