I'm not sure how I feel about top-of-the-line technology being used to raid our childhoods. Yes, a lot more can be done in movies today, but when something we adored as youngsters is on the table, its innocent appeal too often gets overwhelmed by flashiness. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs earns kudos for impressive visuals, pulling off a more convincing fantasy world than could be done in live action. But with a script containing equal parts telegraphed gags and outright chaos, it's hard to find anything of real value here, so I left the theater starved for entertainment.

Based on a children's tome of the same name, the picture takes place on the island of Swallow Falls, sardine capital of the world. That is, until folks realized how gross the little buggers are, stranding the whole island in an economic funk. Hope arrives in the form of Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader), an eccentric inventor who's met with scant success. Though his attempts to perfect the flying car and remote control TV went bust, Flint scores a winner with his latest creation: a device that turns water into food. Soon after launching his machine into the heavens, Flint finds himself able to summon all sorts of goodies to feed his friends and neighbors. But as you probably expected, the contraption goes on the fritz, and with food arriving in increasingly huge portions, Flint races to save Swallow Falls from the world's deadliest buffet.

It's hard to understand what the hook is for this animated film. Sure, kids go nuts for food fights; just look at all those movies with gratuitous cafeteria battles. Children's films typically emphasize pizzazz over substance, but Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs feels empty. There's not much to it except for making viewers wonder what delectable delights will rain down next. Is there some sort of moral to take away? The film rarely ponders such a notion. With Flint's invention spiraling out of control, the movie seems to suggest abandoning your dreams, lest they result in fear, destruction, or ten-ton pancakes.

Concentrating on the superficial, I admit Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs looks swell. You can tell a lot went into crafting this culinary paradise, which grows more elaborate as the story continues. From a food avalanche to a grand Jell-O palace, the screen is filled with enough treats to make you wish for Smell-O-Vision. But again, that's the movie's only real source of entertainment. The random one-liners work to an extent before growing stale, as does an overall sense of humor that's almost condescendingly self-aware at times. Still, the actors are a rather lively lot, with nary a vexed voice in the house. The incredibly varied cast runs the gamut from SNL's Hader and Scary Movie queen Anna Faris to cult heroes like Mr. T and Bruce Campbell. 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will have the eyes and ears of little ones wide open, especially if seen at a 3-D house. Guardians, though, will probably feel less amused. Taken away by the flick's look, they may resent getting yanked back to reality by a distinct shortage of meaty material. 

MY RATING: ** (out of ****)

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated "PG" for brief mild language.)