This album is a warm, lovely and soothing collection of acoustic-based songs. The lyrics are simple (but not simplistic), the melodies are catchy and memorable, and the arrangements are beautifully understated, leaving plenty of room for Johnson's relaxed and earthy voice. Jack Johnson stays pretty true to the many qualities that have turned him into some sort of a cult figure in recent years, and was the perfect choice to score one of the best kids movies made in recent years.

What I love the most about this soundtrack is that unlike more typical soundtracks to kids' movies (think of most of the post-Beauty and the Beast Disney soundtracks), it avoids the bombastic, Broadway-musical approach. Forget the ultra-wordy, falsely dramatic, sacharine-loaded production tricks that litter too many kids movies these days; what you get here is songs that your kids will enjoy, and that you (as an adult) will have a great time listening to. There is something uplifting and positive, in a smooth way, about songs such as "Upside down", "Talk of the town" (my personal favourite), "Lullabye", "Broken" and "We're going to be friends".

Either way, don't be turned off by the fact that this music is featured in a children's movie. This album sits beautifully amongst the discography of Jack Johnson, and will serve as a fantastic introduction to his music for many people.