I overheard an audience member in the screening I attended say that he didn’t like the televised version of Bob’s Burgers at first, but it grew on him and he eventually got to watching it regularly. I’ve never seen one episode, so you can imagine my reaction during the first fifteen minutes of the movie. What was […]
This is an Ice Age adventure in the usual Disney vein. Typically, in the franchise’s tradition, some current universal issue is addressed (e.g., climate change, its threats and others’ to animals and to earth), along with changes in relationships within small groups, like a family or a herd, facing a major threat. This one focuses on children ready to
Encanto starts out being charming and a bit too much like a typical Disney movie. It’s rather sugary and hypomanic. Many of the words in the rap singing will go over many people’s heads, but the viewer easily gets the impression that the household is a most happy place, and that the Madrigal family’s powers to do good
This is straight Disney from the Americanized dialog to the characters dressed like Asians but bearing little resemblance to them. If you don’t mind that—and many don’t—it’s an engaging story about a fractured people getting separated into factions and coming back together on the basis of trust. Although the creators didn’t have it in mind, they realize
This is a Pixar movie renowned for its colorful history of bringing movies to children (e.g., the Toy Story series, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Up, Coco, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc.). In Soul, it is up to its reputation in superb animation and graphics, characterization, and music (Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross). Whether or not children will grasp the intended principles
In the tradition of previous Irish animated films (Secret of the Kells, Song of the Sea), Wolfwalkers uses hand-crafted animation to bring a 17thCentury folktale to life for the modern age in female empowerment and animal intelligence. The artistic, hand-crafted animation of a compelling story make this a contender for the best animation of 2020. As the story
This is a fun animated movie that kids are likely to love (and some adults too, based on the guffaws I heard at the screening), with a couple of good messages. Two brothers live with their solicitous mother, getting along fairly well (except maybe for the older one’s bossiness toward the younger, and his chaotic way
This is a high-tech animation that the kids in the audience found at the screening I attended to be great fun. There are the obligatory scenes of puke, poop, and pee; but the story has substance in pitting a nerdy little peace-loving scientist against a macho master spy who always insists on doing his jobs alone
This is a kid-friendly adventure with a delightful mixture of pure fantasy, thrills, magnificent scenery, and good-natured playfulness, while reminding viewers of the importance of home, family, memories, and paying attention to grief and hardship—all substantive values we want our children to learn. “Abominable” is a reference to a mythical creature supposedly living in the
What hard lessons for a cub to learn, especially when malevolence is involved! Simba (McCreary as the young Simba) is so proud to be next in line for king, but is so young he doesn’t understand the responsibilities that are part of such an honor. He sees it initially as more freedoms for him, without regard for others. He’s