IGOR

US/France, 2008, 84 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Sean Hayes, Eddie Izzard, Molly Shannon, Jay Leno, Jennifer Cooledge, Christian Slater, Arsenio Hall, John Cleese.
Directed by Tony Leondis.

Adult horror fans will immediately respond to the name, Igor. He's the hunched one who helps mad scientists or vampires get their work done. Not sure what a children's audience will make of him. They will miss the Frankenstein parallels. Perhaps they will just enjoy the bizarre settings, characters and plot.

The animation for Igor and his country of Malaria is bright and creative with its range of mad doctors, Igors and machines. Malaria used to be prosperous, but at the behest of the King, evil scientists created clouds which darkened the country. The main industry became the invention of evil and destructive machines – for which the rest of the world paid protection money so that the machines would not leave Malaria and wreak havoc. So far, so bad for Malaria.

Each year there is a competition for the most destructive creation at the Evil Science Fair. Dr Schadenfreude wins each time because he steals other scientists' ideas. This year, despite his ambitions to depose the King, he is in for a shock.

Igor is one of many hunchback assistants in the land (whose degree, cleverly, is a Yes, Masters degree). His ambition is to create the winner of the competition (he already has some secret creations, a scatty brain in a bottle and a chattering rabbit with a death wish. Now he creates Eva – but she wants only to be an actress (and keeps singing the excruciating song from Annie, 'Tomorrow'). Will she destroy? Will Igor fall in love with her? Will Igor see the evil of his ways? Will Dr Schadenfreude prevail? What do you think!

You can see the wry sense of humour behind the storytelling, some slapstick laughs and some spoofing and some popular songs sung by Louis Prima.

The voice cast is very good indeed. John Cusack bears the brunt of it with a great deal of dialogue as well as voiceover as Igor. John Cleese is his mad scientist boss and Eddie Izzard is Dr Schadenfreude while Jay Leno is the King. Much of the humour comes from Sean Hayes voicing the Brain and Steve Buscemi as the rabbit. Eva is Molly Shannon.

Not a great animation comedy but quite entertaining.

1.The audience for this animation film? Enjoyment for adults? Some puzzles for children? The style of the animation, characters, plot, movie references? Spoof?

2.The visual style: the settings and the echoes of horror films, the castle, laboratories? The creatures? The colours, dark and light, bold? The score and the range of popular songs – and the spoof of Annie?

3.The Igors in the country? The hunchbacks, the Yes Master degree? Their not being able to be inventors? The range of Igors in the country?

4.Malaria, its situation, evil, the king, the clouds covering Malaria, the economy, making creatures and being paid not to release them on the world? The Evil Science Fair? The threats to the king, to be usurped?

5.The scientists, the mad scientist voiced by John Cleese? His destroying himself? Igor watching?

6.Doctor Schadenfreude? In himself, his accomplice, sinister villain, stealing people’s adventures, wanting to take over the kingdom?

7.Igor himself, the voice-over, his plans, with the rabbit, with the Brain? There being his creations? Creating Eve? Her wanting to be an actress, singing from Annie? Trying to persuade her to be evil? His change of heart, seeing the truth, falling in love with Eve?

8.The comic styles of the Brain and the rabbit?

9.The media coverage, Arsenio as the invisible interviewer?

10.The climax at the fair, Schadenfreude being defeated, not being king? His wanting to get rid of the king? The king and the confession of what he had done?

11.The change for Igor – and the fact that he could see clearly now …?