rich with ostensibly cinematic elements, from skyscraping villains to a sprawling fantasy world-even really belongs on the big screen. Moving it there has somehow shrunk its humongous pleasures
no matter how fantastical the tale (and it gets pretty out-there at points), this splendid Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation makes it possible for audiences of all ages to wrap their heads around one of the unlikeliest friendships in cinema history
lanky, long-limbed, and five stories tall, this gentle behemoth with jug-ears and a vocabulary of gibberish malapropisms is the main reason to see this sweet kiddie fantasia
by Brian Truitt [USA Today ]
