'Storks' have teeth and other startling revelations
The animated Storks (in theaters nationwide Friday) delves into the myth that storks actually delivered babies around the world.
That's totally not true. However, there are other fascinating nature claims in the movie that directors Doug Sweetland and Nick Stoller insist are entirely factual.
"Storks might as well be a documentary," Sweetland says. "My great dream is that our movie will be research for other stork movies."
He's fibbing, of course. But let's explore Storks' big revelations.
1. Storks have teeth.
Andy Samberg's stork Junior flashes some serious chompers.
"Junior is a handsome leading man, so we gave him a good jaw and chompers. It sets an absurd tone," Sweetland says. "We could not have pulled this movie off without bird teeth, honestly."
2. Wolf packs can go full helicopter.
Keegan-Michael Key (as Alpha) and Jordan Peele (Beta) voice wolves whose pack can magically transform into a flying helicopter or submarine. It's a showstopper.
"Those are the most expensive sequences in the movie, for such a stupid joke," Stoller says. "But it totally pays off."
3. Some pigeons rock toupees.
Actor Stephen Kramer Glickman voices the unctuous corporate villain Pigeon Toady with a California surfer accent. And this bird baddie has great hair, even if it is a wig.
"He's just trying to look handsome to influence people," Glickman says. "He's really weird and not a nice person."
4. Birds aren't the only stars of the show.
Katie Crown has a breakthrough voice performance as the orphan Tulip. Raised by storks, she helps find the home for a mislaid baby. One hilarious scene in which Tulip plays multiple characters to amuse herself in a lonely office was all Crown improv.
"It was all one take," Crown says. "We were goofing around, thinking what Tulip would do if she was stuck by herself. I couldn't believe how it came together onscreen."
5. Small birds can double as golf balls.
Hunter (Kelsey Grammer) found novel ways to torture tiny (but resilient) birds, using them as golf balls and pendulum balls in a Newton's Cradle desk set. The birds do get revenge.
"The moral of the story is practice with regulation golf equipment," Sweetland says.