Ever wonder why animated films are always child friendly? Well, thanks to the comedic minds of Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, there’s finally an animated film that’s not for kids.
Sausage Party is an R-rated, animated comedy, that is specifically tailored for adults 18 years and over. The film is the first CGI-animated film to have an R-rating and features the voice cast ensemble of Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Paul Rudd and other notable modern day actors.
The film follows Frank (Seth Rogen), the sausage, and his fellow perishables as they bask in the daily excitement of the possibility of being purchased by a human and being taken to the great beyond, outside of the supermarket. Things are perfect for the foodstuffs until Frank learns the terrifying truth, that they are bought simply to be turned into meals for the humans. Warning the occupants of the many shelves of the supermarket, Frank and his friends, including Brenda (Kristen Wiig), the hot dog bun, Teresa Taco (Salma Hayek), the taco, and Sammy Bagel Jr (Edward Norton), the bagel, devise a plan to escape from their fate and defeat their human enemies.
Sausage Party’s main storyline is unique and the idea of food desperate to go home with a human is amusing. Equally so is the way in which the story progresses which leaves Frank and some of his friends stranded outside of their packaging, which usually signifies certain death. Determined to be bought, the group of perishables make their way through the large supermarket to return to their respective aisles. The journey is treacherous, especially with an insane, juiced up douche chasing after them.
The action sequences and gags throughout the film inspires laughter but also disbelief with such innocent food items being depicted in such an explicit and slightly distasteful way. Whilst others laughed, I found myself staring at the screen horrified by such profanity. That’s to be expected though in any Seth Rogen film. Sausage Party remains true to Seth Rogen’s genre of film, which appears to require ridiculous situations, unimaginable action and unnecessary obscenity in order to be considered humourous. It takes quite a bit of guts and confidence in oneself to be able to successfully attain status as a comedy and the team behind the film prove they have what it takes.
Animation-wise, the film is typical of an animated feature, with the style of the film making a mockery of Pixar and Dreamworks animations. The characters are uniquely animated which allows for a certain authenticity, particularly characters like Teresa Taco, who pulls off the sexy and sassy Mexican attitude well.
Despite its entertaining story and amusing antics, the final few scenes in the film is one that made me feel incredibly uncomfortable, even though many in the crowd laughed. The way in which the perishables celebrated their victory left distaste in my mouth and I couldn’t bring myself to watch. A sequence of scenes more suited for men and their style of humour, this was the one part in the entire film that I felt the creators could have done without.
Nevertheless, Sausage Party is a one of a kind film that one should check out. It comes guaranteed to make you question your food choices and perhaps inspire you to rethink the way you look at food.