This is the sort of film that aims the story for the hearts and minds of younger children but delivers it with enough in-jokes to keep adults amused. It’s a strategy that has worked well for many animated films whose appeal who be otherwise confined solely to kids. In the first fifteen minutes of Planet 51 alone we find visual gags and pop-culture nuggets calibrated to jolt a sly recognition among viewers with a good grasp of science-fiction movies. The plaza from the fictional town of Glipforg references the future Hill Valley courthouse square from Back to the Future II. What passes for a dog plays off a very familiar figure in horror SF. And so on. It all works to some extent, however much it exemplifies a kind of lazy entertainment, in the context of an amusing and beautifully crafted depiction of a planet populated by pantless green beings living in a retro sci-fi imagining of ‘50s’ Los Angeles. It may not often draw much by way of guffaws, but a bemused smile is usually not hard to come by.

But why did astronaut Charles T. Baker, blandly voiced by Dwayne Johnson, have to be so obnoxious? Confessing – in a moment intended to engender sympathy and create bonds between characters – that he owes his success entirely due to his good looks (and a charm we fail to see amidst his boorish dumbness) merely highlights the character’s lack of credibility. Surely NASA would not approve of an astronaut whose first reaction to a sign of the great unknown is to run away. Good thing space suits come with built-in waste disposal. Prior to that faithful admission, however, Baker is just a boob whose friendliness is laced with narcissism.

By the time the spaceman warms up in an undercooked plot in which he is mistaken for an invasion force (ironic is presenting humans as the aliens), the film has already established itself as having all the ambition of a Saturday morning cartoon. Worse yet is an odd, shocking bit of animal cruelty offered up as a joke, something that feels out-of-place in an otherwise sweet-natured film. At least the protagonist Lem, voiced by Justin Long, is likeable, possessed of a curiosity and awe towards discovery that stands in contrast to the likes of George C. Scott-like General Grawl (voice of Gary Oldman) and Dr. Kipple, the brain-obssessed mad scientist voiced with little enthusiasm by John Cleese. Much like the movie itself, however, the characters merely rate as “cute,” like a puppy that hasn’t yet been housebroken.

Entertainment: * (out of two)

Craft: * (out of two)

Directed by Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez. Written by Joe Stillman. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Justin Long, Jessica Biel, Gary Oldman, Sean William Scott and John Cleese Running time: 91 minutes. Rated PG (for mild sci-fi action and some suggestive humor).

Frédérik invites you to discuss Planet 51 at his blog www.inkandashes.net