The Hero of Color City

Clearly inspired by Toy Story, this bland animated tale is centered on a little boy's crayons, which come to life after he goes to sleep each night. Jumping into their box, the crayons are transported to Color City, where a rainbow river rejuvenates them and a spa sharpens their tips. One evening, Yellow (voiced by Christina Ricci), who's afraid of everything, is pursued into the box by two of the boy's unfinished drawings, a mute king and a big-mouth insect (Craig Ferguson). Once in Color City, these unfinished villains dam up the river in order to color themselves to completion, which prompts Yellow and a number of her crayon pals to undertake a mission to unclog the waters and save their home. Along the way, they meet other unfinished drawings who become their allies (even the supposed monsters here turn out to be not so much malicious as misunderstood). Unfortunately, little is either distinctive or imaginative about The Hero of Color City, which features a derivative story, mediocre animation, merely adequate voice acting, and puerile humor (mostly groan-inducing puns and a smattering of flatulence gags). Also served up are a few nondescript songs with banal lyrics. Still, the film's empowering messages about overcoming one's fears, learning not to judge others by appearances, and working together are solid and this will likely appeal to very young viewers. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Playing the Character” (10 min.), “Creating The Hero of Color City” (9 min.), and “Behind the Voices” (4 min.), a sing-along for three songs (7 min.), “Kid-Friendly Recipes from Bumble Bee” (6 min.), “Colorful Crayon Lines” sound clips, a brief “Crayon ‘Juke' Box Music Medley” clip, artwork and drawing galleries, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so family film.] (F. Swietek)