Visually imaginative and ethically rich, the apocalypse has never been as tasty as served in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Based on the 1970s children book by Jodi & Ron Barrett (from which this movie takes many a detour), Cloudy... opens on a dreary marine community which has found itself in the black after world interest in its major export – sardines – dries up.

Bill Hader voices resident nut Flint Lockwood, an inspiring inventor who inadvertently creates a machine which absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and makes it rain food like mana from the sky.

As hamburgers, ice cream, and (of course) meatballs fall at an alarming rate, it quickly becomes apparent that what we have here is not only a fine animated film, but one of the best disaster movies to grace the silver screen in a looooong time.

While impressive visuals keeps the film favourably sweet, eccentrically wonderful characters gives it the right amount of spice needed to separate it from other cookie-cutter Pixar clones.

Hader’s socially unhinged anti-hero, whose paranoia and delusions of grandeur makes him an equally pitiful and entertaining animated figure, holds his ground amongst a cast of left field misfits, from Andy Samberg’s local celebrity clinging on to the last remnants of fame, to Anna Faris’ weather girl whose feelings for Flint reveal the closeted nerd she has tried to suppress in her looks obsessed work culture.

Most impressive of all is its creamy centre of ethical commentary towards greed, and mankind’s dependence on technology to right wrongs without pre-thought towards the monstrous aftermath that might come from it (i.e., the industrial revolution and global warming).

As the film progresses, gluttonous behaviour reigns amongst its townspeople, as they shovel wads of food down their throat while stuck in self congratulations, with their self centred mayor (Bruce Campbell) symbolic of their descent, as depicted through his monstrous obesity.

That the most pure of heart in this chronicle of unethical scientific endeavour is Flints technologically bereft blue collar dad (James Caan), says something about the nature of greed and the ease from which it can be attained through technology.

Coupled with the fact that borht ruce “The King” Campbell and Mr.T provide voice work, makes Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs all the more enjoyable.