First off, I need to give out a full disclosure that I work for DreamWorks Animation, and I did a limited amount of work on Home over the past couple of years. That said, it’s a terrific family film that younger children especially will adore. Jim Parsons has a voice and a delivery that is tailor-made for an animated character like the inquisitive and loyal alien Oh, and Rihanna does an excellent job of voicing the young and precocious Gratuity Tucci, aka Tip. Add in Steve Martin doing his over the top thing as the despotic Captain Smek and Jennifer Lopez adequately playing the role of Tip’s Mom and we have a voice cast that brings a lot of talent to the table and uses it to great affect in adding great entertainment value to this film.

Something that I should point out is that there is a surprising amount of chemistry between Jim Parsons and Rihanna. I don’t think that you could come up with two more different people to star together in a film, animated or otherwise, but the chemistry between the characters is one of the main drivers of the film. The development of their relationship adds to the feel-good nature of the movie and their individual voices bring unique dynamics to each character that resonate beyond their individuality and into their collective relationship. They play off of each other superbly, especially when they banter back and forth, to the point where it’s difficult to imagine anyone else doing either voice as effectively. It’s worth seeing this film just to watch the relationship develop between Oh and Tip.

The story is not going to blow anyone away, a la How to Train Your Dragon or Toy Story, but it is adequate for the movie that they were trying to make and it is perfect for kids. It lacks the intensity of last year’s How To Train Your Dragon 2 or even Big Hero Six, which to me is somewhat refreshing. It’s kind of nice, actually, to have an animated film come out that is more about the fun and the gags than something that’s trying to blow us away with a sophisticated story and intense scenes involving the death of someone close to the hero. Home is all about the fun, but it also has a lot of heart and is very touching, especially in the third act.

What I will say about the story though is that it’s a bit of a mess in the first act and the first half of the second act. The first half of the film is very frenetic as the film makers seemed to be trying to cram as much material as they could. That results in storytelling and editing and action that is rather jarring and a little disconcerting. Admittedly, the storytelling in the first half of the film isn’t quite as strong as it could be, as bits of story are sacrificed in the name of sneaking in another gag or some fast paced action. That said, I think that that apparent weakness will be something that will be very appealing to younger children and their shorter attention spans. In fact, that’s also one of the reasons that I think this is such a perfect family film, especially for families with younger children. The frenetic, fast paced storytelling will actually keep younger children engaged until the second half of the film where the action and story telling slow down, and we’re given more emotion and more heart.

For me, that’s where the success of this film comes in. We spend 45 minutes on a sort of roller coaster ride with Oh and Tip, but we’re getting to know them and we’re getting to like them. It isn’t just mindless action, but there is some real caring in the story telling, so even though it is frenetic, we’re still getting a lot out of it. Then, when the crucial moments hit in the third act, they mean a lot and we actually care about the characters and what they’re going through.

I realize that this review is lacking in any story details, and that’s on purpose. Since it’s primarily a comedy, I don’t want to give away any of the jokes. Plus, there’s a pretty major twist in the story that lends itself very well to the overall heart that the story has and the emotional impact that it delivers.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t applaud the artistry of the film as well. The artists at DreamWorks Animation are second to none in their ability to create fantastic worlds that look realistic when they need to, fantastical when that’s appropriate, or somewhere in the middle which is often the case. The character animation of the aliens harkens back to a more cartoony style when animated films were drawn by hand, which is also refreshing to see. The production design and art direction are spectacular and beautiful. Indeed, this is a stunning picture to look at.

My recommendation is that this is a film you should certainly go see (this weekend) if you have a family, and especially if you have younger children. If you don’t have children, but are a fan of animation, then this is certainly a film that you should see, as it uses many of the motifs that make animation a unique style (but NOT a genre) of story telling.