An interesting mix of live action & animation, in Osmosis Jones (2001) we have Bill Murray as the widowed dad Frank, struggling with his grief & his desire to be a better father, but failing even at the simple things like good grooming.
He's got the sniffles, or perhaps worse, & really not well enough to live up to a promise to his daughter Shane (Elena Franklin).
He's trying his best not to spoil his kid's special day by getting sick & finking out on her, but he really is very sick.
Inside his body is a cartoon world, a Gotham City sort of world as City of Frank, with blood vessels for roads to all neighborhoods head to toe, & a mayoral election in progress to re-elect Mayor Phlegmming (William Shatner).
The city's population is devoted to sustaining dad's body. Except the villain, a creepy, deadly viral infection, Thrax (Laurence Fishburne), with a hankering for the complete destruction of the City of Frank.
Outside in the real world, Dad takes a time-release capsule hoping it'll keep him going through the day. Inside his body the capsule becomes a kind of jet-propelled superhero named Drix (David Hyde Pierce), zipping around looking for evidence of disease that he can zap.
He is joined the battle by a white blood cell Imunity policeman named Osmosis Jones (Chris Rock). He has a somewhat unfair repuatation as a screw-up, but really he's got no end of bravery in fighting the good fight in service of the city.
With the current political situation for the mayor's election, Jones can't expect the back-up support, so it's up to him & Drix to save the city on the strength of their own slapstick partnership.
Entirely a kid film, it's good enough to hold adult interest. Murray is especially well cast, with the live-action performances better than the animation, despite that the "outside" story is thin & most of the imagination went into the animated inner world. The vocal cast for the cartoon characters are adequate to so-so, & the fast-action animation good enough to convey the story & keep children fully engrossed.
copyright © by Paghat the Ratgirl
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