Release Date: August 9, 2011

Rating: PG

Running Time: Approximately 88 minutes

Take out the trash, eat your broccoli — who needs moms anyway? Nine-year-old Milo (Seth Green) finds out how much he needs his mom (Joan Cusack) when she’s nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own young. In a race against time and oxygen, his quest to save her knows no bounds. And with some unexpected help, Milo just might find his way back to her — in more ways than one.

Mars Needs Moms is brought to life by the performances of Seth Green (TV‘s ―Family Guy‖) as Milo, Joan Cusack (Toy Story 2 & 3) as Milo‘s Mom, Dan Fogler (Kung Fu Panda, Robot Chicken) as Gribble and Elisabeth Harnois (A Single Man, TV‘s ―90210‖) as Ki and is directed by Simon Wells (The Time Machine, The Prince of Egypt) and produced by Robert Zemeckis (Disney‘s A Christmas Carol, Forrest Gump).

Having never read the picture book, “Mars Needs Moms” by Berkeley Breathed, I went into the film blind and enjoyed every moment, even as predictable as it was. One of the aspects about this fast paced film that makes it so unique and attention grabbing is that the live action has been turned into animation. As if the setting of space weren’t cool enough. While this film is nowhere near Robert Zemeckis ‘s best work (remember The Polar Express?), everything about this film will win over the younger audience. Add onto the fact that the script has emotions and the actors do a fabulous job connecting with those emotions and really bringing their characters to life. While there are some aspects that are confusing (the concept of oxygen in space and the taking of moms from Earth when SPOILER ALERT there once were moms and happy families on Mars), but if you don’t think too much about it, the film is easily enjoyable. There’s nonstop adventure, quite a few laughs, a playful relationship with Milo and Ki, and quite an emotional journey taken. While not as complex and compelling as I imagined it to be, surely this film may have a bigger impact on the younger audience. The lesson learned may not necessarily seem profound right away, but if kids watching take this lesson into action, it will have a long lasting benefit on their lives which is something that not many films can do. Overall, Mars Needs Moms is a great watch and definitely worth buying this summer.

Bonus Features:

Life On Mars: The Full Motion Capture Experience – A fun video introduction was taken in the recording studio by director/screenwriter, Simon Wells, and cast members Dan Fogler and Seth Green. After the introduction, viewers get to watch Mars Needs Moms in two forms, the final cut on the main screen and the rough cut or motion capture version at the small right corner of the screen while Wells, Fogler, and Green conduct a commentary. Hearing the guys talk about the process of making the film, their fellow cast and crew members, and so much more while watching two versions of the film simultaneously made for one incredible and unforgettable viewing experience. This is definitely the most complex commentary that I have viewed all year because I also got to see an entire film on the motion capture front and it is only thanks to owning the Blu-Ray edition. What an incredibly entertaining commentary and eye opening motion capture experience this is. This bonus feature alone is worth the purchase of a Blu-ray player.

Fun With Seth – Viewers get to see a few minutes of Seth Green and Dan Fogler goofing around on set, from singing made up songs to creating their own ninja fight. Clearly, the two had a lot of fun in between takes and had just as much fun making the film as it was watching. Also appearing in this feature are Elisabeth Harnois, Director/Screenwriter, Simon Wells, and First AD, David H. Venghaus Jr.

Martian 101 – Members of the cast as well as director/screenwriter, Simon Wells discuss how they came up with their own unique Martian language. It is fun and exciting to see a bit of the cast in studio making these sounds, this new language of theirs and also bringing it to live in their sit down interview to discuss the language. The cast does not go too deep into explaining the language, but you will pick up a few things from Dialogue Coach, Stephen Kearn. Also appearing in this feature are screenwriter, Wendy Wells and cast members, Elisabeth Harnois, Mindy Sterling, and Kevin Cahoon.

Extended Opening with Simon Wells Introduction – What’s wonderful about Wells’ introduction about the extended opening is that he tells the viewers why the footage that did not make the final cut was removed. An introduction just would not seem complete without a reasoning, so it was reaffirming to see him get right to the point. Know that the footage is not only very dark, as he mentions, but also has unfinished visuals. I love when the visuals are not always completed in special features because it helps me appreciate all of the stages of this creation even more. Whether or not it takes away from the final footage is up to.

Deleted Scenes with Simon Wells Introductions – There are 6 deleted scenes on the Blu-Ray edition with very brief introductions by Wells. The scenes are shown at various stages in the visuals, from being finished to just the actor’s video reference cut together. “Angry George Ribble” seems to have the most stages of the visuals there, so it’s quite interesting to see. “Gribble Growing Up” is scene where Dan Fogler shines on the set and there is a small split screen at times of the scene in more advanced stages of production so that we can understand better what is happening. Fogler gives an incredibly moving performance even when you as the viewer are unsure what he is doing since we know that what he is doing is such an internal and external struggle. Still with that said, none of the scenes stood out enough for the overall story, so it’s a good thing none of these made it to the final cut. The scenes are titled, “Begonia Attack,” “Adlibs From Gribble’s Lair,” “Swinging Bridge,” “Angry George Ribble,” “Gribble Growing Up,” and “Mars Monorail.”

Own Mars Needs Moms on 4 or 2 Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and Movie Download August 9, 2011.