Jess Harnell Movies

All of the "pets" in this half hour cartoon series (two short segments per episode) were space aliens who had escaped the "boredom" of their own world in favor of new adventures on earth. The animalistic extraterrestrials all landed in the backyard of taffy-eatin 12 year old Tommy Cadle, who lived in DeSpray Bay. Headquartering themselves in an old lighthouse tower, Tommy's new friends dedicated themselves to solving all of the boy's problems, but generally ended up making a mess of things. The alien aggreagation included Dinko, the leader; Gumpers, a slobbering, lazy, lovable monstrosity; wacky, hyper-active Flip, who evidently spoke in tongues; the obnoxious, spoiled Swanky; and the loyal, doglike Scruffy. Pet Aliens was first seen January 23, 2005 over the Cartoon Network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The initial season of the animated reality-show spoof Drawn Together consists of eight episodes, each one savagely parodying the clichés and stereotypes of both the "reality" and "cartoon" genres within the context of several washed-up animated celebrities forced to live together under the same roof. In the opening episode, "Hot Tub," Disneyesque Princess Clara manages to lay a racist slur upon Hanna-Barbera-esque Foxxy Love, while video-game hero Xandir reveals himself to be a closet gay. In "Clara's Dirty Little Secret," it is revealed that the titular heroine has been cursed by her wicked stepmother to suffer from tentacled monster living in her -- uh -- privates. Xandir finally comes out in "Gay Bash," while foulmouthed prankster Spanky Ham exploits the Pokémon-derived Ling-Ling. Bitchy Betty Boop sound-alike Toot Braunstein grows more obese than ever, stiff-necked Captain Hero finds out that he enjoys bondage, and the SpongeBob-ish Wooldor Sockbat is bullied into helping Spanky capture Princess Clara's timid woodland friends in "Requiem for a Reality Show." Next, "The Other Cousin" finds Clara's well-named relative Bleh paying a visit. In "Terms of Endearment," Captain Hero's X-ray vision gives Foxxy a brain tumor. The whimsical Spanky finally goes too far when he takes a dump on a pizza in "Dirty Pranking Number 2." And in the finale, subtly titled "The One Wherein There Is a Big Twist," Drawn Together meets The Apprentice as Machiavellian billionaire Bucky Bucks plays one roommate against the other. Through the season are sprinkled innumerable "inside" references to cartoon history, a plethora of gratuitous sex gags, and even guest appearances by the likes of Elmer Fudd and Snagglepuss. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Animaniacs race to the wishing star to try and make all their dreams come true. ~ Rovi

You don't become a playwright, at least a successful one, without having more than your share of sensitivities. In fact, a goodly proportion of the artists in present-day L.A. are too sensitive for their own good, which causes no end of problems. For Tom, an Australian-born playwright who has "made good" in la-la-land, his success has resulted in serious strains in his relationship with his wife and daughter back in Melbourne, and with himself -- strains which he eases with a succession of mood-altering pills. When a fresh young actress in one of his productions falls for him, he is so emotionally battered that he finds her attentions confusing and unsettling. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The interstellar battle between the Autobots and Decepticons rains destruction down on planet Earth as director Michael Bay adapts Hasbro and Takara's popular Transformers franchise into a big-budget, live-action summer tentpole extravaganza in this ambitious sci-fi action feature starring Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Bernie Mac, John Turturro, Jon Voight, and, of course, Optimus Prime and Megatron. Long ago, on the planet of Cybertron, a massive, powerful alien race divided into two factions, the noble Autobots, and the devious Decepticons. They fought for the sole access to a talisman known as the Allspark, a cube with the capacity to grant infinite power, and eventually the Autobots smuggled it off the planet's surface, hiding it in an unknown location on Earth. Now, hundreds of years later, the Deceptacons have come looking for it, and if the Autobots don't find it first, the Earth will be enslaved or destroyed by the evil aliens' use of its massive power. The Autobots don't know where the cube was hidden, but the information may be stored in the most unlikely of sources, as a gangly young Earthling named Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) who's just picked up his first car, has a strange connection to the Allspark's history, making him the unlikely ally of these enormous creatures, as they fight for humankind's survival and the chance to return home. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Dr. Seuss' classic, environmentally themed children's book comes to the big screen in this tale of a young boy who encounters a cantankerous forest creature after venturing outside of his artificial city in search of a tree. Ted (voice of Zac Efron) lives in a town where nothing is quite as it appears; everything is plastic, including the plants. Hopelessly smitten by the beautiful Audrey (voice of Taylor Swift), who dreams of one day seeing a real tree, Ted boldly leaves the city determined to find the flora and grant her wish. Along the way, the young adventurer crosses paths with the Lorax (voice of Danny DeVIto), a diminutive, mustached defender of nature who doesn't take kindly to human intruders. The better Ted gets to know the Lorax, however, the more he learns that his newfound friend has good reason for being a bit surly. Also featuring the voices of Betty White, Ed Helms, and Rob Riggle. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The long-running cartoon from William Hanna and Joseph Barbera that began life in 1969 as Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? becomes this live-action, tongue-in-cheek comedy-adventure featuring a computer-generated version of the easily frightened, mush-mouthed Great Dane. Freddie Prinze Jr. stars as Fred, the blonde, confident, ascot-sporting leader of Mystery Inc., a ghost-busting service that exposes phony supernatural phenomena as the work of shysters. Working with Fred are: his rich, beautiful girlfriend, Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who has a bad habit of getting kidnapped by villains; Velma (Linda Cardellini), the real brains of the group who pines secretly for Fred; cowardly slacker and dog's best friend Shaggy (Matthew Lillard); and the snack-gobbling pet pooch Scooby. However, after solving its latest case involving a beleaguered toy company owner (Pamela Anderson), the group fractures over Fred's habit of grabbing credit for everyone's hard work, despite the pleas of Shaggy and Scooby. Two years later, they are reunited at Spooky Island, a theme park and teen spring break destination that owner Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson) claims is plagued with ghosts. Suspicious as usual of any claims involving the paranormal, the Mystery Inc. clan is soon probing a scheme involving ancient rites, summoned spirits, and brainwashed college students, forcing the group members to resolve their differences and uncover the truth. Directed by Chris Columbus protégé Raja Gosnell, Scooby-Doo features the voice of Scott Innes as the title character. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

When a kindly elephant hears a faint cry of help from a floating speck of dust, his attempts to protect the tiny particle cause his neighbors to question his sanity in this animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' classic 1954 children's book of the same name. Produced by Ice Age makers Blue Sky, scripted by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, and directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, Horton Hears a Who reunites Bruce Almighty co-stars Jim Carrey and Steve Carell as the eponymous elephant and the mayor of Whoville respectively. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Clifford the Big Red Dog finally arrives on the big screen in the animated adventure Clifford's Really Big Movie, directed by Robert Ramirez. Clifford (voice of the late John Ritter) lives on Birdwell Island with his owner Emily Elizabeth Howard (voice of Grey DeLisle). Even though he loves the Howards, Clifford starts to think that his enormous size is too much of a problem for them. Feeling unwanted, he runs off and joins the circus with his friends Cleo (voice of Cree Summer) and T-Bone (voice of Kel Mitchell). They fall in with a gang of other runaway animals, including a Chihuahua and a ferret. The dogs compete in a big contest in order to win a lifetime supply of Tummy Yummies. Clifford's Really Big Movie encourages preschoolers to develop trust, independence, and confidence. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi