One would think that eventually, a highly touted animated film from DreamWorks would fail to meet expectations.

What's that? Oh, right. "Bee Movie." Good point.

Well, I'm happy to report DreamWorks is back on track with "Monsters vs. Aliens," a story about humans (FYI: They still have not figured out how to animate humans quite right), a narcissistic alien and the good natured monsters we enlist to save us from said alien.

Directors Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon start us off by introducing us to Susan (Reese Witherspoon) and her fiancé Derek (Paul Rudd). This lays two pieces of important groundwork: One, we see that Susan is entirely devoted to Derek. Two, we see that Derek is entirely devoted to Derek. Thus, when Susan is hit by a meteor on their wedding day and consequently grows to the height of a skyscraper during their vows, it is not surprising that Derek yells at S.W.A.T. officers to get their hands off of him, not his freaked out fiancé, who is being attacked by tanks, helicopters, and giant tranquilizer guns. Derek even plays the "Don't you know who I am?" card. Who he is, by the way, is the weatherman for a Modesto, Calif. television station.

When Susan awakes from her giant-tranquilizer-dart-induced slumber, she finds herself in small room - small being a relative term for an abnormally tall woman - that offers plain steel walls as decoration. A door opens and frightened Susan is quite literally shoved into a much larger area with nothing but a chair and table sitting in the center of the room. She accidentally steps on the chair and crushes it, you know, being gigantic and all.

She hears voices. You might recognize them: Seth Rogen and Hugh Laurie. Susan is about to meet the three characters who are largely responsible for "Monsters vs. Aliens" being such an entertaining movie. Laurie is Dr. Cockroach and yes, he is a cockroach. Throw a lab coat on that cockroach and give him Laurie's sophisticated accent and you get the idea.

She also meets Link (short for The Missing Link), voiced by the magnificent pipes of Will Arnett, who is a fish-like monster. Keep your ears peeled for Link's line when the group goes outside for the first time in years (kudos to writers Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky) and it is noticeably warmer.

Arnett and Laurie both contribute nicely to "Monsters vs. Aliens," but I have saved the best for last: B.O.B. (Rogen). B.O.B. is a brainless blob, but as he says, "turns out you don't need a one!" When you laugh during "Monsters vs. Aliens," and you will, Las Vegas would probably put the odds at 10 to 1 it's B.O.B. causing the laughter. Whether he is hitting on a plate of Jell-o, confusing himself with Susan (B.O.B. convinces himself he is in love with Derek, too), or just being pleasantly brainless and oblivious, B.O.B. provides constant fun. Love or hate Rogen, his voice is perfect for the role.

Finally, we need an alien villain for these monsters to fight. Enter Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson), a squid-like fellow whose only companion is his ship's computer (Amy Poehler). He is obsessed particularly with Ginormica; did I mention the government renames Susan? Have I mentioned yet I have a word limit?

On the whole, "Monster vs. Aliens" is another homerun for DreamWorks Animation. And to think, I only saw it in 2D!

• Check out Carson's movie blog at www.juneaublogger.com/movies.