‘Sausage Party’ actually rises above the raunch

I can almost envision another round of mouth-breathing parents who merely see a poster of animated foodstuff and decide to saunter into "Sausage Party" with their children, much like they did when they saw "Deadpool" and thought it would be just another superhero flick to share with their youngsters.

And I can only hope they are prepared to have lengthy conversations about what their children's developing minds would witness with the cavalcade of crudity that is packed into "Party's" 90 minutes.

While "Sausage Party's" humor may be of the lowest common denominator variety, its narrative aspirations are quite lofty. It's as dirty as a freshly dug garden, but it has much more on its mind as it takes on taboos that are likely to offend many who wander in thinking they are just there to watch some raunchy yuks.

And while there are parts that play out like Pixar's take on "Caligula," writers Seth Rogen, Ariel Shaffir, Evan Goldberg and Kyle Hunter manage to mix in some heady themes as the plot follows a group of talking foodstuffs around a grocery store.

"Party" also manages to be one of the funniest films of the year so far.

Frank, a pre-packaged hot dog (voiced by Seth Rogen) and Brenda, his bun girlfriend (voiced by Kristen Wiig) are patiently waiting in their grocery store aisle to be taken to the Great Beyond by one of the many passing humans. This mystical, magical place is called into question when a returned jar of mustard (voiced by Danny McBride) speaks of the horrible fate that awaits them on the other side of that sliding glass door.

After a shopping cart slip sends several food items to the floor, Frank and Brenda elude the cleanup crew to set out and find answers for themselves. This leads them to aisles they have never visited and encountering food from all parts of the market. And before you think this is merely a chance to work in countless raunchy entendres and stereotypes (they do) or engage in anarchic behavior (they will), it also beats strong with a subversive streak under its completely chaotic concept.

Sure, Rogen has dabbled with this concept of blending stoner-comedy raunch and lunacy in more traditional narratives ("Pineapple Express," "The Night Before," and, most effectively, "This is the End"), but with the boundless canvas of animation, he can really let his freak flag fly. There will certainly be times where you wonder how this film even made it into the production stage, but its audacity is also one of its many strengths.

Countless comedic and distinguished actors lend their voices - Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek - and all seem to be content to roll with the all-out assault the writers are willing to wage on just about every societal sacred cow. That said, "Party" stays true its title and never feels mean-spirited or self-righteous. While it may frequently have its mouth the gutter, it has a hell of a lot else on its dirty little mind.

One final note: If you are a parent who thinks your child is mature enough to handle what it's dishing out, please, please, please, reconsider unless you have enough to cover your kid's therapy bills for the next few years.