Film File - Mars Needs Moms

What kid wouldn't like his mother to disappear sometimes? What with eating your greens, tidying your room and treating your little sister with respect, it's easy to see how a young fella wouldn't mind a bit of space from She Who Must Be Obeyed now and then. When this wish is granted to nine-year-old Milo (Seth Green), however, he finds out just how much he needs his mom (Joan Cusack) after she's been kidnapped by Martians who need her maternal expertise to raise their own young in a planet far, far away. Suddenly, Milo realises how important his mom is and sets out on a quest to rescue her - a plan that involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating a very strange planet and taking on an entire alien nation and their all-powerful Supervisor (Mindy Sterling). With the help of a tech-savvy, gadget-happy, '80s-speaking underground Earthman named Gribble (Dan Fogler) and a rebel Martian girl called Ki (Elisabeth Harnois), Milo begins an adventure to reclaim the most important person in his life before it's too late. The book from which the film is adapted was inspired by a dinner table incident one evening at the home of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed when her son, Milo, threw his broccoli into the air and stormed off to his bedroom. As he tramped away, the tantrum-throwing tyke fired vile words at his mother - to which she replied: "You might think differently about your mom if she were kidnapped by Martians." The author was stopped in her tracks by her own comment, and immediately sat down to write a book based around the incident. The rest is Disney history. Mars is a planet run by women, a dominant form of alien life but who possess no maternal instincts. But they know that in the solar system there is a planet called Earth, with a species of humans whose mothers seem to be able to control their offspring. Needing a new mom every 25 years, they send their Martian raiders down to Earth to get one - who, this time, happens to be Milo's. Director and screenwriter Simon Wells (who is the great grandson of famous sci-fi author HG Wells) says the film capitalises on the audience's natural curiosity about outer space and thirst for action. "You get to experience environments that you would never in your normal lives get to see. You get to travel on a huge heroic journey in pursuit of the noblest cause of all, which is to save your mum because you love her." Even though it runs just under 90 minutes, 'Mars Needs Moms' is a story that could have done with another bit of judicious editing. That said, it is a well-made movie based around a fairly original concept. When Milo sets off on his adventures - perfectly voiced by Seth Green who clearly got right into the nine-year old mindset - the storyline brings us to a Mars landscape where the ladies run a no-nonsense Amazon-style show. These female aliens are tough cookies who hold the reins of power and rule the military, a theme with subtle political angles that does much to keep adults engaged. Green and Fogler have good chemistry, providing a few decent giggles, and Cusack is solid as the mom any boy would risk everything for. The animation is top-notch, as are the impressive sets and Martian lifestyle, though their strange Asian accents are a bit jarring. This being a Disney movie, Disneyland gets a good plug along the way…..another piece of barely acceptable product placement. With the Easter holidays just around the corner, 'Mars Needs Moms' is well-timed for an afternoon's amusement at the local cineplex.