It’s common these days for an animated film to be scripted in a such a way as to appeal to the target audience of kids — but also supply plenty of clever quips and visual “winks” to entertain the adults joining those children in the multiplexes.
However, with the case of “The Boss Baby,” it might be argued there actually is more here for adult appreciation than is provided to the kids. That aside, this delightful, silly animated romp makes for a really fun time in the theater.
Yes, we have previously seen cartoon baby characters bearing adult voices — see Stewie in the “Family Guy” series — but Alec Baldwin takes that approach to a whole new and very hilarious level with his voicing of the title character here.
Inspired by Marla Frazee’s children’s book, “The Boss Baby” showcases the happy home of 7-year-old only child Tim Templeton (voiced by Miles Bakshi), the central focus of love and attention from his parents (Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow) — until the dreaded day they bring home his new baby brother.
The fun conceit here is that the clueless adult Templetons have no idea that their new family member actually can talk, a fact discovered by Tim, who initially is all about figuring out how to excise the baby from his home.
The Boss Baby turns out to be a plant from the mystical Babycorp headquarters — sent on a mission to reverse the trend that puppies are becoming more beloved than babies. This all leads to a fast-paced whirlwind of a race as the Baby Boss (who finds a way to enlist a reluctant Tim as an ally) to undercut PuppyCo, headed by the evil Francis Francis (deliciously voiced by the always terrific Steve Buscemi).
What makes this all work so well is the strength of the screenplay, penned by Michael McCullers, who has proved his comedy chops over the years writing “Saturday Night Live” sketches as well as the screenplays for the “Austin Powers” movies and “Baby Mama,” starring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. One zinger slips seamlessly into the next one, providing continuous laughs. Furthermore, Tom McGrath’s artful direction of the film keeps things moving along at a speedy pace.
Along the way, “The Boss Baby” makes some nice points about sibling rivalry, and I’m sure smaller kids will take away some lessons about that subject — and perhaps look at their younger or older brothers and sisters a little bit differently.
A small but appealing footnote to this film is the character of Wizzie, Tim’s absolutely hilarious, overly dramatic talking wizard alarm clock, who is a dead ringer for Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” franchise.
The filmmakers have decided to go for an old-school look in the animation here, an excellent decision. Reminiscent of the films brought to us back in the day from the Looney Tunes teams, “The Boss Baby” fits into that niche of animation — and appropriately so, given the kind of retro storytelling that is presented in this movie.
★★★
DreamWorks Animation presents a film directed by Tom McGrath and written by Michael McCullers, based on the book by Marla Frazee. Rated PG (for some mild rude humor). Running time: 97 minutes. Opens Friday at local theaters.
