I was disappointed with the animation montage shown at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. The presentation was incomplete, as it did not include the well-done Igor, which was released in the fall and has just come out on DVD.  Having missed it in the theaters (much to the chagrin of my 7-year-old son), when I finally had the opportunity to watch the film on DVD, I wish I could have seen it on the big screen. Igor is a visually wonderful movie that contains outstanding performances by the entire cast, is strange yet very humorous, and an actual message that isn’t too preachy (hello WALL-E, I’m talking to you).

John Cusack, in a rare lighthearted performance (it reminded me of his early ’80s work like Better Off Dead), stars as the titular character, a hunchbacked assistant to Dr. Glickenstein (John Cleese). Igor lives in a country of evil scientists involved with an annual evil invention contest held by their ruler, the sneaky Prince Malpert (Jay Leno). Dr. Glickenstein is an idiot and Igor ends up covering for his mistakes. When the doltish doctor dies, Igor decides to prove once and for all that all Igors are not alike and that he is as smart as any other evildoer. With the help of two sidekicks (that he created), Brain, a lamebrain in a jar (Sean Hayes) and Scamper, a cynical bunny who can’t die (Steve Buscemi), Igor creates Eva (Molly Shannon), thinking she will be the ultimate mean monster — but instead, she’s a sweet creation who loves show tunes.

Initially, Igor tries to turn Eva evil, but he is soon swayed by her sweetness and eventually falls in love with her. Unfortunately, the truly evil Dr. Schadenfreude (Eddie Izzard) and his shape-shifting girlfriend, Jaclyn (Jennifer Coolidge), get their hands on Eva and plan to use her to win the competition. It’s up to Igor and his sidekicks to save Eva – and their country – from real evildoers. Continue reading →