Featuring the voices of Justin Long, Jessica Biel, and Dwayne Johnson. Rated G. Opens Friday, November 20, at the Cinemark Tinseltown

Despite their green skin and floppy antennae, the locals of Planet 51—also the name of this curious new animated film—bear much similarity to the inhabitants of the U.S. in the 1950s, right down to the fierce gender delineation, quiet homophobia, rampant militarism, and overarching fear of the unknown. On the upside of that retrogression are all those smooth pastels, chrome-tinged fins on cars that hover just off the ground, rockabilly on the radio, and a curvaceous, blobular shape to things in general. (What those ’60s protestors are doing there is anybody’s guess.)

The planet’s orderly way of life is interrupted by the arrival of an American astronaut, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, who is surprised to find anything more than water and dirt. He’s more a slick promo man than the advance wave of anything sinister—and why would anyone be frightened by the sudden appearance of an American flag on foreign soil?—although you wouldn’t know that from the panicked reaction of a top general (Gary Oldman) and scientist (John Cleese) who want to destroy the “alien” and his robotic sidekick. Thus it falls to neighbourhood nice guy Lem (Justin Long) and the literal girl next door (Jessica Biel) to save the space invaders.

What ensues is a lot of vividly executed material, full of visual wit, heavy on slapstick, and married to a surprisingly generic script. Except for writer Joe Stillman, who won an Oscar for his contributions to the first Shrek, all the filmmakers here are Spanish, and it is very difficult to know what, if anything, is meant by the ambiguous social commentary being delivered amidst the commotion. The only aspect that’s really clear is their passion for colours, shapes, and movement. In this regard, anyway, the Planet really rocks.