4. It’s well-written, and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Briskly-paced and packed with amusing one-liners and sequences, Storks doesn’t meander or get stuck in unearned sentimentality. In sticking the landing all the way to the end, it doesn’t pander to kids or insult the adults who took them to see it (unlike the interminable The Secret Life of Pets).

3. The wolves steal the show

In concept and execution, the wolves in this movie are absolutely bug nuts crazy. Led by an alpha and a beta named Alpha and Beta as played by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (of sketch show Key and Peele), the wolves are possessed of group contortionist abilities that put any number of transforming robot groups to shame. Honestly, if you can’t appreciate the hilarity of someone calling out, in all seriousness, “Wolf Pack – form of submarine!” you’re probably already dead inside.

Sadly, this probably means someone will give them a standalone flick that will rob them of everything that made them hilarious in the first place, like those Penguins and Minions that really were funnier in small doses.

2. It’s not about kids; it’s about parenting and family

Sure, it’s based on a parental white lie and it’s got a moral that it drives home with all the subtlety of a mallet to the head, but it’s handled so deftly that you can’t help but be swept along. As the workaholic parents of Nate (Anton Starkman), Burrell and Aniston manage to be likable enough that we don’t hold it against them (too much) that they spend too much time at their jobs. When all is said and done, Storks not only makes the case that spending time with your kids is an essential part of parenting, it also shows the happiness derived from letting your loved ones know that they matter to you.

1. It’s all-embracing

Now this was unexpected: in a sequence that comes towards the end of the film, we are treated to a montage of parents receiving their bundles of joy, and that’s when Stoller and Sweetland pull off their slyest trick by including parents from all walks of life, including a couple of non-traditional family units that will probably annoy the CBCP. While it is one those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it things, the fact that a major studio would use such imagery to illustrate that loving parents come in all shapes and sizes certainly gives one hope for the future.

Storks – Form of heartwarming!

What other family friendly flicks are you planning on watching this week? Tell us about them below!

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