Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 3D

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs is based upon the bestselling children's book written by Judi Barett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. When Flint Lockwood's (Hader) latest contraption accidentally destroys the town square and rockets up into the clouds, he thinks his inventing career is over. Then, something amazing happens, as delicious cheeseburgers start raining from the sky—his machine actually works! But when people greedily ask for more and more food, the machine starts to run amok, unleashing spaghetti tornadoes and giant meatballs that threaten the world. Now it's up to Flint, with the help of weather girl Sam Sparks (Faris), and Steve (Harris), his talking monkey assistant, to find some way to shut down the machine before the world is covered in super-sized meatballs. (Gary Reber)

Special features include Open Season 3D (HD 01:29) and Monster House 3D (HD 01:09) sneak peeks, A Recipe For Success: The Making Of featurette (HD 10:51), "Key Ingredients: The Voice Talents" (HD 12:39), two extended scenes (HD 02:36), two early development scenes (HD 05:47), five progression reels with introductions by Visual FX Supervisor Rob Bredow (HD 08:09), Miranda Cosgrove's "Raining Sunshine" sing-a-long and music video and behind the scenes, BD-Live, and D-BOX Motion Code™ functionality.

The Blu-ray™ 1080p AVC picture reviewed in Issue 146 was terrific, with an intense vivid color palette. Likewise the 2.35:1 1080p MVC 3-D Blu-ray exhibits picture attributes. Colors pop off the screen, with fully saturated hues that are rich and warm in character, with perhaps just a hint of veiling compared to the 2-D version. Even the animated facial tones are naturally hued. Contrast is excellent, with deep and solid blacks and shadow delineation that reveals excellent depth. The picture was originally produced in digital 3D and intended for 3-D theatrical exhibition, and it was released widely in D-Cinema 3D. As such, the imagery is very dimensional and is always sharp and perfectly clear. Object details are finely resolved with a mesmerizing complexity. This is a fantastic picture that is impressive throughout, displaying true reference quality. The 3D is even more impressive, with incredible depth and perspective, as well as fun screen-forward visuals that float and occasionally poke you in the eye. The extraordinary depth conveys a sense of lifelike naturalness, with distances between characters and their environmental offsets perfectly discernible. The flight scene, with the attack on the giant meatball, perfectly demonstrates the range of spatial and depth relationships. Double image or ghosting artifacts are virtually undetectable. This a spectacular visual experience enhanced in 3D that is sure to impress and entertain the entire family. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is nicely produced, with an aggressive holosonic® soundfield presence. A lively orchestral music score is the major sound element that projects a wide and deep soundstage that extends throughout the soundfield, for an engaging sonic experience. Atmospheric and sound effects are active as well, with extensive panning and directional placement. Such effects truly enhance the visual excitement. Dialogue, of course, is ADR produced and sounds forward, with limited spatial integration, but the sound is always intelligible, even when all the sound elements are engaged. At times the dialogue is panned across the soundstage for effect. Deep and solid bass is delivered through the music and effects and is especially energized in the .1 LFE channel, and at times extends to below 25 Hz. The D-BOX Motion Code effects are aggressively applied in numerous scenes, and are especially intense in the attack on the giant meatball. This is a wonderful soundtrack that delivers a lot of SPL energy and aggressive surround envelopment. The sound is always engaging and is sure to please. (Gary Reber)