More 3-D animation hitting theaters

Movie: "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs"

When: Opening Friday at local theaters

Cast: Voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Neil Patrick Harris

Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller

The story: Wacky inventor Flint Lockwood wreaks havoc with his crazy creations, especially when he dreams up a device capable of transforming water into vittles, triggering a huge deluge of food.

The buzz: From "Coraline" and "Monsters vs. Aliens" to "Up" and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," it's been a banner year for 3-D animation, so this adaptation of Judi and Ron Barrett's beloved children's book -- complete with ice cream snowdrifts and pancakes big enough to pancake a school building -- should qualify as manna from heaven for kids of all ages.