Voices of Michael Cera, Keke Palmer, Bobby Cannavale, and Russell Brand
Directed by David Soren
Music by Sean Douglas; Lyrics by Jonathan Sadoff
Let's jump cross-country to something that gets close to my own home turf. I grew up at the Jersey Shore, around boardwalks with roaring roller coasters and the scent of oil and fried food in the air, surfers and muscle men, and tourists of every stripe. Surprisingly, I never heard of this until it came out last October, but I figured it made more sense to save it for summer. How does the story of how two different hermit crabs who are more alike than they think look during the height of tourist season? Let's begin with the arrival of human and crab tourists to a fictional northern New Jersey shore town and find out...
The Story: The land hermit crabs have their own little resort community under the boardwalk. Every year, sea hermit crabs come to their land for a vacation, but the wealthy sea crabs think they're above the land crabs, and the land crabs resent the sea crabs invading their turf. Armen (Cera) is a shy land crab who spends all his time in his aging shell, the only thing he has left from his parents after a storm.
His muscular buddies and his uncle Bruno (Steven Van Zandt) drag him to Bruno's nightclub, where he encounters sea crab Ramona (Palmer). Ramona is trying to get out from under the controlling claw of her domineering mother Val (Vanessa Bell Calloway) and her obnoxious ex-boyfriend Mako (Brand). She and Armen get to know each other better when Mako and his friends steal Armen's shell, and then he and Ramona are swept away in the storm. While Ramona and Armen try to get back to their friends and family, Mako's lies and jealousy brings the crabs to the brink of all-out war.
The Animation: Colorful and almost plastic-y, as per the boardwalk milieu. Everything is so shiny, you feel like you can reach out and touch the crabs and their shells. Love the realistic details for such a cartoony show, especially on the crabs' world. You can really see the grease on the roller coaster and each individual grass blade on the dunes. The sand is well-defined too, if grainier than most sand in New Jersey generally is.
The Song and Dance: The familiar story is boosted by the unique setting. I've never seen what amounts to West Side Story done with hermit crabs on the North Jersey Shore. Heck, I don't think I've ever seen an animated film set at the Jersey Shore. Palmer in particular is having a ball as vivacious Ramona, while Bobby Cannavale and Shoshannah Stern as Armen's bulky, less violent friend Buddy and Ramona's deaf sister Shelly are surprisingly sweet.
Favorite Number: We open with "Welcome to New Jersey," which introduces the land crabs, their world, and the plethora of Jersey jokes that make up a lot of the script. Armen and Ramona wish they were "Anyone Else" who could stand out and get away from their friends and parent. Mako and Armen's buddy Jimmy (John Magaro) create a "Line In the Sand" to separate the sea and land crabs after Mako claims Armen is dead. Ramona tells Armen to "Look Around" and enjoy the sighs and sounds of the boardwalk after they escape the hermit crab store. Bobby wants to prove that he's "More Than a Meathead" as he insists Armen and Ramona aren't the only ones who want to escape stereotypes. Everyone is "Going Out" to enjoy the rest of their summer after they restore the community in the end.
What I Don't Like: Did I mention how cliched this all is? Neither the story nor the characters are anything we haven't seen before. The North Jersey jokes and references - everything from Bruce Springsteen to The Sopranos - get run into the ground before mid-way through the film and may end up annoying some folks. The songs are cute enough, but not that memorable.
The Big Finale: Not the best animated film in the universe, but there are worse ways to spend an hour and a half with your kids on a summer evening after a trip to the real boardwalk.
Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.
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