MANILA, Philippines--If filmmakers can take the icky idea of rats in the kitchen, turn it inside out, make it stand on its head and produce an adorable animated movie (?Ratatouille?), then surely, it should be easier to create charm and laughter from inherently cute guinea pigs who also happen to be superspy types equipped with fancy gear and commando skills. You?d think so, anyway.

The folks behind ?G-Force,? the latest 3D animated feature from Walt Disney Pictures, just couldn?t seem to come up with a good enough story, however?and, when you don?t have an interesting tale to tell, not even the cutest, most heroic balls of fur can save the day. Directed by Hoyt H. Yeatman Jr., the movie is energetic and effects-laden enough, but not as fun as its trailers would have you believe.

Still, it will likely go down well with the under-10 crowd who are just looking for lots of action, furry creatures, and 3D gimmickry. But, their parents and older siblings may find it only mildly entertaining.

Secret project

The film focuses on the exploits of three special agent-wannabe guinea pigs and one mole?Darwin (Sam Rockwell), Blaster (Tracy Morgan), Juarez (Penélope Cruz), and Speckles the Mole (Nicolas Cage). The guinea pigs and other small animals (including flies and cockroaches) are all part of a federally funded secret project headed by the shaggy but affable Dr. Ben Kindall (Zach Galifianakis).

The animals have all been trained to infiltrate and gather information from places unreachable by humans, but unfortunately for them, the FBI just doesn?t consider the program impressive.

In order to avoid getting shut down, the crew has to prove that they have what it takes to be special agents, so they embark on a mission: To gain access to the secret files of billionaire appliance king, Saber (Bill Nighy), whom the government suspects of having plans for world domination.

However, things don?t unfold exactly as planned?and the team ends up behind glass in a pet store! More contretemps ensue, but they still manage to save the world, anyway.

Notwithstanding an endless series of fast-paced scenes?one featuring a tire and two guinea pigs is a winner??G-Force? has a curiously dragging feel, perhaps because it?s hard to root for the rather flat characters, or because the danger simply doesn?t feel immediate. But, watch out for appliances morphing into fighting, killing machines a la ?Transformers,? and for some nifty 3D effects.