The character of Ygor made his first horror appearance in the underrated 1939 "Son of Frankenstein." As played by Bela Lugosi, he was an important, serious character. That approach didn't last long, and the incompetent hunchbacked lab assistant became the sidekick made so famous by Marty Feldman in "Young Frankenstein."

Using that familiar character, "Igor" attempts to do with horror stereotypes and cliches what "Shrek" did with fairy tales. Though it has clever moments, it doesn't come close to the polished animation, wit and originality of the big green guy. In terms of plot and visual style, this film is much closer to "Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas."

In the realm of Malaria, where it's always a dark and stormy night, everyone plays his or her role. Every mad scientist has his Igor, whose job description is limited to lisping "Yes, Master" at the appropriate moments and pulling the switch when ordered to. But one Igor (voice of John Cusack) dreams of bettering his station by designing his own evil inventions. He already has two less-than-completely-successful attempts: Scamper (Steve Buscemi), a resurrected rabbit who suffers existential dread at his immortality, and Brain (Sean Hayes), an intellectually challenged brain in a jar. When his boss, Dr. Glickenstein (John Cleese), falls victim to an experiment gone awry, Igor sees his chance and sets out to create the ultimate monster, a huge robot for Malaria's upcoming Evil Science Fair.

He stitches together Eva (Molly Shannon), who has the size but not the temperament of a truly evil monster. Why? It all has to do with Blanche DuBois and the musical "Annie."

Scamper and the villain, Dr. Schadenfreude (Eddie Izzard), have the funniest lines, but the sarcastic humor will probably go over the heads of the youngest viewers. Those same viewers may have a problem with the animation, too. Even the sweetest of these characters tend more toward the grotesque than the cute-and-cuddly. That's not to say the film doesn't have warmth. It does, and it's never too scary. But even the desolate future envisioned in this summer's hit "Wall-E" has more immediate appeal for kids who might not be familiar with the source material for "Igor."

-- Mike Mayo (Sept. 19, 2008)

Contains mild violence and scary images.