Stunning visuals and a decent story makes "Mars Needs Moms" a welcome addition to your Disney movie collection. - Aljon Go

What’s it about?
From Disney and Academy Award-winner Robert Zemeckis (best director, ‘Forrest Gump,’ 1994) comes the craziest adventure this side of the galaxy ‘Mars Needs Moms.’ Take out the trash, eat your broccoli who needs moms anyway? Nine-year-old Milo (Seth Green) finds out how much he needs his (Joan Cusack) when she’s nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own young. In a race against time and oxygen, his quest to save her knows no bounds. And with some unexpected help, Milo just might find his way back to her in more ways than one. Complete with intergalactic bonus features, it’s a thrilling journey that’s pure, out-of-this-world crazy fun.

There was a moment where it almost seemed a bit preachy with the whole “women are from Mars and men are from the dumpster” painting of the Martian culture. That said the tender family moments, humor and action scenes more than made up for that speed bump.

The Lowdown…
The trailer alone got me hyped to see the film due to its amazing visuals. The colors were brilliant in high definition and the sound design was equally impressive is 5.1 surround sound. On the plus side the various pop-culture references are great touches. See how many you can spot upon multiple viewings. Where this film seems to loose a step is with the story. Don’t get me wrong, but for a film that’s marketed as a “light-hearted family film” the darker tone of the latter part of the movie tended to get a little heavy handed. There was a moment where it almost seemed a bit preachy with the whole “women are from Mars and men are from the dumpster” painting of the Martian culture. That said the tender family moments, humor and action scenes more than made up for that speed bump.

Take a look at the actors against their on-screen counterpart. Impressive.

Bonus features were pretty good, however when purchasing a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack I would have liked to see more featurettes. The deleted scenes with temp animation and commentary are what you would expect from Disney. I especially liked the “Life On Mars: The Full Motion-Capture Experience” where they documented the special process of motion-capturing the movements before putting those animations into the computer. The only suggestion I could have added to this point is the ability to switch back and forth between main view and the mo-cap footage in the picture-in-picture display.

The Verdict…
Even though critics and the public were lukewarm to the film I would definitely recommend picking up this film. It kept my attention with funny character interaction, character development and impressive visuals. There is enough substance in this film to keep both children and adults engaged and would make for perfect family night viewing.

Disney’s MARS NEEDS MOMS Coming to Earth on Blu-ray Combo Pack with 3D, DVD, Movie Download and On-Demand on August 9, 2011.

• Order Mars Needs Moms on DVD
• Order Mars Needs Moms (Two-Disc Blu-ray / DVD Combo)
• Order Mars Needs Moms (Four-Disc Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy Combo

Seth Green, Joan Cusack, Elisabeth Harnois and Dan Fogler at the "Mars Needs Mom" Premiere.

Starring:
Seth Green as Milo
Seth Robert Dusky as the voice of Milo
Dan Fogler as Gribble
Elisabeth Harnois as Ki
Joan Cusack as Milo’s Mom
Mindy Sterling as The Supervisor
Dee Bradley Baker as Two-Cat
Kevin Cahoon as Wingnut
James Earl Jones as Ja Mi
Breckin Meyer as Spangro
Billy Dee Williams as Myzic
Tom Everett Scott as Milo’s Dad

Directed by Simon Wells

Special Features:
Blu-ray(TM) Feature Film + Bonus Deleted Scenes + DVD Feature Film + Bonus
Extended Opening (Blu-ray 2D Exclusive)

Deleted Scenes with Simon Wells introductions (4 Blu-ray 2D Exclusive Deleted Scenes): 7 deleted scenes of which four are exclusive to the Blu-ray 2D release. Some cool scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Now you can see them with introductions by director Simon Wells.

Life On Mars: The Full Motion-Capture Experience (Blu-ray 2D Exclusive): Go way behind the scenes to the ‘space’ where the actors’ performances are captured. This feature-length, picture-in-picture viewing mode also lets you listen to director Simon Wells and actors Seth Green and Dan Fogler give a fun and insightful look into creating the movie

Martian 101: Do you speak Martian? Go behind the scenes and see how the producer and cast came up with their own unique Martian language. Then learn how to speak it yourself with lessons from a leading Martian language expert

“Fun With Seth” The cast and crew had a galaxy of fun making “Mars Needs Moms,” thanks to the on-set antics of Seth Green and Dan Fogler. Watch them do the ROM dance see them compete to see who can do their verbal ROM the fastest, and much more.

“Flower Power” Easter Egg: the hippy sitcom that Ki loved and learned her dated English from.

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• Trailers and more at http://www.youtube.com/disneypictures

Related articles

• Holiday Gift Guide: Upcoming Disney Blu-ray/DVD and Videogame Releases (jedimouseketeer.blogspot.com)
• Disney’s MARS NEEDS MOMS Coming to Earth on Blu-ray Combo on August 9, 2011 (chipandco.com)