'Storks' Review: It Will Please Kids, Bore Adults

— -- Voices by Andy Samberg, Kelsey Grammer and Katie Crown

Rated PG

Two-and-a-half out of five stars

Perhaps I’m a bit out of touch, but does anyone really tell their kids anymore that the stork brings babies?

When I heard about "Storks," it sounded adorable, but dated. On the flip side, it’s written and directed by Nicholas Stoller of "Get Him to the Greek" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." Let’s throw in Andy Samberg as the voice of the movie’s main character, and "Storks" totally has a chance.

The premise here is that storks no longer deliver babies. Thanks to an ever-changing world, they now deliver packages. Enter Samberg’s Junior. He’s the best delivery stork there is, and the boss stork (Kelsey Grammer) wants Junior to take over as the boss moves up the stork corporate ladder. All Junior has to do is get rid of the “Orphan Tulip” (Katie Crown) – an 18-year-old human girl who was a delivery gone wrong and has been raised among the storks.

But instead of getting rid of Tulip, Junior and his heart of gold banish her to an abandoned building – which turns out to be the old baby factory. When Tulip accidentally activates the baby-making machine, out pops an adorable little tyke, which Tulip and Junior feel obligated to deliver to its rightful parents.

Thus begins an adventure – a clunky one that doesn’t come close to living up to any of the better, more recent animated offerings. It’s only enjoyable when Tulip and Junior encounter a pack of wolves, led by the voices of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. What "Storks" does have going for it is some of its quirky dialogue, which was clearly tailor-made for Samberg and Crown.