Hamilton Mattress

What happens when an aardvark goes all existential and questions whether there might not, in fact, be a bit more to life than the daily slurping up of ants? Well, if he's got Buddy Rich-like rhythm and a good agent (in this case a caterpillar named Feldwick, whose first order of business is to give Sludger--in a sly nod to action producer Joel Silver--a name to “put bums on seats”), then he becomes Hamilton Mattress (from a billboard ad) and heads for Beak City to seek his fame and fortune. Unfortunately, the city is for the birds, literally, and Hamilton (voiced by David Thewlis) and Feldwick find one discriminating door after another slammed in their snouts. Talent will out, however, and Hamilton's looks eventually come to count for less than his customer-enticing, dance-inspiring prowess on the bongo drums at a trendy nightclub. A nice slice of self-esteem and tolerance-building claymation fun, based on characters created by John Webster, the DVD version of Hamilton Mattress includes audio commentary and three featurettes: on Hamilton's origins, the “making of” the film, and the voice cast. Recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)