Igor (left) embarks on building the ultimate evil invention, a huge, ferocious monster. But the monster turns out to be the harmless Eva. "Igor" doesn't turn out to be what makers had in mind, either. (Photo provided by MGM)

Animated feature unamusingly spoofs horror films

Dr. Frankenstein himself could not revive "Igor," an animated comedy about a hunchbacked lab assistant playing at mad scientist.

A potentially original premise and an eager voice cast led by John Cusack and Molly Shannon are left to decay amid a clunky story vaguely reminiscent of "Monsters, Inc.," and a clutter of cartoon images often resembling visuals rejected from "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride."

Director Tony Leondis ("Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch") and screenwriter Chris McKenna take a jumble of Hollywood horror cliches and shove them through a meat-grinder to concoct an awkward, unfunny comic twist on the evil-genius genre.

It all starts with a clumsy voiceover introduction by Igor (Cusack), one of the unsung lab gofers who help the kingdom of Malaria's demented inventors come up with their diabolical creations.

Seems Malaria was once sunny farmland until perpetual storm clouds moved in and choked off the crops -- and the inhabitants' good dispositions. King Malbert (Jay Leno) came up with a new industry -- EVIL -- and he holds an annual competition to find the nastiest monsters, machines and doodads to extort cash from the rest of the world.

After Igor's crazy master (John Cleese) snuffs himself in an experiment gone bad, the hunchback seizes the opportunity to become a mad scientist himself by creating a behemoth terror of a woman (Shannon) out of spare parts.

Trouble is: His beast turns out to be a p----cat who calls herself Eva, would never hurt a fly and dreams only of becoming an actress.

With the aid of his other creations, an immortal bunny with a death wish (Steve Buscemi) and a dumbbell brain in a jar (Sean Hayes), Igor races to turn Eva into a malevolent colossus in time for the Evil Science Fair. There's nothing truly bad or baneful about "Igor." It's just completely empty of laughs.

Where's the torch-wielding village mob when you need it?

- By David Germain / Associated Press

Igor

Rating: 2 stars (out of four)

Cast: John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Jay Leno, Eddie Izzard, Sean Hayes, John Cleese, Molly Shannon, Jennifer Coolidge, Arsenio Hall.

Running time: 86 minutes.

Rated: PG; some thematic elements, scary images, action and mild language.