Jeffrey Katzenberg may think otherwise but in the world of animation, there’s PIXAR and then there’s everyone else. While Pixar effortlessly keeps pumping out one masterpiece after the next, you’d have to be seriously delusional to highlight five such films on the Dreamworks Animation roster. Actually, cross that… I’d be impressed if someone could make a case for three such movies. The only film in the Dreamworks cannon that I’d vouch as a great movie is Nick Park’s “Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were Rabbit” – a film that was exclusively produced and created at Aardman Studios.

But with 2008’s “Kung-Fu Panda” and this April’s charming “How to Train your Dragon,” there seems to be a movement developing within the studio to actually produce quality plot-centric films instead of stale celebrity-voice driven pop-culture fests. The studio’s latest film “Megamind” isn’t up to par with “Panda” or “Dragon” but it’s a far more engaging and intelligent work than most of the studio’s output in the last five years (the “Madagascar movies, “Over the Hedge,” “Monsters vs. Aliens,” “Bee Movie, the last two “Shrek” sequels) and it does this despite the big-star voices and pop-culture references.

“Megamind” opens with a nifty flashback/prologue sequence that sets the satirical tone for rest of the movie. Two alien babies are shot off their dying home planets towards Earth. The first one, a square jawed kid with super strength and the ability to fly, lands on the doorsteps of a rich family and grows up to be Metro Man (Brad Pitt) – the savior of Metro City. The second, a blue-skinned bulb-headed kid lands face first into a prison and eventually takes on the moniker of Megamind (Will Ferrell).

Like Superman and Lex Luther, Metro Man and Megamind engage in an intense (and often comic) rivalry for the control of Metro City. The opening 20 minutes of the film featuring a battle between Megamind and Metro Man is loaded with hilarious comic book-style bantering. Being a walking cliché, Megamind’s evil plans almost always involve kidnapping Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey), a Lois Lane-like reporter who has to be saved by Metro Man from the dastardly clutches of evil. Unfortunately for poor Megamind, his plans always end up being foiled by Metro Man who is simply too good. But one day something extraordinary happens: To everyone’s surprise (including his own), Megamind actually wins! With no one around to save the day anymore, he’s now king of the city. But what’s a supervillain to do if he has nobody to fight against? What’s Lex Luthor without Superman? What’s the Joker without Batman? Useless, that’s what. So to rectify that, he decides to create a new superhero named Tighten (Jonah Hill) but things go awry when Megamind realizes that Tighten isn't such a nice guy.

“Megamind” is the second animated feature of 2010 to feature a supervillain as its hero after this summer’s smash hit “Despicable Me.” But while that film was more of a straight-up take on a super-villain, “Megamind” is pure satire. The film is brimmed with nods and references to superhero archetypes and mythology from secret lairs to sidekicks to helpless damsels-in-distress (a nod to Marlon Brando’s Joe-El in particular, is inspired!). Additionally, you can clearly tell that director Tom McGrath was inspired by Pixar’s “The Incredibles” – “The Godfather” of animated action movies.

Despite its derivative nature, the film somehow never feels stale thanks to a zany script rich with clever visual gags and subtle pop-cultural references (a Dreamworks trademark), terrific animation and impressive voice work by Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt who are fantastic. Ferrell injects Megamind’s character with enough aloofness and silliness to make us love the guy. Pitt on the other hand is clearly having a ball playing the suave, straight laced Metro Man. The only thing that prevents “Megamind” from really standing out though, is the filmmakers’ inability to inject more emotion and depth into the screenplay. It’s this vital element that punctures its potential to be a truly excellent movie.

3D Note: Like most animated movies being released these days, "Megamind" is playing with the option of 3D. There's nothing noteworthy in 3D so you're best off saving your extra $3.

BOTTOM LINE: “Megamind” is a clever and largely entertaining animated satire on superheroes. While it’s in no way or form comparable to “Toy Story 3” or “How to Train your Dragon,” it’s a notch above the thematically similar “Despicable Me” and mediocre “Shrek Forever After.” Additionally, it’s certainly better than anything Dreamworks’ is ejected into theaters in the last five years barring the aforementioned “Dragon” and “Kung-Fu Panda.” It may not be very deep, memorable or offer much of a message for the kids but it’ll keep everyone entertained for its duration.

GRADE: B

MEGAMIND

Directed by: Tom McGrath

Written by: Alan J. Schoolcraft, Brent Simons

Starring (voices of): Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill

Rated: PG (for action and some language).