NEW YORK (CNS) -- Popular culture's relentless drive to portray a homosexual lifestyle as merely one more form of diversity and its view of out-of-wedlock motherhood as a respectable choice, at least for mature women, mars the otherwise unobjectionable animated comedy "Storks" (Warner Bros.).

Though the images by which these messages are conveyed are brief, even teens who are not well catechized should keep their distance from the movie. (As the description that follows will probably make clear, however, they're unlikely to be interested in it in the first place.)

Directors Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland's film (Stoller also wrote the screenplay) centers on an ambitious, can-do stork named Junior (voice of Andy Samberg).

Tapped by his boss, Hunter (voice of Kelsey Grammer), to take over the big-box store shipping system his breed now operates in lieu of delivering babies, Junior is on top of the world. At least, that is, until Tulip (voice of Katie Crown), a human orphan who was long ago stranded among the birds, derails his plans by accidentally setting the storks' disused infant manufacturing machinery to work.

Together, Junior and Tulip scramble to get the child thus produced to her destined parents, Sarah (voice of Jennifer Aniston) and Henry (voice of Ty Burrell), and her young brother, Nate (voiced by Anton Starkman), before the potentially career-ruining mistake can be discovered.

Their odyssey is leavened with some positive, arguably pro-life, values. Since babies are cute, the unspoken, unabashedly sentimental, moral might be: Stuff in cartons is secondary. The film also benefits from a clever turn by Stephen Kramer Glickman voicing Pigeon Toady, the office nuisance who becomes the villain of the piece.

But the last-minute intrusion of the gay agenda, along with a misguided take on voluntarily chosen single parenthood, renders this occasionally funny but mostly awkward picture completely unsuitable for its target audience of kids. Only the brevity and passing nature of the inappropriate material keeps "Storks" from being objectionable for all.

"Storks" is preceded by "The Master," a subpar martial arts-themed comedy short featuring Lego figures.

The film contains fleeting visuals endorsing homosexual acts and unwed motherhood and some potentially scary situations. The Catholic News Service classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.

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CAPSULE REVIEW

"Storks" (Warner Bros.)

Occasionally funny but mostly awkward animated comedy in which the plans of an ambitious stork (voice of Andy Samberg) who's been tapped by his boss (voice of Kelsey Grammer) to take over the big-box store shipping system his breed now operates in lieu of delivering babies are derailed when a human orphan (voice of Katie Crown) who was long ago stranded among the birds accidentally sets their disused infant manufacturing machinery to work. Together the duo scramble to get the child thus produced to her destined parents (voices of Jennifer Aniston and Ty Burrell) and young brother (voiced by Anton Starkman) before the potentially career-ruining mistake can be discovered. Their odyssey is leavened with some positive, arguably pro-life, values and a clever turn by Stephen Kramer Glickman voicing the office nuisance who becomes the villain of the piece. But the intrusion of the gay agenda into the final moments of directors Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland's film (Stoller also wrote the screenplay) makes it completely unsuitable for its target audience of kids. Given the implicit equation of same-sex coupling with racial and ethnic diversity, and an unspoken endorsement of out-of-wedlock conception, even teens who are not well catechized should keep their distance. Fleeting visuals endorsing homosexual acts and unwed motherhood, some potentially scary situations. The Catholic News Service classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

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CLASSIFICATION

"Storks" (Warner Bros.) -- Catholic News Service classification, A-II -- adults and adolescents. Motion Picture Association of America rating, PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.