Turbo

Year: 2013
Genre: Animation
Director: David Soren


Plot: A snail gains speed powers after a freak accident, enabling him to perhaps realise his dream of winning the Indy 500.


The gist: The story of the underdog overcoming impossible odds is nothing new, but it is one of the most satisfying ones out there, despite its predictability.

In this case, a snail named Theo wants to be fast, like his hero Guy Gagne, the Indy 500 racer. He keeps dreaming about it despite being told by his brother Chet to face reality. One night, he gets sucked into a drag car's engine and gets a dose of nitrous oxide, and a lightning fast snail is born. Along the way, he meets Tito, a guy who sells tacos and races snails on the side, and like him, wants to have a dream his brother doesn't believe in.

Overall the story is as predictable as it gets, but it never really gets old. The characters are at least likable even though the dialogue isn't as sharp as it should be. The kids will love this more than the adults, I think.


The good: The animation is pretty good, though the snails look better than the humans. The final race sequence was nicely set up, especially since it involves a snail racing against huge race cars.

The bad: Even as an animated film, the idea of a snail racing with cars can be a bit hard to swallow, even more than toys that talk. The jokes also don't always hit the mark.


Verdict: As a film it's not too bad. It's light entertainment at best, just don't expect Pixar level stuff. (3/5)