Sausage Party (2016)

“Sausage Party” stars Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, and Michael Cera.  Released on August 12, 2016, the film is about a sausage who goes on a journey with his friends to discover the truth about their existence.

The film is directed by Greg Tiernan, who is known for his work on Thomas & Friends, and Conrad Vernon, who also directed Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.  Oh boy, where do I start with this one?  After seeing and reviewing plenty of animated films that are aimed towards families this year, it’s quite nice to see an animated feature that’s actually made for adults, let alone a CGI film.  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg delivered some pretty impressive raunchy comedies together such as Superbad, Pineapple Express, Neighbors, and my personal favorite from them, This is the End.  However, their last film, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, didn’t exactly hit the right comedy notes for me.  So, I’m hoping that their first attempt at an animated film would at least be their comeback.  

The film’s concept is basically a spoof of the animated films made by Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks in which they answer the question, “What if ____ have feelings?”  For this film, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg answer the question, “What if food has feelings?”  It sounds ridiculous, I know, but they actually managed to turn something crazy into a surprisingly hilarious, yet disturbing, raunch-fest.  The film’s voice cast features a bunch of well-known celebrities and they definitely put on an R-rated show.  Their choice of humor in this one is definitely what I expected from Rogen and Goldberg’s other works: raunchy, offensive, bizarre, and downright hilarious.  This is pretty much a series of WTH moments that don’t feel as forced as shoving a sausage in a bun (Sorry, bad food pun).  Everything in this film is either so ridiculous that it’s funny or it’s just plain funny.  Not only that, but it manages to be even more ridiculous as the film progresses and doesn’t hold back until the end, especially the third act.  Oh my God...the third act.  You just have to see it to believe it.  It will definitely make you rethink about food.  Another thing that I liked about this film was the animation.  Sure, it doesn’t compare to the likes of Disney, Pixar, nor even DreamWorks Animation, but I do like how the animation reflects on the two different worlds.  The “food” world is basically a bright and colorful wonderland, while the “human” world feels damp and colorless.  There were a few character designs that were pretty weird, like Brenda (voiced by Kristen Wiig), but I don’t want to go into full detail.

Unfortunately, like the other animated films, it does have its share of flaws.  If you’re looking for an animated feature that has a strong story and memorable characters, this film may not be for you.  It has a very good concept, but I believe that the story didn’t exactly live up to its execution.  I would’ve loved to see more character development besides Barry (voiced by Michael Cera), especially the relationship between Frank and Brenda.  In other words, the story does seem to get overshadowed by its level of crudeness.  There were also some parts that I felt were a bit rushed.  It paces like a family-friendly animated film, but underneath its shell is an R-rated adult comedy.  So basically, it’s not something that you would want to take your kids to.  The sooner you figure that out, the better.

Overall, “Sausage Party” offers a nice breather from the kid-friendly animated fare by delivering a pack ton of laughs, crudeness, and a whole lot of ‘buns’.  While the story and some of the supporting characters are nothing to write home about, the voice cast, humor, and animation are definitely my main highlights of this raunchy animated comedy.  It probably won’t make my top 2016 animated films list, but I will say that this is the most messed up animated film I’ve seen since Hell and Back.  If you’re a fan of Rogen and Goldberg’s filmography or if you’re in a mood for some adult animated fare, I would say that this film is worth checking out, but be warned.  Once you see it, it’ll mess you up for life.

B