Gorgeous character design and some delightful voice performances elevate this uneven CGI romp in which a bunch of "ugly" Australian animals break out of a zoo and head for the outback.

The slapstick is seasoned with some dryly laconic jokes and a lot of wit has gone into the score, which ranges from surfing hits to Charles Aznavour.

There's just too little fresh creative passion here in a project that's sometimes sweet but also remarkably programmatic.

Back to the Outback is probably a cute adventure for children, but outside of that, its just a generically forgettable animated kids film.