THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE

2000, Walt Disney

Animated

Rating: G

Approx. 78 mins.

THE STORY:

Kuzco (David Spade) is the selfish and intransigent ruler of the Inca. Characteristically, he decides to build himself a holiday home on the exact spot where citizen Pacha (John Goodman) lives with his pregnant wife and 2 kids. Pacha's pleas fall on deaf ears and he heads despondently home to tell his family that they are about to become homeless.

Meanwhile, Kuzco fires his advisor Yzma (Eartha Kitt). Furious, she enlists the help of her dullest-pencil-in-the-box assistant, Kronk (Patrick Warburton), to kill and supplant the emperor. Things go awry, with Kuzco ending up a llama rather than dead. Kronk does not have the heart to kill llama-Kuzco, and instead takes him far into the jungle in the hopes he doesn't return. 

And that is where llama-Kuzco again runs in to Pacha. Kuzco lies and tells Pacha he will cancel his summer home plans if the latter helps him get back to the palace and find an antidote. And so the two start their journey. Soon, they are being pursued by Yzma and Kronk, who has let slip the fact that Kuzco is not dead.

In the end, Kuzco finds his heart, Kronk finds his calling, Pacha and his family find a friend, and Yzma finds herself a disgruntled kitten. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Stupid
• Dumb

VIOLENCE:

• Nothing notable

TEACHING POINTS:

• People can change
• Treat others the way you want to be treated

THE UPSHOT:

Look up one-trick pony in an idiomatic dictionary and chances are you'll find the name David Spade somewhere in the definition. That being said, he does that trick very well. He's perfect as the self-absorbed Emperor Kuzco. All of the casting, in fact, is great. The language, action and themes are all very kid-friendly, and there is enough humour for both kids and parents. Worth a watch. 

4/5

MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS

2011, 20th Century Fox

Live action with some computer animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 95 mins.

THE STORY:

Tom Popper (Jim Carrey) is a highly driven professional who has little time for anything beyond work, including his two kids. One day, he receives a mysterious crate from his estranged father who has just died. As a final gift, Popper's father has sent him him not one, but six Gentoo penguins. 

At first Popper tries to rid himself of the birds, but they soon grow on him-- and provide him with an entree into the lives of his kids. His world is gradually turned completely upside down, with his New York condo becoming an icy penguin paradise and his demanding job becoming a thing of the past. When the penguins produce eggs, his transformation into penguin guru is complete. 

When one egg fails to hatch, Popper is crushed and reverts to his soulless existence. He donates the penguins to the zoo and returns to his job. Popper's fall is only temporary, however. When he tries to return the penguins to their natural habitat, he discovers that the zoo has acted in bad faith. In the end, with the help of his family, he is able to rescue  the penguins and everyone lives happily ever after where they belong. 
   

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Thank God.
• Oh my God.
• sexy
• I don't do drugs.
• stupid
• shut up
• dead
• Viagra
• dumb

VIOLENCE:

• nothing notable

TEACHING POINTS:

• If you try, you can succeed
• It's never too late to be a better person
• Our success as individuals can be measured by the care we show others

THE UPSHOT:

The DVD cover claimed this was G-rated, but further investigation online came up with a PG rating. That explained the amount of questionable language. I'm not a prude, but I found some of it inappropriate and unnecessary in a kids' movie. There is also a bit of pooping and gas related humour, but nothing particularly alarming.

The plot is a bit hokey and the ending is universally happy in a completely unrealistic way, but it's a kids' movie. The penguins are adorable and Jim Carrey is very funny. The humour alternates between over-kids'-heads adult references and kid-friendly silly slapstick, so everyone in the room found something to enjoy.

I found it particularly interesting that the 'bad guy' in this film is a zoo employee, and the 'evil' he tries to do is simply routine zoo practice. Despite the relatively high number of kids' movies featuring zoos, this is the only one I've come across (so far) which touches at all upon the contradictions of zoos as institutions for the benefit of animals. The message isn't overly in-your-face, but could serve as a starting point for discussion if you want it.

The DVD comes with a worthwhile few kid-oriented extras, including an animated short following up on the lives of the (fictional) penguins after the conclusion of the film.  

4/5

YOGI BEAR

2010, Warner Bros.

Animated & Live action

Rating: G

Approx. 80 mins.

THE STORY:

Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanaugh) is dedicated, pleasant and a bit socially awkward. His life's work is to make Jellystone Park a place for people to enjoy nature. The biggest thorn in Ranger Smith's side is Yogi Bear (Dan Akroyd), the most famous resident of the park. Yogi is well-intentioned but things around him have a way of going wrong. That plus the fact that his life's work is to steal visitors' 'pic-a-nic' baskets leads to some stress for the ranger.

Yogi is, however, not the greatest threat to peace in the park. The town's corrupt and self-serving mayor (Andrew Daly) is determined to clear-cut and sell the land off to developers to raise cash (to replace what he has squandered) for the town's coffers. Ranger Smith has to increase the park's revenue by increasing attendance. Yogi vows to help, but it remains to be seen whether that is a plus or a minus.

In the end, good triumphs evil and Ranger Smith even finds romance. And Yogi remains Yogi. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• none

VIOLENCE: 

•  lots of slapstick, but no real violence

TEACHING POINTS:

• the concept of endangered animals
• The only way you can fail is if you don't try

THE UPSHOT:

The combination of live action and animation is impressively seamless. The acting is pretty good and the story is very child-oriented. The plot is based on the premise of easily identifiable 'good' versus easily identifiable 'evil.' The humour is largely slapstick-- which appealed to my 4 year-old-- without being crass-- which appealed to me. It's a very safe 'G' movie with some very positive messaging, but which still manages to be an enjoyable movie.

4/5

A BUG'S LIFE

1998, Pixar
Animated
Rating: G
Approx. 96 mins.

THE STORY:
The neurotic Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is in training to take over the reigns of a thriving any colony from the retiring Queen (Phyllis Diller). Already completely lacking in confidence, Atta has two thorns in her side: Hopper (Kevin Spacey), leader of an evil grasshopper gang blackmailing the ants; and Flik (Dave Foley), an unconventional member of the ant colony.

Flik is an innovative dreamer in a community where being one of the crowd is the norm and a key to survival. Though well-intentioned, his efforts end up causing the ants to double the amount of grain they collect for the grasshopper gang in exchange for the latter's protection. Knowing it is an impossible task, Flik sets off in search of reinforcements.

He recruits a raggedy group of circus performer bugs whom he mistakes for "warriors." When he realizes his mistake, he tries to keep the secret from the other ants, especially Princess Atta, on whom he has a massive crush. He devises a plan to scare away the grasshoppers, but that is jeopardized when the "warriors's" true identities are revealed. 

Although Flik initially wants to remove himself from the community that has turned its back on him, he finds that he can't. He returns to rescue the ants, who have fallen mercy to the rapacious grasshopper gang. Ultimately, the inventiveness that makes it so hard for him to assimilate is what allows him to empower and save his colony.  

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• idiot
• moron
• shut up
• stupid
• loser

VIOLENCE:

• grasshopper dramatically eaten by birds

TEACHING POINTS:

• There is strength in numbers; recognize your own strength
• Strong anti-bullying message
• Accept others as they are and you might be happily surprised

THE UPSHOT:
My 4 year-old absolutely loved this film. Everything about this film. 

It's hard to believe that it's 15 years old. In true Pixar fashion, A Bug's Life is technically flawless: beautiful animation, perfect casting, great script. There are several strong female characters and some blurring of traditional gender roles that is refreshing. The themes are not that unique as kids' movies go, but the execution is so good that I don't mind.

4.5/5

THE WILD

2006, Walt Disney Pictures

Animated

Rating: G

Approx. 94 mins.

THE STORY:

Ryan the lion cub (Greg Cipes) wants to be wild and intimidating like his father Samson (Keifer Sutherland), who he believes used to roam the wild before ending up in the zoo. Try as he might, he just can't seem to rival his father in ferociousness. Nor can he see that his father loves him regardless.

Ryan stumbles into a crate on the zoo grounds and Samson watches as his son is accidentally shipped to Africa. Together with a band of animal friends (Jim Belushi, Eddie Izzard, Jeanine Garofalo), Samson rushes to his rescue. When they all arrive in Africa they discover a volcano about to erupt and the pressure is on to find Ryan and evacuate.
Through the drama, Ryan discovers that his father is not the lion he thought he was, but also realizes that earning his father's respect for being scary is not as important as earning his love for being himself.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Twit

VIOLENCE:

• Fighting
• Wildebeest killed by falling rock and/ or volcano 

TEACHING POINTS:

• Parental love is not conditional
• Being yourself is more important than being the person you think others want you to be
• Honesty is the best policy

THE UPSHOT:

If the premise of a group of animals from the New York Zoo escaping, turning up in Africa and then trying to get back home sounds familiar, then you are undoubtedly familiar with the Madagascar franchise. In comparison with the latter, The Wild just pales. The first Madagascar film came out in 2005, so I can't even give The Wild points for originality.

The only things I actually liked about this movie were Eddie Izzard and Jim Belushi. Unfortunately, the two lion voices were excruciating-- listening to Samson is like listening to Jack Bauer phoning it in. Add in William Shatner as the bad guy, and you just have to wonder if this was someone's idea of a joke. The animation is also very lackluster. The story is very male-centred and revolves around proving masculinity through force and the ability to intimidate.  

My 4 year-old loved the animals, but had very little recollection of the story by the next day. Not worth the 94-odd minutes.

1/5

CHICKEN LITTLE

2005, Walt Disney Pictures

Animated

Rating: G

Approx. 81 mins.

THE STORY:

The film opens with the familiar and dramatic image of Chicken Little (Zach Braff) screaming his head off to warn the entire town about the falling sky. As soon as the townspeople realize what Chicken is alerting them to, they immediately heap scorn and shame on him that, try as he might, he cannot live down. In an effort to redeem himself in the eyes of the town and of his father (Garry Marshall), Chicken joins the baseball team. Despite his small stature and general awkwardness, he manages to score the winning  hit in the big school game. Suddenly he goes from pariah to hero.

Just when he seems to have redeemed himself, however, Chicken is again hit on the head by the same odd object-- a panel from a UFO's cloaking system. He is conflicted: he wants to warn the town, but fears more ridicule. This time, however, he has the support of his friends and the sure knowledge that aliens have landed. After ringing the warning bell, he is again the victim of ridicule, but this time it is short lived as the aliens make themselves visible to all. 

The aliens appear to attack the town, but are actually trying to recover their lost baby, who accidentally escaped from the UFO. After much drama, Chicken Little and his friends return the baby to its parents. The aliens turn out to be unintimidating parents on an annual pilgrimage to the town to partake of its famed acorns. Peace is restored and Chicken Little is vindicated. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• stupid
• shut up
• idiot

VIOLENCE:

• Characters appear to be vaporized, but are shown to have just been transported aboard the space ship and are ultimately released 

TEACHING POINTS:

• Trying to live up to others' expectations is less important than being true to yourself
• Honesty will be rewarded with faith 

THE UPSHOT:

I like the way the film builds on a well known story and fills out the details to give it depth and humanity. The characters become real and relatable. Chicken Little, for example, is a gawky pre-teen with family and esteem issues. In addition to dealing with being motherless, he has to deal with living up to the expectations of a father who is trying to do his best, but who is-- like his son-- overly-concerned with others' opinions.

My favourite character is Abby, aka the Ugly Duckling (Joan Cusack), who is used to being teased for her unconventional looks, and who-- in addition to being a budding psycho-therapist-- is completely at ease with herself. In a refreshing twist on the typical Disney trope, Abby is intelligent, funny and is the film's main love interest.

I liked Chicken Little, but the story is a little confusing and outside-the-box for very young children. The entire alien angle was a surprise to my daughter. She remained resistant to the fact that it wasn't an acorn that fell due to her familiarity with the details of the traditional story. Also, the humour that appealed to the adults in the room escaped the notice of the 4 year-old watching. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable. 

3/5