Insane Ewok tells us that USA Today has a great article on movie sidekicks with quite a bit of talk of Jar Jar:

Jar Jar Binks is getting some serious competition in the movie sidekick universe. In theaters now or coming soon:

The animatronic talking reindeer, Comet, in current hit The Santa Clause 2, who overdoses on chocolate bars and becomes flatulent.

The computer-generated Dobby, a whiny and mischievous house elf, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, out Nov. 15.

The animated B.E.N., a jabbering robot who literally has lost his mind in Treasure Planet, coming Nov. 27. The trio joins a long tradition of kid-film supporting players who provide comic relief, from Jiminy Cricket to the droids in the original Star Wars to the squirrelly Scrat in Ice Age.

But like Jar Jar, the new characters' sometimes-irritating antics could turn parents off, and that could put a dent in the movies' bottom line. After all, parents control the pocketbooks, and if they find characters unbearable, second or third viewings could be off limits.