Igor (2008)

"If Mel Brooks were to team up with Tim Burton, the result might be something like the loony and colorfully tantalizing animated film Igor.  Claudia Puig, USA Today
"This is what ["The Nightmare Before Christmas"] fans have been waiting fifteen years for.  Eric Campos, Film Threat
"Molly Shannon is dementedly charming as Eva.  Lou Lumenick, New York Post
"Enjoyable animated comedy with likeable characters, impressive animation and some good gags...  Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
"Monstrously funny and clever.  Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com

Editor's Note In the 2008 computer-animated comedy IGOR, John Cusack provides the voice for the title character, one of many "Igors," whose sole purpose in life is to assist mad scientists in their diabolical experiments with a dutiful and mindless "Yes, master." When Cusack's bright, determined Igor strikes out on his own and creates the Frankenstein's-monster-like Eva (Molly Shannon), aided by a resurrected rabbit named Scamper (Steve Buscemi) and a mislabeled talking brain named Brian (Sean Hayes), his efforts incur the wrath of the winkingly monikered Dr. Schadenfreude (Eddie Izzard), who is set on putting Igor back in his henchman slot of the horror hierarchy. Directed by Tony Leonidas (LILO & STITCH 2: STITCH HAS A GLITCH), IGOR takes many of its macabre cues from horror-comedy classics THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, mixing monster-movie elements with moments of clever humor and generous amounts of slapstick. Although there are dark undercurrents in IGOR (see Buscemi's sarcastic, suicidal hare), the film generally sticks to a family-friendly misfit-makes-good theme, keeping it in the quirky vein of fellow CG-animation movies such as THE CORPSE BRIDE and MONSTERS, INC. While the cast is impressive (particularly the gloriously hammy Izzard), the surprisingly lively gothic-laboratory aesthetic of IGOR is its true star, with the playful visuals leaving plenty for both adults and children to marvel at.

	Patrick Doyle - Composer
	Max Howard - Producer
	James Lipton - Voice
	Jennifer Coolidge - Voice
	Jean-Luc de Fanti - Executive Producer
	Eddie Izzard - Voice
	Sean Hayes - Voice
	John Cusack - Voice
	John D. Eraklis - Producer
	Arsenio Hall - Voice
	Molly Shannon - Voice
	Christian Slater - Voice
	John Cleese - Voice
	Steve Buscemi - Voice
	Jay Leno - Voice
	Chris McKenna - Screenwriter
	Tony Leondis - Director

Los Angeles Times
"Clearly inspired by the dark-hearted stop-motion fables of Tim Burton...[a] fever-pitched computer-generated whizbang....The film's design is suitably cartoon Gothic..." 09/19/2008

USA Today
"If Mel Brooks were to team up with Tim Burton, the result might be something like the loony and colorfully tantalizing animated film IGOR." 09/19/2008

Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's a compellingly oddball tale that should eventually find its niche as a minor late-night cult classic for NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS fans." 12/01/2008 p.60

Reel.com 8 of 10
Igor is the Rodney Dangerfield of cinematic sidekicks. With rare exceptions (Marty Feldman's turn in Young Frankenstein), the deformed lab assistant gets little horror movie respect...It's always about the monster or the mad scientist, not the hunchbacked scrub doing all the dirty work. In the imaginative new animated feature Igor, director Anthony Leondis and writer Chris McKenna try to change our perception of the often marginalized character. While there's imagination to spare, the storyline is often bogged down by the obvious animation conventions...At first, Igor establishes some very clever macabre mythology. The "born into servitude" angle, along with the entire sidekick school and master/servant dynamic does a good job of establishing the odds against our hero. Cusack's voice fits the demands of the role perfectly, since we are supposed to see humor and warmth within this persecuted pawn's deformed facade...Where things go a bit wonky is in the introduction of Eva. More sideshow attraction than sinister creature, this Meryl Streep-wannabe with mismatched body parts is all stereotypes and drama-queen preening...Still, by avoiding the standard anthropomorphized animals and oh-too-clever pop culture references, Igor ends up winning us over. The design elements are often breathtaking, and Leondis truly understands the narrative's goofy Goth needs. It doesn't matter that McKenna's script often feels as superficial as the TV series he's best known for (American Dad)...For a format that frequently flails about aimlessly, this CGI spook-show is an adventurous, amiable attraction. - Bill Gibron

San Francisco Chronicle 6 of 10
"Igor" is a dysfunctional family film. One of the lead character's sidekicks is a brain floating in a jar and the other is a scrawny rabbit that is constantly trying to commit suicide. Your kindergartner might have a few complicated questions on the minivan ride home...But the almost relentlessly dark palette isn't the problem with this movie, which was made by the French animation studio responsible for "Rolie Polie Olie." The filmmakers waste some clever and subversive writing by cramming everything into a Disneyfied plot filled with misunderstandings and morality speeches. ("It's better to be a good nobody than an evil somebody!") Like the female Frankenstein monster at the center of the film, the parts don't quite fit...In style and tone, "Igor" seems more like a short from the adult-oriented "Spike & Mike's Festival of Animation," or the Mike Judge-produced "The Animation Show." The computer-animated visuals look drab when compared with recent Pixar and DreamWorks offerings, and the character design leans more toward disturbing than cute. Put the inhabitants of this film on a fast-food restaurant kids' meal, and everyone will lose their appetite...But the writing by "American Dad" contributor Chris McKenna is sharp, making fun of the monster films of the black-and-white era while weaving in current popular culture targets as well...While the overall review is mixed, the film does deserve one big compliment: The music is excellent, featuring everything from retro swing to classic rhythm and blues. This is the only animated film you'll see all year with "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" on the soundtrack. - Peter Hartlaub