Another for-the-kids morality-tale squashed between grot-fests by one-man filmmaking mariachi Robert Rodriguez: he writes, directs, does the score, oversees the FX and surely never sleeps. And it’s a distinct improvement on his last two junior efforts, lumpy 3-D glitter Spy Kids 3 and Sharkboy.
Told in non-linear vignettes (‘shorts’), it follows the zany adventures of Toe Thompson (Jimmy Bennett), a bullied teen who happens upon a rock that grants wishes. And amid the flurry of Jumanji-ish CG bogeymen, crocs and dung beetles, he learns that getting what you wished for has its own cost. For all its digital spin (which can be a little wearing), the movie has an appealingly old-fashioned feel.
