The Worst Kiddy Movie Ever

I think the worst kid movie ever would have to be Toy Story. My reasoning is this, yes it was the first of its kind but come on talking toys that are mostly about a favorite toy of a kid who ends up getting a new toy. And then where the old toy woody is jealous of the new toy buzz Lightyear. Buzz doesn't even know he is a toy, come on that is so lame. So Toy Story is the worst kid movie a kid could watch. I was still little when this movie came out and I barely even watched it, because it wasn't interesting.

 I also would like to know what’s up with the neighbor kid next door who is way to demented for a childrens' movie. And who would let their (I'm guessing he was 10) year-old play with rockets without parents watching what he is doing? But I guess its every child's wish for their toys to come alive and if they actually do come to life then what do they actually do all day? What was up with those alien squeaky toys that worship the claw, I mean come on, yes I know they would probably think that being in the vending machine all their lives but still. But when I was a child after the first time I watched this movie I never wanted to watch it again, and you know children they want to watch movies over and over.  That is why I choose Toy Story to be my worst kid movie out there. I know there are more out there but this is the first one that came to me.

In turn I would never buy this for my future children, even if they begged me to get it for them. I would also not let them watch it either.

The Lion King Review

The Lion King is a wonderful Disney movie that families have loved for years.  It is one of the highest grossing Disney movies, and for good reason.

The story begins with the birth of Simba, a lion cub, who is introduced to the rest of the animal kingdom by his father, Mufasa.  The movie takes viewers through the budding relationship between Simba and his father as Simba seeks to be just like his father, and also become independent.

Viewers are also introduced to Mufasa's brother, the evil Scar, who wants to dethrone Mufasa as the king of the land.  Scar uses murder and manipulation to get what he wants, to the detriment of the animal kingdom.

The Lion King is a great story because it shows a loving relationship between a father and son.  It also shows how good prevails, and has a positive effect on those around you.  When evil prevails, there is a negative effect on everyone.  That is clearly shown with the two ways the animal kingdom is depicted when Mufasa, and then Scar are the leaders. 

The Lion King also shows the importance of friendship.  Simba creates strong friendships with other animals, and they help him to realize the importance of him becoming the leader that Mufasa would have wanted him to be.

The importance of family and family lineage is shown as well.  Not only does Simba reclaim his rightful place, but he also creates and builds a family of his own.  This is what the circle of life is all about, as sung about in the movie.

The Lion King is a great movie that all families should watch.  It promotes great family values and is an all around feel good movie.  And, on top of that, it is vastly entertaining!  This is definitely a Disney movie that you don't want to miss.

Mary Poppins Movie Review

Mary Poppins is a musical about a fun loving, magical, singing nanny. Set in England in the early 1900’s, Mary Poppins comes to the Banks residence so she can help straighten out their two attention-deprived children; Jane and Michael. After chasing their kite through the park one day, the children became lost, which caused great stress on the current nanny, forcing her to quit. Feeling guilty and responsible, the children attempt to write up their own advertisement for the type of nanny they’re looking for to help out their father. Thinking the idea is absurd their father rips up their ad and tosses it into the fireplace where the wind takes it up and away. When Mary Poppins appears at his doorstep after floating down with her umbrella in hand she has the taped up advertisement and gladly accepts the job, not leaving Mr. Banks with much choice and with out words. Mary Poppins shows the children how you can find the fun in any task with the song “A Spoon Full of Sugar” and takes them on a magical journey through the park in “Jolly Holiday” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” Mary Poppins is a fun movie for the whole family as she offers a life long lesson not just to the Banks children but to the whole Banks family. Mary Poppins is played by Julie Andrews who won an Academy Award for Best Actress in her roll and Dick Van Dyke plays her chimney sweep friend, Bert, who ads comedy and charm to this film. This movie also won an Academy Award for Best Original score, Best Song (“Chim Chim Cher-ee”), Best Special Visual Effects and Best Editing. This movie will have you singing along and humming the tunes later.

The 40^th Anniversary Edition DVD of Mary Poppins comes with a Bonus short, Musical Reunion with Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and Richard Sherman, Never-Before-Heard Deleted Song, the “I Love To Laugh” Set-Top Game, Rare Behind-The-Scenes Footage and Poppins Pop-Up Fun Facts.

Ratatouille DVD Revieq

Ratatouille by Pixar Animation Studio and Walt Disney Company is an adorably entertaining, creative movie for the whole family to enjoy with a clear positive message. Ratatouille is a story about a rat named Remy (Patton Oswalt) who doesn’t feel like he fits in with the other rats in his colony when his passion for cooking and reading causes some conflict between him and his father. Against his fathers advice he follows his heart which gets him and the rest of the rat colony into hot water, forcing them to flee their home and separates him from his family. Not sure if he’s ever going to see them again he finds himself in Paris, in the same part of town where his favorite chief’s restaurant is located; Gusteau’s. There he finds a young man named Linguini who is a garbage boy in Gusteau’s Restaurant. Together they help each other succeed; by pairing up in the kitchen Remy helps Linguini become a famous chef by hiding under Linguini’s hat. Remy learns to maneuver Linguini’s arms by pulling on strands of hair treating him similar to a puppet. The late Gusteau (Brad Garrett), acts as Remy’s conscience; teaching him right from wrong and helping him uncover a secret, while guiding him in excellent cooking.

Risking his life and the reputation of the restaurant Remy gives a brave uplifting message to follow your heart and dreams and that you can do anything you put your mind to no matter who you are. The characters in this movie are memorable and enjoyable, while the computer graphics are marvelous.

The Iron Giant Review

The Iron Giant is creatively written focusing its fascinating story on a young boy that makes friends with a hulking outer space robot. The robot displays hidden destructive abilities when being threatened by military paranoia. The story takes a turn when one night after a junk food and B – movie feast. Hogarth walks into the woods and finds a giant robot that has been sent from the heavens although its purpose is not known. The robot has no sense of its purpose or where it has come from and this is what makes it embrace and portray the infant morality of young Hogarth. Beatnik Dean who owns a scrapyard with many metal sculptures becomes the man that Hogarth can seek advice, whilst Agent Kent Mansley becomes the wicked enemy searching for the truth.

From the range of diverse voices are talents such as Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr and Vin Diesel as the giant. Animation is effective, powerful, graphically fascinating and has some extremely impressive visual scenes. Writer – director Bird has also worked on “The Simpsons”.

The Iron Giant takes a look into difficult problems in a way that no other children's film usually does. The Iron Giant has a recurring feeling of melancholy that waves goodbye to the end of an age that never could have been.

The Iron Giant is much more enjoyable due to the light plot that is easy to follow. It is the smaller moments that make the film memorable like the friendship that builds between the robot and boy. Other moments that are particularly memorable are when the fisherman reports that a massive metal robot has landed and the young boy discovers the 50 foot robot in the forest. The morals behind The Iron Giant seem focused on the war between unseen, ethical answers on the one hand, but dramatic, forceful answers on the other. The Iron Giant is a lovable light-hearted film that takes you on a journey from beginning to end.

High School Musical 2 Movie Review

     They're back:  Those wonderful teen heart-throbs of Disney's High School Musical are back and as dreamy as ever in High School Musical 2!  Once again The talented Kenny Ortega reclaims his place as director for the second installment of this ever-popular Disney teen favorite and has earned many nominations for the role in the process including that of "Outstanding director of a made for t.v. movie".

     Written by Peter Barsocchini, High School Musical 2 continues the tale of the teen romance of East Side High School's basketball star Troy and not so new girl anymore studious Gabriella as they tackle the trials and tribulations of being teenagers and in love.  Of course, Gabriella's arch nemesis Sharpay again returns to put a wrench in the workings of the couple's still budding  relationship doing anything in her power to prevent the couple from remaining together and in the process dragging her brother Ryan, poor kid, into the mix. If you thought Sharpay was a spoiled brat in the first movie, High School Musical 2 promises to shed a brighter spotlight on exactly why she feels the sun should rise and set on her as she has daddy wrapped around her finger and speaks rudely to her mother.    Also present in the sequel are Troy's fellow team members The Wildcats, his best friends Chad, Jason, and Zeke, along with Gabriella's best gal friends Taylor, Kelsi, and Martha. 

     Unlike the first High School Musical where the storyline mainly took place inside the walls of Eastside High School, the drama moves outside of the school in High School Musical 2.  The movie begins with the friends sitting in class as their favorite teacher is rambling on with her lesson and they in turn are staring at the clock chanting summer...summer....summer. The bell rings and it's good bye EastSide High, and hello summer vacation.  They break out into song and each friend has their solo in the spotlight--reminding us all of why we loved the first one: the music!  High School Musical 2 was so well-received partly due to its soundtrack, but it also won the hearts of million of teens because of its characters.  Teens can relate to these characters because they are such a diversified group of kids that hang out together.  You have the jocks and the brains, the musicians, the artists, and even the kid who loves to cook in the kitchen here.  There is someone for everyone to look up to. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they are all quite good-looking and have their fans' hearts a-flutter.

     The plotline is as follows:  In an attempt to keep an eye on Troy (and hopefully her arms around him), Sharpay gets "daddy" to hire Troy to work at the family's country club.  Troy agrees to take the job but he wants to bring all of his East Side friends along too (a fact unkown to Sharpay).  Sahrpay is overjoyed when Troy shows up for work at the club, but her joy is quickly squashed when Gabriella comes jumping into the pool announcing that she is "the new life guard".  Foiled again, Sharpay begins a whole new line of plotting and sabotage.  While the others are stuck in the kitchen, Troy is quickly advanced into a better position and gets to go to the golf green with Sharpay's family.  In the process, Sharpay's dad takes a liking to Troy and lets him know that there are scholarships available for him and Troy feels himself being pulled between Sharpay's inviting world and Gabriella's love.  While scholarship opportunities are opening up for Troy, the opportunity to spend time with the gang are falling to the side and his friends begin to question Troy's loyalty and his heart.  In the end, he must decide if and how he will balance his friends and his future as Sharpay continues to manipulate everyone's strings.

     Like High School Musical, High School Musical 2 involves another big show; this time it is the country club's annual talent show.  Sharpay decides Troy should be singing with her rather than the gang and dumps her brother Ryan driving him closer to the Wildcats and out of the overbearing shadow of his sister.  Troy wanting to secure his scholarship is torn as to whom he should perform with:  Sharpay or his friends?  Ryan, in return for his sister's dumping joins forces with the Wildcats and sets himself up to perform with them.  Viewers, receive the needed satisfaction of seeing spoiled Sharpay get a taste of reality when she ends up having no one to sing with and crying.

     High School Musical 2 ends, of course, with Sharpay humbled, Ryan strengthened, Wildcats and East Side High students friendship still strong, and Gabriella and Troy doing what they do best: Singing together as a couple.

     Millions of teens helped make the first High School Musical a hit, so it is of no surprise that when High School Musical 2 aired on Disney Channel it broke television premiere records.  Teens love the drama, the music, and the stars.  Parents appreciate the fact that although the story is a romance, it doesn't show teens engaged in any heavy romantic scenes, or teen angst.  It is refreshing to see a nice movie where sex, drugs, drinking and breaking the rules isn't glorified.  Hopefully the rest of the industry will learn something from both High School Musical and High School Musical 2.  We need more teen-friendly movies.        By, Cheryl Nelson

The Spiderwick Chronicles DVD Review

The first clues that something is not quite right are in the kitchen: shelves full of oatmeal, tomato sauce and honey; a hidden dumb waiter with a nest of tiny, stolen treasures. The three Grace children have heard the stories about the old house their mother has brought them to live in, the old scientist who disappeared, his daughter who ended up in a mental institution, but salt around the window sills? What does it all mean? The first night in the creepy old Victorian gets weirder and weirder. Soon they will find themselves in the battle of their lives, enlisting creatures never even imagined, waging war against even scarier ones, stretching time and imagination.

Based loosely on the series of best-selling books, The Spiderwick Chronicles is full of action and adventure, a fantastical story of family and fairies, love and loss: all the best elements of a children’s story. The scenes are chock full of detail, like illustrations from the best children’s books brought to life. While appropriate to the battle scenes, there is some violence, and the thrill level may be too dark and intense for young children.

Recommended Special Features: It’s A Spiderwick World, a segment with Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, authors and co-creators of the film, walking the film set and talking about the actual letter they received from children who claim to have lived in the creature-filled house in Maine that inspired the story. This is especially interesting for viewers who plan to read the books. There is also a special field guide that must be enabled prior to watching the film, whereby a when the guidebook icon appears, viewers can be redirected to a page of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide for detailed information about the creature at hand before returning to the story.

Recommended for children ages 8-13. Parents found much of the content particularly disturbing for children under 6.

Beauty And The Beast Review

The Disney animated feature Beauty and the Beast was a phenomenon in the early 90’s. What made it such was because it was the very first animated film feature to have ever earned a Best Picture nomination at the Oscar.  Thus, it has become the benchmark to which every other animated movie (not only by Disney) hopes to follow after.

Beauty and the Beast is the story of a simple provincial girl named Belle who lives with her inventor father. While on one of his trips Belle’s father inadvertently stumbles upon a palace where a beast-like Prince lives. Offended at something her father has done, the Beast takes the old inventor prisoner.  But upon learning of this, Belle bravely faces the Prince to offer herself in exchange for her father’s freedom. Her father thinks this is a big mistake. But living as a prisoner in the Prince’s dreary palace, Belle not only brought color, harmony and life to it. She also eventually taught the Beast with a heart of stone to appreciate life and love.

In terms of visuals, Beauty and the Beast is a well-put together animated classic. Dazzling can’t even begin to describe how wonderful it is. The animated drawings had been considered of finest quality at that time, and maybe even until today. The ballroom scene with the Beast and Belle dancing to a love song for the first time isn’t just straight out of fairy tale book; it’s straight out of a superbly directed movie.  When it came to the effects, Disney surely didn’t scrimp on the budget.

With its brilliant Broadway musical tunes and zany animated characters  voiced by superb talents like Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach and David Ogden Stiersit, is easy to see why Beauty and the Beast is hailed as Disney’s best.  Their production numbers defines why Disney is so good at doing this because the singing and dancing were literally show-stoppers.

Beauty and the Beast is the best mix of music, story and movie innovation. It’s the kind of film that’s equally enjoyable to watch with the whole family and kids or just by you, alone.

The Little Mermaid Review

Fly Me To The Moon Movie Review

Fly Me To The Moon is a new animated family film featuring very impressive 3D effects. The technology of 3D has improved so dramatically over the years, that the images from Fly Me To The Moon seem completely real enough that you may find yourself actually grabbing at objects.

This is definitely a movie that will enterain kids and keep them laughing. The adults accompanying their children may not be so enthralled, but it does make for a fun family outing.

Fly Me To The Moon centers around the plight of  three adolescent flies who, in 1969, live in a dump near Cape Kennedy with their families, including a granddad (Lloyd) who had once stowed away aboard Amelia Earhart's plane. The three teen flies are looking for a way to impress their families. And as the title of the film implies, the trio of young flies decide that the answer to their quest will be to join the space program and make history.

As the young flies attempt to make history, they must overcome challenes such as fly swatters and even worse, a Russian spy-fly. While parents may stifle some yawns, kids will more than likely be very excited as the 3Daction of Fly Me To The Moon escalates.

There is a great live action cameo of Apollo 11 in the movie which should be enjoyed by kids and parents alike.

Not so much enjoyed by adults but assuredly by the kids, are the burping, somewhat dubious jokes throughout the film, and not -so -cute talking maggots.

The movie features the voices of Philip Bolden, Trevor Gagnon, David Gore, Christopher Lloyd, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Begley Jr., Tim Curry, Kelly Ripa and Nicollette Sheridan. Directed by Ben Stassen. And according to Director Ben Stassen, nWave's founder, the movie is the first animated feature to be created and released exclusively for 3-D.