Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
| Company type | Children's book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Judi Barrett (author), Ron Barrett (illustrator) |
| Products | Children's literature |
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a children's book authored by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett, first issued in 1978 by Atheneum Books and later reprinted as a trade paperback by Aladdin Paperbacks. Presently, Simon & Schuster manages its publication. The book has earned significant accolades, including placement on the "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" list by the National Education Association in 2007, as well as ranking among the "Top 100 Picture Books" according to School Library Journal in 2012.
A follow-up titled Pickles to Pittsburgh was published in 1997 by Atheneum Books, with a hardcover edition released in 2009. Another sequel, Planet of the Pies, came out on August 27, 2013.
Plot
The narrative centers around a grandfather who recounts to his grandchildren the tale of Chewandswallow, a unique town where meals and beverages descend from the sky instead of typical weather phenomena, serving as the community's sole food source. As the quantity and size of the falling food increase, it leads to complications such as traffic jams caused by spaghetti strands and fog composed of pea soup. These escalating food-related calamities result in school shutdowns and damage to homes. Eventually, residents evacuate aboard sailboats crafted from enormous sandwiches and relocate to a new settlement where they adjust to regular weather patterns and purchasing food from stores. After hearing the story, the grandchildren fall asleep and awaken to a snow day, imagining the snow-covered environment as if it were buttered mashed potatoes.
Sequels
Pickles to Pittsburgh
Published on October 1, 1997, Pickles to Pittsburgh follows the grandchildren receiving a postcard from their grandfather who is exploring the remnants of Chewandswallow. Inspired, they envision aiding him in reconstructing the devastated area and distributing large quantities of food to impoverished countries and homeless shelters, despite ongoing risks of additional food storms.
Planet of the Pies
The third installment, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3: Planet of the Pies, released on August 27, 2013, portrays a dream experienced by Grandpa involving humanity’s inaugural manned mission to Mars, where inhabitants contend with frequent pie storms.
Film adaptations
An animated film adaptation by Sony Pictures Animation premiered on September 18, 2009, followed by a DVD release on January 5, 2010. This version introduced new characters and altered the premise from naturally occurring food weather to food generated by an invention. Bill Hader and Anna Faris provided voices for Flint Lockwood, an inventive young man striving to improve life through his creations, and Samantha "Sam" Sparks, a meteorologist who masks her intellect with an upbeat demeanor. The voice cast also featured James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Benjamin Bratt, among others.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller co-wrote and co-directed the film as both a tribute and satire of disaster films such as Twister, Armageddon, and The Day After Tomorrow, along with Sony’s then-upcoming 2012.
Departing from the book’s bedtime storytelling style, the film focuses on Flint Lockwood’s invention—a device that transforms atmospheric water vapor into edible items. Initially beneficial for Swallow Falls (the film’s counterpart to Chewandswallow), overuse causes malfunctions that trigger dangerous food-based weather worldwide.
A sequel titled Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was released on September 27, 2013. It features an original plot independent from the book sequel Pickles to Pittsburgh.