“Home” is the latest in a relatively short list of movies that are actually undersold by their trailers. To me, the advertisements made the film look like a very generic fish-out-of-water story. Much to my enjoyment and surprise, “Home” is far warmer and more inviting than I expected.

The creature design and animation are well executed and just plain fun to look at. The characters are emotive and the world feels simultaneously far-fetched and familiar. The ubiquitousness of Jim Parson’s voice (who portrays Sheldon Cooper in the immensely popular show “The Big Bang Theory”) at times breaks the fourth wall simply because audiences will have heard Parsons delivering socially awkward, scientifically-laden dialogue for years. Nevertheless, by the end of the film, I had fully come to embrace Parsons’ character of Oh. Once again, the trailer very misguidedly chooses to advertise the most Sheldon-esque scenes, which is, in my opinion, a disservice to the film.

I was pleasantly surprised by the level of imagination and inventiveness brought to bear by the film proper. The story that unfolds in the theatre is very different from what I imagined it would be from the advertisements. It’s a better story, a more interesting story and one that resonated with me far more than I had initially believed.

This is exactly the type of film that kids will enjoy for its colorfulness and its goofiness and adults hopefully will enjoy far more than they might anticipate. I would not have chosen to see this movie were it not for my position as a film reviewer. That said, I’m very glad for my time with “Home” and have enthusiastically recommended it to my parents; and now do the same to you, dear reader. While still a far cry from being included in my favorite animated movies, there is very real charm in “Home.” It’s expressive, heartfelt and surprisingly interesting from a science-fiction point of view.

4 of 6 stars