Movie review
September 22, 2016 · 87 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Storks is a 2016 Warner Bros. animated adventure comedy in which storks have shifted from delivering babies to shipping packages for a retail giant until an accidental baby creation forces two employees into a chaotic delivery mission while evading their boss. The narrative centers on surrogate family bonds, orphan reconnection, and workaholic parents prioritizing their child through a road-trip plot filled with animal side characters and slapstick. A brief final montage shows babies delivered to same-sex couples alongside other families, which the filmmakers described as a deliberate choice to reflect contemporary society and broaden family definitions.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Storks.
Woke representation / casting
Voice cast uses diverse comedians in comedic animal and human roles that align with the fantasy premise without mismatches or forced signaling; ending visuals extend to same-sex couples by deliberate design.
Woke political dialogue
No spoken political, activist, or ideological lines appear anywhere in the film.
Identity-driven story themes
Core story engine runs on universal family formation, loyalty, and bonding through adventure with broad emotional payoff; creators added same-sex couple visuals at resolution to signal modern inclusive definitions of family.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Corporate boss prioritizes profit over baby delivery for laughs and is overturned in favor of the family mission; no sustained modern activist framing of capitalism, patriarchy, or systemic issues.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. Original story with no source material or reinterpretations.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Faith-based critics specifically objected to the same-sex family montage as left-leaning messaging for children; some parent discussions echoed concerns, though overall reaction volume remained low.
Creator track record context
Stoller and Sweetland prioritized inclusive family representation per their own statements on reflecting society; Stoller’s later explicit LGBTQ project adds supporting context despite mostly mainstream prior comedies.
Production
