The Original "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"

As a child, my only motivation for getting ready for bed was the prospect of having a story read to me. Whether it was read by my mom, dad, or older sister, my all-time favorite book was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi and Ron Barrett. Long before it was ever considered for the big screen, a little girl growing up in North Boulder always longed to live in this book's world. Call me a glutton, but food has always been one of the best pleasures in my life, and to have it fall from the sky would satisfy many of my wildest dreams. Despite the disasters that take place in the book, I imagined myself in this culinary-driven world many times.

Being an animal lover as well, my favorite part of the book was always when the illustrator shows the sanitation department feeding the animals of the town with all the leftover food. Just imagine, in this kind of world, hunger would only exist because of droughts, and even then, the food could be stored until needed! My goodness, what a utopia! I suppose that's the purpose of the book: that even in a world where food falls from the sky, disaster can happen, and no version of the world can be perfect.

As excited as I am that a movie has been made from this book, I'm also a little reluctant to go see it. I'm a believer in the sacredness of texts and no matter how much I love a book, or even how much I hate a book, a movie version can never be as good as its book. I understand that more plot must be added to a children's book in order to create a movie, but it disappoints me that in the movie, the main character creates a machine to make the weather produce food. In my childhood, the best part about the book, like all myths and legends, was the feeling that somewhere in the world this place might actually exist. Still, I've always been a fan of animated movies and as soon as this poor college student finds sufficient funds, I'll be at the theater buying a ticket for the next showing of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I also hope that this movie can revive an interest in this book, as I believe it is a classic in children's literature and should remain so for years to come. Wow, I'm getting pretty cheesy, eh?

-Jackie, Marketing Intern