I’m quite a fan of CG animated movies and while Pixar remain the masters of the genre, they’re not the only ones creating awesome movies like Bolt and the cliché-ridden Monsters Versus Humans. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is one such film. It also makes me rather peckish. Based really, really loosely on a children’s book by Judi Barrett, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs focuses on nerdy hero Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader). Ever since childhood, he’s been obsessed with inventing things even if things don’t always go to plan – for example, he’s still wearing the spray-on shoes he came up with for Show and Tell! As a result of growing up as a nerd, his best friend is a talking monkey (voiced by the ever awesome Neil Patrick Harris) who communicates using one of those spell and speak devices.

However his latest invention promises to change the lives of the sardine-farming capital of the world, aka Swallow Falls. This tiny island (hidden under the A in Atlantic) has been stuck eating various kinds of sardines for years since the rest of the world decided they were disgusting and as a result the economy is dead and the townspeople are sick and tired of the tiny fish. This is where Flint’s newest project comes in: he’s created a machine which transforms water into food. Oh and it has a really cool computer voice, which – as we all know – is the most important thing.

Flint himself is immensely likable, even down to his habit of hyper-actively describing what he’s doing and including his own sound-effects. He’s the classic nerd; a science geek whose heart is in the right place. Opposite him is super eager intern and wanna-be weather girl Sam Sparks (Anna Faris), who is hiding a nerdy meteorological background behind her blonde and beautiful exterior. It’s obvious from the get go these two are destined to be together but half the fun is watching it happen. The highlight has to be the Jello palace.

The science of this is, of course, not the point but Flint’s success leads to amusing chaos when he destroys the town’s newest attraction, Sardine Town. His invention is sent skyward and what follows has to be the most gorgeous rainstorm ever. The sight of multi-coloured clouds advancing is breath-taking, even if it’s sullied a bit by the clichéd gasps of the townspeople. There are some things which should only ever be done in animation and the sight of slow-mo cheeseburgers raining down is definitely one of them. The sight of rainbow-coloured M&Ms falling from heaven as a rainbow is another highlight, even if I’m sure it was borrowed from an advert.

Of course, things don’t stay good and Flint’s machine (the amusingly unpronounceable FLDSMDFR) goes from saviour to menace. What follows feels like a parody of most disaster films, as well as a more direct reference to one of my favourites, The Day After Tomorrow (I know, I know) as well as The Perfect Storm. What follows is completely nuts and eerily reminiscent of Independence Day but involves sentient food and is amusingly entertaining.

As has become the fashion with these films, there’s a brilliant voice cast and that’s the other reason why Cloudy is such a brilliant film. From Mr T as the hyperactive Mr T-like cop to the unscrupulous Mayor (voiced by the legendary Bruce Campbell), it really is the rest of the cast that distinguishes the film from so any others. My only regret is Neil Patrick Harris’ part involves single words!

The Blu Ray release helpfully comes in a combi pack that includes a DVD so everyone can enjoy the film. It would have been nice to have a digital copy too but ah well. The extras on the Blu Ray disc are actually rather complementary, with featurettes , a music video and some games for the kids. I especially like that, rather than the menu popping up while you are watching the film. The film itself shrinks down to a small screen built into the menu background allowing you to continue watching while your peruse the special features. I’m even more pleased to report there’s an AD track for VIPs, excellent! So if you’re after something fun with plenty of food, do check out Cloudy although you might want to do it before you have lunch.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is out today on Blu Ray and DVD combi pack, priced £22.99. It’s also out on DVD, priced £19.99.