“My name is Turbo. I just wanna go a little faster.”
That’s how we’re introduced to the title character in the first full-length trailer for “Turbo,” an upcoming Dreamworks Animation effort that centers on a snail (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) who dreams of becoming the world’s greatest race car driver. Ha, silly snail.
But wait. As seen in the trailer, the little guy’s aspirations come within reach after he’s involved in a freak accident that imbues him with the power of lightning-fast speed. Cue a cast of goofy snail characters with names like Whiplash (Samuel L. Jackson), Smoove Move (Snoop Dogg) and Skidmark (heh), and you’ve got yourself fun for the whole family.
After losing a substantial amount of money on last year’s underperforming “Rise of the Guardians,” Dreamworks Animation is clearly desperate for a hit here, but I’m not sure “Turbo” fits the bill. While it’s a cute concept, the generic wish-fulfillment scenario and lazy jokes don’t exactly inspire confidence, particularly if you’re an adult without children (indeed, the animation studio’s “The Croods,” which hits theaters this weekend, seems more likely to reel in a larger cross-section of the moviegoing audience) . But hey, don’t take my word for it – check out the trailer for yourself above.
My grade for the trailer: C-. After watching, you can rate it for yourself at top left.