THE INCREDIBLES

2004, Disney Pixar

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 117 mins.

THE STORY:

Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) and his wife Helen (Holly Hunter) are living a mundane suburban life with their 3 kids. In actuality they are ex-superheroes in hiding (Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, respectively) after being sued and banned from heroics. Bob misses the thrill of the action and secretly continues to dabble in small scale acts of heroism. 

So, when presented with a mysterious offer to test his powers, he cannot fail to accept. What he doesn't realize, however, is that he is actually being challenged by his arch-enemy, a young inventor Bob refused to mentor years earlier (Jason Lee). His eagerness to relive his glory days, puts Bob's family in danger when they rush to help him.

In the end, Mr. Incredible faces the greatest challenge of his career and learns that his love for his family exceeds his need for superhero glory.   

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  Stupid
• Oh my god

VIOLENCE:

• Manned spacecraft flies into cliff-side and explodes
• Heroes are shot at with machine guns
• Bad guy dies a fiery death

TEACHING POINTS:

•  Be yourself and embrace what makes you unique

THE UPSHOT:

When this movie came out, I happened to be in Japan. The title there was Mr. Incredible, which I find ironic, since the most positive thing I can say about this film is that it presents women as complete equals. Physically, intellectually, emotionally, on every level the 2 female superheroes are the equals of their male counterparts.  

The 5 year-old in the room was confused and at times scared. It is quite a violent movie with a high body-count considering its status as a family movie. Much of the actual killing is implied, but blatantly implied. The story and situations-- lawsuits, witness protection, being fired, etc.-- are too mature and complex for the very young to understand, and there is next to no humour to compensate. 

Overall, for both the 5 year-old and the adults in the room it was a disappointment. A long, convoluted, seemingly unending disappointment. 

2/5

THE SANTA CLAUSE

1994, Walt Disney Pictures

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 97 mins.

THE STORY:

Divorced father, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), finds himself having, unbeknownst to himself, entered into a contract to be the next Santa Claus. He tries to fight it and refuses to believe it, but eventually has to submit to the obvious.  

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• hell
• stupid

VIOLENCE:

•  None

TEACHING POINTS:

•  Sometimes you just have to believe

THE UPSHOT:

In fairness to The Santa Clause, I watched this immediately after one of the best kids' movies I have seen to date, so it was primed to be lesser. Nonetheless, knowing that there were 2 sequels led me to expect something pretty worthy. Instead, I spent about 1.5 hours awash in mediocrity.

I like the concept, but the execution is... weak. Much like the acting, the story development, the special effects-- even for 1994, they seem a bit lacking-- and the resolution.

The 5 year-old in the room's attention wandered a couple of times, particularly during the less relatable parts of the story-- the sole custody court order, the psychology references and such. 

 3/5

HORTON HEARS A WHO

2008, Twentieth Century Fox

Animation

Rating: G

Approx. 86 mins.

THE STORY:

Horton the elephant (Jim Carrey) finds a clover with a speck on it, which in turn, he discovers, has an entire microcosmic race of people living on it. Although Horton can't see anything, he can communicate with the mayor of Whoville (Steve Carell). The two realize that a safe, stable home for the speck must be found, and Horton begins his journey to an idyllic spot on a mountain side. 

Unfortunately, no one else's ears are sensitive enough to hear them, and his community soon turns on Horton as a threat to life as they know it. Led by the intransigent Kangaroo (Carol Burnett), they try to stop Horton and destroy the speck. Eventually, Whoville is rescued by the unanimous voices of every Who citizen standing up for themselves, and by one voice in the jungle who stands up to the many who fear what they can't see.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• idiot
• boob
• moron

VIOLENCE:

• nothing significant

TEACHING POINTS:

• Mean what you say and say what you mean
• Every life is equally valuable
• Sometimes, you just have to have faith

THE UPSHOT:

Judging by the smiles and laughter on display, I'm fairly sure the adults in the room enjoyed this far more than the 5 year-old. Nonetheless, a good time was had by all.

At the risk of being gushy, I can't think of a single negative thing to say about this movie. Excellent animation, an amazing cast (Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Seth Rogen, Jim & Steve, and, yes, the Carol Burnett!), a great script, clever humour, invaluable messaging.

The happiest 86 odd minutes I've spent in a while. Ab fab.
  

5/5

CINDERELLA

1950, Disney

Animation

Rating: G

Approx. 74 mins.

THE STORY:

After the death of her father, a beautiful young woman becomes the veritable servant of her evil stepmother and jealous stepsisters. Although her situation is miserable and seemingly hopeless, she remains positive and kind to the mice and birds who are her only friends.
One day an invitation comes to a ball at the palace, where the king hopes to find a suitable mate for his single and childless son. Although her step-mother assures her she can go, Cinderella is consistently thwarted. In the end, a fairy godmother appears to rescue her with the temporary trappings of a princess. 
These allow her to attend the ball, where she captures the eye and heart of the prince. The 2 dance all night until she has to flee before the last strike of 12 when her glamourous clothes and carriage all disappear. In her haste, she leaves behind a glass slipper, which is then used to try to find the mysterious beauty the prince wants as his bride.
Again, her step family tries to prevent Cinderella from being united with the prince, but justice prevails and the 2 live happily ever after.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  none

VIOLENCE:

• a cat appears to fall to its death

TEACHING POINTS:

• Karma's going to get you
• What happens is not up to you; how you approach it is

THE UPSHOT:

As is obvious from previous posts, I am not a huge fan of Disney princess films nor do I appreciate the insidious marketing/ brainwashing that forces me to supply related crap to my 5 year-old at the risk of being a meanie. I have the usual issues with Cinderella: the completely unrealistic and idealized representation of the female form, the fact that her worth lies entirely in her physical appearance, the utterly misguided depiction of relationships and love, the concept that people are absolutely good or absolutely bad, etc. It is therefore hard for me to watch without ire-coloured glasses filtering my perspective. 
I liked the music and the nostalgia aspect-- I still have the LP I got for my 5th birthday. Also, I prefer these straight-up, no holds barred princess flicks to the fake independent-minded female protagonists of later movies (Jasmine et al). And, ultimately, the 5 year-old in the room loved every moment of it. 

4/5

UNDERDOG

2007, Disney

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 84 mins.

THE STORY:

A beagle (Jason Lee) experimented on by a mad scientist (Peter Dinklage) and his henchman (Patrick Warburton) is transformed into a dog with superhero qualities and the ability to speak. He escapes from the lab and is taken in by a retired police officer (Jim Belushi) who hopes the dog, whom he calls Shoeshine, will help him bond with his teenage son, Alex. 

Alex soon discovers Shoeshine's special qualities and together they give him a superhero identity: Underdog. He rescues those in danger, finally confronting the evil scientist who originally gave him his powers. 

In the end, righteousness triumphs, love blossoms, and father and son bond. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Imbecile
• Stupid
• Idiot

VIOLENCE:

• Some threatening scenes, but nothing significant
• The scientist spends most of the movie looking decidedly creepy after an accident  

TEACHING POINTS:

•  You have to tell people how you feel if you want them to know how you feel

THE UPSHOT:

Monotonous and about 50 minutes too long. I've seen worse, but I've also seen far far better. 

The film makers are resorting to the tried and tested goofy-remake-of-old-cartoon formula to appeal to parents as much as kids, but they have failed completely. Underdog lacks the profile of, say, the Muppets or Yogi Bear to start with. Then they take away the essential character traits that made him interesting in the original-- they included a vintage Underdog cartoon in the extras presumably to allow everyone to come to the same conclusion-- and just make him bland. Even the 5 year-old in the room didn't buy him as a superhero... and she buys a lot.

The acting is phoned-in, the dialogue is cliched, the story is that rare mix of predictable and unconvincing.

2/5

CHIMPANZEE

2012, Disney

Live action

Rating: G

Approx. 78 mins.

THE STORY:

Narrated by Tim Allen, this documentary chronicles the early life of a young chimp named Oscar. Although his life starts out fairly idyllically, nurtured by a loving mother and protected by a community of chimps, he soon suffers tragedy when-- SPOILER ALERT!-- his mother is killed in a fight with rival chimps. Oscar struggles to find his way alone until, remarkably, he finds support in the form of his tribe's alpha male. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  idiot
• death, dead, killed

VIOLENCE:

• Some fighting between chimps and the death of one chimp
• No gore

TEACHING POINTS:

• A remarkable peak into the everyday lives of wild animals
• Life can be brutal, but life goes on 

THE UPSHOT:

Absolutely amazing cinematography-- watch the credits for some clues as to how they got the incredible shots. It is great to be able to get a view on how animals really act and interact, particularly from the same studio that gives The Lion King, etc.  

I was given a heads up about Oscar's mother dying and was able to take pre-emptive action by talking about it with the 5 year-old in the room and then skipping through that scene. Tragic, inconsolable tear-addled experience (et tu Charlotte's Web...) has taught me that she would not have been able to handle that. It is handled tactfully, however, and less sensitive little ones will have no problem.  

4.5/5

DUMBO

1941, Walt Disney Pictures

Animation

Rating: G

Approx. 64 mins.

THE STORY:

Mrs. Jumbo waits and waits for the stork to bring her bundle of joy, and when he does she is shocked to find that her baby has huge ears. Although she loves her new son unconditionally, the other elephants in the circus troupe are cruel in their comments. They shun Dumbo when his mother is quarantined for trying to defend him from an intrusive public. Only Timothy Q. Mouse befriends the baby elephant, helping him find a special skill that will make him valuable to the circus. This turns out to be flying.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  None

VIOLENCE:

•  The scene where Dumbo's mother is subdued is a bit scary for younger viewers

TEACHING POINTS:

•   Celebrate difference in others and yourself
•   Believe in yourself and you can achieve amazing things

THE UPSHOT:

Those so inclined can find plenty of subtext to read into this movie, particularly related to issues of racism and segregation. The adult circus elephants dislike Dumbo because he is different-- he doesn't look like them, so they cast nothing but negative aspersions on his character and intelligence. The circus clowns are equally dismissive, stating that elephants don't have feelings. The black crows are initially quick to point out that Dumbo and the mouse do not belong in their neck of the woods. The circus animals are treated fairly cruelly, being whipped and forced to do heavy labour alongside what appear to be black labourers.

On the plus side, the movie has a strong anti-bullying message. Also, it is short and has little dialogue, which makes it good for youngsters with short attention spans. The exception to this would be the "Pink Elephants on Parade" musical sequence which requires kids to understand the concept of drunkenness and to have the fortitude to sit through about 5 minutes of very surreal animation. It reminded the adult in the room of the Dali dream sequence from Spellbound. The 5 year-old in the room just wanted to know when it would be over.

I would recommend it for socio-historical reasons as much as any other. 

3/5

THE PRINCESS & THE FROG

2009, Disney Animation

Animated

Rating: G

Approx. 97 mins.

THE STORY:

Raised in New Orleans, the daughter of a maid and a father who worked himself to an early death, Tiana has a mission: to open her own fabulous restaurant/ cabaret. Not only does she love to cook, but she has seen the opulence that money can bring first-hand through the life of her best friend, Charlotte, the spoiled daughter of her mother's employer. Tiana has been single-minded in pursuit of her dream, sacrificing all social life in order to save up the money she needs to buy her place.

One day, fun-loving playboy Prince Naveen rolls into town. He too is on a mission: to marry an heiress to support him now that his parents have cut him off. He runs into Dr. Facilier, a local practitioner of the dark arts, and is tricked into falling under a spell. The prince is turned into a frog, while his man-servant is transformed into the prince. The frog-prince meets Tiana at a costume ball and, mistaking her for a princess, gets her to kiss him. Instead of changing him back into a human, the kiss turns Tiana into a frog as well.

The two travel through the bayou to find Mama Odie, a voodoo magician who can hopefully restore them to human form. Along the way, they pick up some new friends: a firefly named Ray, and a jazz trumpet playing alligator named Louis. They learn that Prince Naveen (the frog) must be kissed by a princess by midnight for the spell to be broken, and the race begins.

Along their journey, Tiana and Naveen learn that they each have a different side than they usually show, and that they somehow complement each other. In the end, their love and their willingness to sacrifice what they want for what they have allows them to achieve all that they want.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  none

VIOLENCE:

• Ray, the firefly, dies the squashing he receives is implied but the death scene is on screen
• Lots of menace rather than violence from the shadow spirits

TEACHING POINTS: 

• You get what you give
• You don't have to have what you want as long as you have what you need

THE UPSHOT:

The movie touches on a lot of interesting themes including race, class, and the feminist dream of having it all. What I find frustrating is that it doesn't actually make any statements on these issues. There is far too much ambiguity for me. A white man tries to discourage Tiana from her entrepreneurial plans by saying it isn't a suitable project for "a woman of your background." What "background" is that exactly: a fatherless daughter? the daughter of a domestic? a waitress? a black woman? Prince Naveen is racially nebulous, being apparently dark skinned, mysteriously accented and explicitly from a fictional country. Whatever his origins, however, visually their relationship is not mixed-race.

The other negative for me-- aside from the usual Disneyfication of relationships-- is the menace and threat dominating the voodoo scenes. It could be seriously scary for younger kids, just as the death of Ray could upset sensitive young viewers. That said and to my chagrin, the 5 year-old in the room enjoyed it. 

3.5/5

FURRY VENGEANCE

2010, Summit Entertainment

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 92 mins.

THE STORY:

Dan Sanders (Brendan Fraser) has moved his wife, Tammy, (Brooke Shields) and son, Tyler (Matt Prokop) far from the city into the wilderness. Or rather, to a new subdivision immediately adjacent to what remains of the wilderness. Dan is a developer supervising the construction, and he soon learns that his malevolent boss (Ken Jeong) is planning to raze the entire forest to erect even more homes.

Not only does Dan have to contend with the resentful disapproval of his son, but his task of destroying their habitat has made enemies of all of the local forest creatures. The animals, led by a raccoon ring-master, set out to make Dan's life hellish enough to chase him and his plans away. Dan endures their assaults, as well as the disbelief of all those around him. Eventually, he realizes that the animals are his victims as much as he is theirs, and turns against his boss.   

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• ass
• stupid
• kill 

VIOLENCE:

• More threat than actual-- mostly slapstick
• Discussion of killing

TEACHING POINTS:

• Find your moral compass and follow it
• The environment is ours to protect

THE UPSHOT:

Watched this pretty much right after George of the Jungle, i.e. Brendan Fraser at his finest and shiniest. Lesson learned: Even the best of us succumb to spread.  

I actually liked a lot of the components of the film-- the themes, the special effects, some of the performances, the nuance in Dan's character-- but for some reason, it just doesn't all coalesce. It tries hard, but somehow just falls a bit flat. Especially the ending.

One thing I really disliked about the movie was Ken Jeong, in the role of 'character that Ken Jeong always plays in everything he is ever in.' Irritating and a bit racist.

The 5 year-old in the room (and the adults, if I'm honest) really enjoyed the animal special effects. The story is easy for kids to follow and the humour frequently verges on the goofy. 

3.5/5

BRAVE

2012, Pixar

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 93 mins.

THE STORY:

Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is fast approaching adulthood, and has just discovered that with age and royal pedigree comes onerous responsibility: according to Highland tradition, she must marry the heir to one of three clans allied with her father, Fergus (Billy Connelly). Merida, however, who revels in her life as a free-spirited tom-boy, is more likely to be found riding and shooting arrows than preening or fawning over suitors. While her father takes pride in his daughter's spirit, her mother (Emma Thompson) constantly tries to remind Merida that she is a lady and should act as such.

Frustrated with her mother's constant cautions and unwilling to marry, Merida asks a local witch to "change" her mother. This has unexpected and disastrous results when Queen Elinor is transformed into a bear, the nemesis to which Fergus has already lost a leg. Merida has a small window of time to "mend the bond"-- and a limited amount of space to hide her bear-mother-- before the transformation becomes permanent.

Although Merida is at first unable to see how her selfishness and recklessness produced the dangerous situation, she learns to accept responsibility for her own actions and to truly make amends. In the end, the clan and the family bonds are all restored, and made even stronger.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Shut it
• Stupid

VIOLENCE:

• more ominous than violent
• some general brawling-- punching, hitting, etc.

TEACHING POINTS:

• Examine your own actions and take responsibility for them
• Having independent choice is a right and a privilege

THE UPSHOT:

The 5 year-old in the room had a hard time with the Scottish accents and found the bear-haunting aspect frightening. The story line is a bit confusing for younger kids, but it is a pretty unique approach to some important themes. And it's Pixar, so needless to say the animation is fabulous. 

The adult in the room found it better than the average Disney 'princess' fare. Merida is brave, independent, strong, unconcerned with her appearance and flawed. She makes mistakes, but learns from them. And she doesn't emerge from the story rescued and eclipsed by a Prince Charming-- she provides her own salvation. While I loved the fact that the story centres on a strong female character, the 5 year-old in the room would have preferred a typical Disney and-they-lived-happily-ever-after ending.

4/5

HOODWINKED TOO! HOOD VS. EVIL

2011, Kanbar Entertainment

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 86 mins.

THE STORY:

Woolf (Patrick Warburton) and Red (Hayden Panettiere) are back, now members of an elite crime fighting unit under the direction of Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers). When Hansel and Gretel disappear, the two are joined in their mission to find them by Granny (Glenn Close), a member of a secret crime fighting organization.

Hansel and Gretel turn out to be less than innocent victims, and the three crime fighters encounter various dangerous situations as they solve the mystery and set everything to rights.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• didn't catch any, but couldn't focus enough to swear to it

VIOLENCE:

• nothing significant

TEACHING POINTS:

• jealousy is bad
• it's never too late to change/ embrace a friend

THE UPSHOT:

What a waste of great voice talent. What a waste of 86 minutes of my life. Truth be told, it wasn't a complete waste of my time: I found it so hard to focus my attention on the movie that I did a number of other things while/ instead of watching.

Hoodwinked Too! achieves a pretty remarkable feat: it manages to be both fast-paced and convoluted, and completely boring and pointless. Save yourselves! Don't do it, folks.

1.5/5

KANGAROO JACK

2003, Warner Brothers Pictures

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 89 mins.

THE STORY:

Charlie (Jerry O'Connell) and his best friend, Lewis (Anthony Anderson), are sent to Australia on a mission for Charlie's mobster stepfather Sal (Christopher Walken), after the two cause trouble with the latter's business. 

They are given an envelope containing $50 thousand to give to a Mr. Smith (Marton Csokas). Things soon go awry, however, when a kangaroo unexpectedly runs off with the money. Charlie and Lewis hit him with their car (as you do), and dress what they thought was a corpse up in Lewis' jacket (as you do) to take photos (as you do). When it turns out the kangaroo is not dead, and is considerably faster than the two men, they make various attempts to track him down and get back the money.

Along the way, they are aided by animal rescuer Jessie (Estella Warren), and hunted by hit-man Mr. Smith and Sal's right-hand man, Frankie (Michael Shannon), both of whom are out to kill them. Despite all odds, Charlie, Lewis and Jessie manage to outwit the villains and get back the envelope. The good guys prosper, and the bad guys pay for their crimes.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Crap
• Stupid
• Shut up
• Hell
• Oh my God
• Damn
• Pansy ass retard (...yes, really)

VIOLENCE:

• hitting, punching, falling and the like
• shooting 
• threatening actions and language

TEACHING POINTS:

• friends are precious
• if at first you don't succeed...

THE UPSHOT:

On the plus side, 2 things: Christopher Walken and the kangaroo special effects. It is pretty amazing how realistic the latter looks most of the time. Perhaps they spent so much of the budget on special effects that they couldn't afford decent writers or actors?

The makers of this film seem to have had a problem deciding who their target audience should be. They try to appeal to pubescent boys with a completely gratuitous wet T-shirt scene and other breast-centric scenes, but the story is so ridiculous that none but the pre-pubescent would buy it. The language, however, is too mature for the very young, and at times too offensive for anyone of any age (see above).

Knowing what I know now, I would not show this to my 5 year-old. I just can't get past the (what I consider) age-inappropriate aspects. I don't think she was damaged by watching it, but I don't think she gained anything either. The effects are impressive and there are humorous scenes, but she could have got that elsewhere with less of the negatives.      

1.5/5

GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE

1997, Walt Disney Pictures

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 92 mins.

THE STORY:

Baby George (Brendan Fraser) is lost in the jungle in a plane crash, and raised by a highly intellectual gorilla (John Cleese). Years go by, and more visitors come to the jungle: rich American heiress Ursula Stanhope (Leslie Mann), her smarmy, ill-intentioned fiance Lyle (Thomas Haden Church) and his dimwitted entourage.

When George rescues Ursula from a lion she joins him in his tree-house and he begins to endear himself to her. Lyle's malevolent side gets the better of him and he ends up in jail, but not before accidentally shooting George. Ursula then jets George to San Francisco to get him the best medical care possible. Hilarity ensues as George confronts the big city and its high society. 

Meanwhile, back in Africa, the poachers who were accompanying Lyle manage to capture George's gorilla father. When George gets the news, he immediately sets off to rescue Ape. Ursula follows and the two manage to free Ape. Lyle reappears eager to marry Ursula, but, ultimately, the good guy wins the girl.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• stupid
• ass

VIOLENCE:

• there is some shooting and fighting, but it is all very over-the-top or suggested rather than explicit
• narrator makes clear at the outset that no one dies and there are just some 'booboos'

TEACHING POINTS:

• follow your heart
• good triumphs over evil

THE UPSHOT:

This was a hit with the adults and the 5 year-old in the room. It is silly and absurd and fun. It shares a lot with Dudley Do-Right beyond Brendan Fraser, but where the latter falls a bit flat, George of the Jungle is well-crafted.

What a change to watch a movie in which the male lead is scantily-clad and oiled up while the female lead is always fully clothed. While those who admire the male form will likely be impressed by Brendan Fraser's, the film is in no way overtly sexual or inappropriate for kids. 

4/5

OPEN SEASON

2006, Columbia Pictures

Animated

Rating: PG

Approx. 86 mins.

THE STORY:

Boog the bear (Martin Lawrence) lives a life of domesticated ease as the quasi-pet of park ranger Beth (Debra Messing). His world is given a jolt when he discovers Elliot the deer (Ashton Kutcher) tied to the truck of a rule-breaking hunter. Boog releases and rescues the hapless deer, who then tries to convince the bear that his life in captivity is a freakish anomaly. Elliot manages to get Boog into a pile of trouble, which culminates in the townspeople thinking he has gone wild and needs to be relocated deep in the forest.

Life in the forest proves hard for Boog, who lacks the street-smarts or survival skills of the other animals living there. He also finds himself living under the threat of the impending hunting season opening. Elliot, desperate for Boog's friendship, pretends he is leading Boog back to his old home. Along the way, they bond as they try to foil the evil hunter. Ultimately, Boog realizes that the freedom of the forest and the friendship of its inhabitants is what he really wants.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Crap
• Stupid
• Shut up

VIOLENCE:

• hitting, falling and the like, but nothing significant

TEACHING POINTS:

• It's more about entertainment that messaging, but you could draw some points about friendship and honesty out if you really wanted to

THE UPSHOT:

A bit crude both visually and verbally, but very entertaining. The characters-- especially the deer-- are endearing and I found myself laughing along with the 5 year-old in the room. 

4/5

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS

2012, DreamWorks Animation

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 97 mins.

THE STORY:

The Guardians are a select group whose mission is to ensure the well-being of all children on earth. The members are familiar to most: Santa (an unrecognizable Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fischer) and the Sandman. A threat looms in the form of Pitch (Jude Law), the Bogeyman who plans to empty children's minds of hope and belief, and fill the void with nightmares and fear. The Man in the Moon, who runs the entire show, decides that it is time to add another Guardian to the force, and chooses Jack Frost, a young adult who regularly 'acts out' as he suffers from an identity crisis. 

As Pitch works his evil, children start to lose their belief in the Guardians. They need Jack's help in their fight for survival. Though he is willing, he is distracted by his lack of memories of his previous life and his all-consuming desire to know why he is who he is. Eventually, he remembers who he was, and realizes that he himself, not the Man in the Moon, made him a Guardian. Jack joins the others as a true equal to find the last child who believes in them, and together they manage to defeat Pitch and his faith-eroding nightmares.  

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  none

VIOLENCE:

• No real violence, but the evil character is pretty ominous and there are some fight scenes
• Sandman appears to be killed early on, but later returns good as new

TEACHING POINTS:

• Just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist
• Who you were is far less important than who you choose to be
• Fears lose their power if you refuse to be afraid of them

THE UPSHOT:

I was curious how this would go over, given the non-traditional depictions of the Easter Bunny et al-- Santa carries 2 large cutlasses, the choleric Easter Bunny is equally armed. The Bogeyman is exceedingly creepy in terms of his appearance, voice and movements. The themes are also pretty mature: the search for identity and self-realization. You could also read religious or spiritual overtones into the story if you were so inclined: reincarnation, abiding faith in the unseen, etc.

Shockingly, I needn't have worried since the 5 year-old in the room loved it. Aside from the idea of Santa, the Tooth Fairy and company as protagonists, there is enough humour and action to distract from the heaviness. The voices are flawless, the animation impressive, and the story refreshingly unique. 

I found it a bit dark and long, but the 5 year-old in the room didn't. On that basis... recommended.

4/5

HOODWINKED

2005, Kanbar Animation

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 80 mins.

THE STORY: 

Street savvy Little Red Riding Hood (Anne Hathaway), better known as Red, works for her Granny's (Glen Close) bakery delivering cookies to creatures throughout the story-book forest. Everyone is on full-alert as someone has been stealing the recipes from the various bakeries in the village. Along her trip, she is shadowed by the shady Wolf (Partick Warburton). When she arrives at Granny's house, she finds Granny tied up in the closet, Wolf in the bed, and an excitable woodsman (James Belushi) on site. 

The police are called and an investigation begins under the supervision of detective Nicky Flipper (David Ogden Stiers). Each character is interrogated and tells the same story from their own perspective, filling in and interpreting gaps to create a rounded picture that ultimately reveals who has been stealing the recipes.   

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  None

VIOLENCE:

• Nothing notable

TEACHING POINTS:

• Try to look at situations you think you understand from a different perspective 

THE UPSHOT:

I like the Rashomon-style approach, the fact that it takes a story we all think we know and turns it on its head to make us question our own perspectives. It's definitely a clever movie. It's also very fast-paced and fast-talking. And that, in part, makes it inaccessible for younger kids. The references and ironic twists are a bit complex, as is much of the humour. 

I also found the first half a lot more enjoyable than the second. maybe the novelty had worn off? The story got more outrageous? The culprit became too obvious? There was less of a film noir flavour? Not quite sure why.

As an adult movie, it's entertaining. As a kids' movie, it falls a bit flat.

2.5/5

IGOR

2008, Exodus Film Group

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 87 mins.

THE STORY:

The kingdom of Malaria is a dark place, ruled by a monarch who has convinced his subjects that only the evil survive. The raison d'etre of every person and thing there is to be or produce evil.

Igor (John Cusack) is an Igor, which is to say that his lot in life is to flip the switch to bring his inventor master's creations to life. But Igor has aspirations beyond his station: he wants to be an inventor. And when his master, Dr. Glickenstein (John Cleese), pays the ultimate price for his incompetence by blowing himself up, Igor gets his chance. He hides his master's death and begins work on his pet project: creating life.

Igor is under a time crunch, as the Evil Science Fair is fast approaching, and the king (Jay Leno) wants Igor's (late) master to produce an entry that beats out the reigning champion, Dr. Schadenfreude (Eddie Izzard). Igor succeeds in producing Eva (Molly Shannon), a rag tag amalgamation of spare parts who turns out not to have the evil monster character her maker intended. An attempt to brainwash her into becoming evil turns her instead into an actress. Igor decides to go with it and convinces her that the Science Fair is an audition for a role as an evil monster.

In the days leading up to the Fair, Eva and Igor each realize that they have feelings for each other. By this point, however, Schadenfreude, a sham who steals others' ideas, has kidnapped Eva and plans, after activating her evil side, to debut her as his own invention. Igor and his pals have the task of rescuing and restoring her to the kind creature she was.
  

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• stupid
• idiot
• shut up
• ugly

VIOLENCE:

• suggestions of gore (e.g. the rabbit is shown to have chewed his feet off), but more menace than anything else

TEACHING POINTS:

• It's better to be a kind nobody than an evil somebody
• You don't have to be what others tell you to be
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

THE UPSHOT:

Both the adults and the 5 year-old in the room enjoyed this. It has a pretty unique story-line, clever dialogue and lots of humour. Steve Buscemi and Sean Hayes steal the show as Igor's comic sidekicks, an immortal bunny with a death wish and a jarred brain lacking in any intelligence. Most of the humour was lost on the child, but there was enough visual silliness to entertain.

I also liked the novelty of watching two physically unattractive characters by conventional standards reveal themselves over 87 minutes as genuinely beautiful individuals through their words and actions. 

4/5

PARANORMAN

2012, Focus Features

Stop-motion animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 92 mins.

THE STORY:

Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a young teenager with what some would consider a gift, but to him is a curse: he sees dead people. Everywhere. His family just wants him to be 'normal.' Kids at school pick on him for being a weirdo. Except for Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), who has issues coming out of every orifice-- literally-- yet has learned to accept himself and his situation.

One day Norman is approached by the spirit of the town crazy man (John Goodman), who reveals that Norman is his heir in the task of appeasing the witch who comes back once a year to wreak havoc on the town. Norman tries to perform his duty, but things don't go as planned, and within no time the town is over-run by zombies.

Norman refuses to give up, and soon realizes that the witch is the spirit of a young girl executed in the time of the New England witch trials. Through listening and talking to her, Norman manages to convince her that her fury doesn't solve anything, and that inflicting senseless terror on others makes her no better than those who harmed her.  
  
QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• stupid
• fat
• dead/ die/ kill
• freaking
• hell

VIOLENCE:

• Zombies get shot through, but no human gore 

TEACHING POINTS:

• Being different is a blessing not a curse
• Hurting others who have hurt you does not erase your own hurt

THE UPSHOT:
The dialogue, themes and action were all a bit mature for the 5 year-old in the room. Best, I think, for those 9 and up. That said, there were no tears or nightmares, so it wasn't the disaster that some previous movie attempts were.

I like the themes presented-- the celebration of difference, the discouragement of bullying, the idea that revenge does not compensate for our own pain. And I think the format is such that kids can relate rather than feel preached at. 

The extras are all also very mature with nothing much to appeal to young 'uns, but the 'featurette' entitled "Making Norman" gives some interesting insight on how stop-motion works.

It wasn't as good as I was expecting it to be-- the curse of others' recommendations-- but it was worth watching. 

 3.5/5