REVIEW: Turbo

Courtesy of DreamWorks

When someone writes the definitive history of DreamWorks Animation, he or she won’t be listing Turbo as the studio’s crowning achievement. The story of a garden snail who dreams of racing in the Indianapolis 500 doesn’t quite reach the same emotional heights as a film like How to Train Your Dragon or the first Shrek. Still, it’s cute, funny and visually interesting, and the kids in the screening I attended seem to love it. Sometimes that’s all you need.

A somewhat-awake Ryan Reynolds voices the titular snail, though his actual name is Theo. Turbo is what the other snails, including his brother (Paul Giamatti, excellent as always), teasingly call him because of his obsession with speed. However, after a freak accident involving an encounter with nitrous oxide, Turbo begins to live up to his name.

He’s eventually adopted by Tito (Michael Pena), who is part of a group of snail racers and wants to use the sport to bring attention to the restaurant he owns with his brother (Luis Guzman). Yeah, you read that correctly – just go with it.

Soon, Turbo and his new group of friends (voiced by an eclectic supporting cast that includes Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph and Samuel L. Jackson) are on their way to compete in the Indy 500 alongside racing legend Guy Gagne (Bill Hader). If you don’t know who wins, you’ve never seen a kid’s movie before.

The film is a visual delight. It’s bright, colorful and each snail has a distinct look that allows the viewer to distinguish who’s who among the various personalities. There’s also a surprisingly dark running joke – involving the snails’ ho-hum acceptance of a terrifying aspect of their lives – that had me laughing much harder than I expected to.

Most of the voice cast is entertaining, particularly Giamatti; Jackson, basically playing the snail version of himself; and Pena, who always commits fully to his performances – whether he’s portraying a noble LAPD cop or a goofy guy who loves snails and drives a taco truck. I was just taken aback by how apathetic Reynolds sounds in his role. You can practically hear him checking his watch as he speaks his lines.

A couple of days after watching Turbo, it’s tough to remember much about it. But I recall enjoying it in the moment, as did my two-year-old daughter. As soon as the credits rolled, she stood up and yelled, “I watched the whole movie!” Sounds like a ringing endorsement to me.

Turbo is rated PG for some mild action and thematic elements.

Grade: B-