As an "interactive" movie, in which the whole family is encouraged to sing along and dance, The Oogieloves fails miserably. The tale of three multi-colored blobs hunting for lost magical balloons feels like a bad pilot, the kind that post-Barney PBS would reject out of hand. It looks like one too, with Matthew Diamond's sloppy direction and the tacky design belying the film's substantial $20 million budget. The guest stars try their best to fill the void, ranging from the genuinely enthusiastic Christopher Lloyd to the downright bizarre and creepy Cary Elwes. Worst of all, the movie patronizes the kids. After the respect given to children by Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks in the past few years, it's hard to fathom a film made for them in collaboration with the "marketing visionary behind Teletubbies." To borrow from Oogielove talk, "Oogust" is truly the cruelest month for kids of all ages.
