Alli and I went with her sister, fiancee and to-be nieces last weekend to see Monsters vs. Aliens, the latest offering from Dreamworks Animation Studios, the people who brought us Shrek and Kung Fu Panda.

The movie is a lot of fun. There were several moments where I laughed out loud at the antics of Bob (the blob, Seth Rogen), The Missing Link (ape-fish man, Will Arnett), and Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie). But the plot itself is a little tired. Aliens invade with the idea of colonizing Earth. SNOOZE.

But the animation and the voice acting done by the Monsters and the main alien (Rainn Wilson) is spot-on and there are plenty of great one-liners that will stick with adults who schlep their kids to this latest family offering. It’s worth the trip.

The story centers around a run-of-the-mill bride (Reese Witherspoon) who gets hit by a meteorite just before her marriage to local Modesto, California weatherman Derek (Paul Rudd). Rudd is great as the greaseball local TV guy and Witherspoon’s charm manages to make its way through to her animated countenance.

The plot is really what fails this movie more than anything. I enjoyed it, but not because of the story. This movie dies if not for the great voiceover done by comedians Rogen and Arnett. And there really couldn’t be a better casting for a mad scientist than Hugh Laurie. Top that off with Stephen Colbert as the President and Kiefer Sutherland as the rogue general who has kept his monster force a secret and you’ve got a great cast.