After Flint Lockwood and his friends save Swallow Falls from the flood of giant food produced by his invention, the Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator or FLDSMDFR, his childhood idol, scientist and Live Corp. CEO Chester V. calls for the evacuation of the entire island to make way for the clean up operation. He also extends an invitation to Flint to become part of his team of Thinkonauts, which is Flint’s lifelong dream. However, unbeknownst to Flint and the rest of the community, Chester V.s intentions are far from pure as the FLDSMDFR has become more than a food producer. It now has the ability to bring food to life making the entire island an ecosystem for hybrid food animals.

The original Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was a pleasant surprise. It was a great movie that had a lot of humor and a lot of heart. It also had an original story (based on the book with the same name) and it brought a great sense of adventure with it. The sequel, I am happy to note, also delivers the same wonder and excitement as the first one, much more so because of the introduction of cute and colorful characters and a magnificent fictional environment that is so much different from the original Swallow Falls but still bears the same basic elements of the island.

I liked the film’s consistency with the original and the continuity of the relationships developed in the first movie, especially that of Flint and his dad. The comedy doesn’t miss a beat and everything, thanks to the great script and the stellar voice acting of comedians Bill Hader, Anna Farris, Andy Samberg, and Neil Patrick Harris. James Caan also did a great job as Flint’s stoic dad Tim and Will Forte brings in the rear as the film’s main antagonist Chester V.

But what I loved most about the sequel was actually the great design for the foodimals — the incorporation of the food and animal elements and the rendering of these images into creatures that were adorable and cute were awesome. Shrimpanzees, flamangoes, cheesespiders, watermelonphants, peanut butter and jellyfish in seas of syrups, coconuts — they all present a surreal but magical picture that kids and parents wills surely enjoy. And the foodimals also have magnetic personalities. Kudos to the filmmakers for humanizing these characters despite their lack of understandable dialogue. Also a nod to the humans as the witty wordplay, puns and one liners flowed freely among the characters without missing a beat. Everything was just so alive it fills audiences with wonder and amazement, whatever age they may be.

All in all, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was able to add to the awesomeness of the franchise by sticking to its roots and working around it. Like its predecessor, it presents itself unassumingly but earns the audiences’ approval in the end by delivering an animated feature that is entertaining, heartwarming, sensible and beautiful to look at. Its great for kids and adults alike but don’t see it when you’re hungry or you might not be able to curb your craving for berries after.