Home is where the heart is

“Home” is a DreamWorks animated movie about small purple aliens called Boovs who come to inhabit Earth after fleeing from their enemy, the Gorgs.

The movie will be released in theaters on Friday, March 27, but I had the chance to attend a pre-screening on Saturday, March 14.

Captain Smek (Steve Martin) is the leader of the cowardly Boovs whom orchestrates the running away from scary situations.

At a peace meeting with the Gorg Commander, Captain Smek lets anxiety get the best of him and flees before any compromise could be made.

From then on, the Gorgs pursued the Boovs as they inhabited various planets around the galaxy to avoid the Gorgs.

The movie is centered around Oh (Jim Parsons), one of the aliens who isn’t quite liked by his peers.

He’s really friendly and makes many attempts to befriend his fellow Boovs, but they are annoyed by his constant pestering.

The conflict in this movie arises when Oh accidentally sends out a housewarming invite via email to the entire galaxy.

The Boovs realize that the invite is eventually going to reach the Gorgs and they turn on Oh.

Oh, now a fugitive, befriends Tip (Rihanna), a girl who was left behind when the Boovs relocated all of the humans. Together, they journey to Australia to find Tip’s mom (Jennifer Lopez).

Throughout the movie, the friendship grows and Oh learns to stand up in the face of danger.

Watching Oh discovering his inner courage was an inspiring message for kids and adults alike.

Although this was a kid’s movie, these overall themes were relevant to the entire audience which was comprised of many adults.

The actors were well-chosen for this movie. Parsons’ quirky personality comes through in his portrayal of Oh and Rihanna delivered in terms of sass.

I was annoyed by Captain Smek because he talked over others when they brought up good ideas. This was necessary to the plot, but it made him a despicable character.

I thought Oh was absolutely adorable with his jello-like arms and slightly wide set eyes.

Tip was a driven teenager who was both feisty and compassionate. I liked her because she seemed like a real person because of her three-dimensional characteristics.

Tip is also the first black lead in a 3D-animated film.

The movie ended with a huge plot twist that I didn’t see coming and because of that, it was my favorite part.

I give “Home” four out of four grizzly paws.