Turbo MPAA Rating: PG Entertainment: +4 Content: +3

Animated comedy/actioneer with the voices of Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman, Michelle Rodriquez, Ken Jeong, Maya Rudolph and many other talented folks. Written by Darren Lemke, Robert D. Siegel, David Soren. Directed by David Soren.

FILM SYNOPSIS: A snail who dreams of winning the Indy 500 is ridiculed by friends and acquaintances and chastised by his loving and protecting brother. But one day, his daring adventures lead to a freak accident, as he gets sucked into a powerful race car motor and magically finds himself faster than a speeding bullet. But even though he’s now fast, how can a snail compete at the Indianapolis 500? How can he survive the other entries? And how can he possibly beat the traitorous racing champ Guy Gagné?

PREVIEW REVIEW: I liked this movie from frame one. It starts out with the animators and 3D process drawing us into an amazing representation of a car race. The kids in the audience were awed by this scene. So was I. Okay, okay, it’s a story about snails entering a famous car race. But the symbolic significance and the creative storytelling quickly gets us past that silly premise. It doesn’t take us long before we’re rooting for this little bug who could.

DreamWorks Studios no longer take a back seat to Pixar and Disney. They wisely incorporate the components that make-up great animated storytelling: fun characters, pithy and humorous dialogue, witty humor rather than crudity, and positive messages and plotlines that catch our imagination and remind little ones that there are no limitations on dreams that can’t be overcome.

Several ethnic groups are represented in a positive manner, which I believe helps unite us as a nation, and reflect the American culture. There’s a great deal of racial disharmony in our land right now, so I’m pleased to see elements of a movie used to draw us together.

Is it in the same league with Wall-E, Up or other classic cartoons? Not quite. The pacing is slow in places, and while I appreciate the multi-ethnic representation, the characters are a bit stereotypical. But Turbo is imaginative, uplifting and completely engrossing.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: DreamWorks Studios