Dreamworks’ new animation blends Pixar’s Cars with Disney’s recent release Planes.
Only this time the speed freaks are snails and Turbo is keen to be the fastest gastropod of all.
Dreaming of taking part in the legendary Indianapolis 500, he studies his racing driver hero Guy Gagné (Bill Hader) on TV.
At the back of Turbo’s mind is one piece of advice: ‘No dream is too big. No dreamer too small’.
First-time feature director David Soren has created a good-looking, original movie with knowing nods to Terminator 2, Back To The Future and The Fast & Furious (hence the tagline, He’s Fast, They’re Furious).
‘Crow Awareness Week’ helps to define the snails’ vulnerability to mortality and watching three of the hunters landing on a bonnet with a thud-thud-thud echoes Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Like Pixar’s WALL-E, the picture fails to keep faith with its initial vision of offering a wonderful snail’s-eye-view-of-the-world.
The arrival of too many humans into the snails’ environment makes this story that bit more predictable.
But many of the varied backgrounds are richly-detailed and the picture has an energy which dares you to confine the term ‘snail’s pace’ to history. It features Ryan Reynolds as Turbo sounding far more alive here than he was in the recent R.I.P.D.
With the strong supporting voice cast including Paul Giamatti (Chet), Michael Peña (Tito), Samuel L. Jackson (Whiplash), Luis Guzmán (Angelo), Snoop Dogg (Smoove Move), Ben Schwartz (Skidmark) and Richard Jenkins (Bobby) this is a snailed-on hit for children.