2009

There are worse ways to spend an hour and a half than with "G-Force," a partially animated adventure-lite from Disney. Director Hoyt Yeatman, who's worked special effects on everything from "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" to "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4," uses the technology well, and not just as a gimmick.

The story begins in a hurry as a special-ops force comprised of three guinea pigs, a housefly and a mole conduct a raid on the home of electronicsmeister Bill Nighy, who is suspected of planting devices in household appliances that will turn them into an effective means of parodying "Transformers." Tricky questions like, "How can humans talk to guinea pigs?" are answered in ways that are pure sci-fi silliness.

Listen for the voices of Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Penelope Cruz, Jon Favreau, Steve Buscemi and Tracy Morgan. Onscreen are Will Arnett and Zach Galifianakis.

The dialogue, by five writers, is occasionally clever and the animation is spot-on. One segment relies too heavily on poop and fart jokes, as if these were the only surefire laugh-getters when the audience is essentially children, as this one should be. This is not adult entertainment, folks, but it's OK for what it is.

"”Doug Bentin