UP

2009, Pixar

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 96 mins.

THE STORY:

Carl Frederickson (Ed Asner) is a cantankerous old man who has just lost his life partner, Ellie, and is about to lose his home to developers. His final goal is to take his dead wife-- in the form of the house they shared together-- to Paradise Falls, an isolated location somewhere in South America that Ellie dreamed of visiting. 

Carl comes up with the idea of floating his house to the Falls under the power of helium filled balloons. He takes off and all seems to be going well, when he realizes that Russell (Jordan Nagai), a young Wilderness Scout who had tried to offer him assistance earlier, is along for the ride. 

Before they know it, the two find themselves within view of their destination. They begin the long walk to the Falls, and encounter a strange giant bird whom Russell befriends. Even stranger, they meet dogs with electronic voice boxes who lead them to Ellie and Carl's childhood hero, the explorer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer). Muntz was disgraced decades earlier for claiming to have discovered a new species of giant bird, and has spent the years since trying to hunt it down. Carl soon discovers that his hero is an obsessive monster, and he, Russell and their now-pet bird try to escape from him and the talking dog colony he has created.

Carl discovers that life is for the living, and chooses to save Russell and the bird rather than live in the past of his memories. Although he has lost one life partner, he gains another. 

VIOLENCE:

• the villain falls to his presumable death from a dirigible
• more threat than violence; younger kids may be a bit scared

TEACHING POINTS:

• honour what/ who has passed by embracing the new
• no man is an island  

THE UPSHOT:

As a highly-- and recently-- sentimental adult, I am a sucker for stories that summarily and sweetly portray the course of human (romantic) relationships. Up, like Raymond Briggs' Ethel and Ernest or Robert Munsch's I Love You Forever, is one such story. I found the first 20 minutes a beautiful and tragic synopsis of the best that we can hope for in life. Truth be told, I had a hard time getting through that segment without tearing up. 

I appreciated the subtlety with which the movie dealt with difficult issues like infertility, sickness and death. The parent is left in the position to choose how much to probe or point out, depending on a child's level of sensitivity.

Visually, the film is flawless. The voices are absolutely perfect. The script and pacing are spot on. I also liked the fact that Russell is Asian American and his race never comes into play, either directly or indirectly. 

Although the 5 year-old in the room did enjoy it, it is quite a mature movie in a lot of ways. Older kids will get more out of it, but younger ones will still enjoy the ride. Adults who like films that explore the nature of human relationships should be enthralled.

5/5

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

2012, Columbia Pictures

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 90 mins.

THE STORY:

Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) is a hyper-protective single father living in modern day Transylvania in dread fear that his teenage (i.e. 118 year-old) daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez), will be harmed by the humans who killed her mother. He has created a hotel for monsters as a sanctuary for himself and his many supernatural friends.

One day, Johnny (Andy Samberg), a human backpacker with a pronounced go-with-the-flow attitude shows up at the hotel. Dracula is terrified that his guests will panic and/or kill Johnny, so he disguises his laid back visitor as a party planner and member of the Frankenstein family.

The backdrop to this action is Mavis' birthday celebration, and her desire to leave the hotel and explore the world she has never been allowed to see. In talking to Johnny about the many places in the world he has seen, her thirst for the outside grows. Dracula sees the attraction thriving between the two and panics at the thought of Mavis leaving. He convinces Johnny to leave in order to save Mavis future heartbreak when the human world rejects her. 

As soon as he does, however, Dracula realizes that the only thing that hurts him more than losing Mavis is seeing her having lost her true love. He chases down Johnny and reunites the lovebirds.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• idiot
• stupid

VIOLENCE:

• a zombie gets a pitchfork through the head, but it is not as bad as it sounds

TEACHING POINTS:

• If you love someone you have to set them free
• Don't judge people based on preconceptions; get to know them as individuals

THE UPSHOT:

The story is pretty thin and predictable. What makes this well worth watching are the characters and the situational humour-- the one liners, the physical comedy, the character development of the monsters. Frankenstein (Kevin James), the Invisible Man (David Spade) and particularly the Wolfman (Steve Buscemi) are standouts. Some of the jokes are a bit on the crass side, but are pretty gently so. Chances are you've heard worse from the mouths (and elsewhere) of your little ones.

Without a doubt, both the adults and the 5 year-old in the room were able to come to a consensus that this was a very good watch.

4.5/5

THE ANT BULLY

2006, Warner Brothers

Animated

Rating: PG

Approx. 88 mins.

THE STORY:

Lucas Nickle is the new kid on the block and the local bullies won't let him forget it. He deals with his frustration and isolation by terrorizing the ants in his yard who know him as The Destroyer. Zoc (Nicholas Cage), the wizzard wanna-be ant, comes up with a potion which miniaturizes Lucas to equalize bullier and bullied.

While most of the ants want to kill and eat Lucas, the queen (Meryl Streep) insists that they teach him-- why destroy one when you can use that one to hopefully change others? Inspired by the queen's mission, the maternal ant Hova (Julia Roberts) agrees to take him under her wing.

Lucas has to learn to forget his every-man-for-himself attitude, and act as a co-operative member of a colony to fight against an ardent exterminator (Paul Giamatti). In the end, Lucas returns to his normal size, but takes a new perspective on how he wants to treat others-- and be treated himself-- back to his old life.   

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  stupid

VIOLENCE:

• nothing significant-- the main message of the movie is anti-violence

TEACHING POINTS:

• a strong anti-bullying message
• get to know people before judging them; don't assume, learn and know

THE UPSHOT:

I like the message of this film: the idea of walking a mile in someone else's shoes, so to speak. I also like the fact that I didn't feel bludgeoned by the message at the expense of story or general entertainment. 
The voices and script are pretty solid, but I found the pacing a bit uneven. I felt too much time was spent on minor things and not enough on some key moments-- Lucas' miniaturization, for one. The ending also felt a bit rushed and was a bit too simplistic. Yes, in a perfect world right triumphs over wrong, but pacifistically standing up to a bully is not guaranteed to result in the best possible of outcomes.
The Ant Bully was a hit with the 5 year-old in the room simply for its humour and silliness. The adults couldn't help but compare it with the many other insect-centric kids' movies around (Bug's Life, Bee Movie, etc.) and find it just a little wanting. Overall, however, the pluses outweigh the negatives, and it's definitely worth a watch.  

4/5

MULAN

1998, Disney Animation

Animation

Rating: G

Approx. 89 mins.

THE STORY:

Mulan (Ming-na Wen) is a young woman on the threshold of maturity who just can't seem to fit in with the Confucian ideals of a dutiful daughter and wife. She thinks for herself and believes that she is capable of far more than is expected of her. 

Despite her shortcomings in the eyes of others, she is the pinnacle of filial piety when she secretly takes the place of her aging father for military service. She disguises herself as a man and joins the army to stave off the invading Huns. The spirits of her ancestors send a small, awkward dragon, Mushu (Eddie Murphy), to watch out for and support her. Soon Mulan finds herself attracted to her commander, Li Shang (BD Wong), and he also finds himself drawn to the young man under his command.

In the end, Mulan is revealed to be the brave woman she is and returned home. All is resolved after she thwarts an enemy plot and restores peace to the empire. She turns down offers to join the emperor's court, and returns to her father. Before long, she is followed by Li Shang, and the matchmaker's predictions of Mulan's unmarriageability appear to be greatly exaggerated. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  none

VIOLENCE:

• nothing graphic, central theme is war/ invasion

TEACHING POINTS:

• girls can do whatever they set their minds to, just as well as men
• tradition is important, but 

THE UPSHOT:

Of all of the recent Disney movies I've had to watch, this caused my eyes to roll the least by far. Yes, Mulan has the typical 'princess' physique and beautiful features, but she spends a lot of the movie dressed as a man. She is successful because of her mind, not because of her looks or family legacy. She is an agent of change, not an accessory. I think this is a great message for girls, and one that Disney has a duty to address more consistently.

I also like the fact that the story is at least based on historical fact, and that it features a non-white, non-blonde heroine. I wish Disney had produced something equivalent in the 15-odd years since Mulan was released.

4/5

THE IRON GIANT

1999, Warner Brothers

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 86 mins.

THE STORY:

It is 1957 Maine, and young Hogarth Hughes stumbles upon a huge metal robot who appears to have fallen from the sky in the woods. He has a dent in his head and no memory of where he comes from. Hogarth's instinct is to befriend the giant, and hide it from the paranoid townspeople who would no doubt fear and try to destroy it. Things become complicated, however, when government agencies and the military get involved.

Before Hogarth knows it, Agent Mansley, an obsessive and malicious individual who knows Hogarth can lead him to the giant, has installed himself in his house. Hogarth enlists the help of Dean (Harry Connick Jr.), the local artist/ junk dealer, to hide the giant. 

Although all goes well for a time, it proves impossible to hide a gigantic metal man for long. When the military gets involved, the danger escalates, and the giant demonstrates a defensive violent instinct. In the end, however, the friendship he has developed with Hogarth wins out, and he sacrifices himself to save those he cares about. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• What in the hell
• Oh my God
• Damn it
• Butt

VIOLENCE:

• There are scenes of shooting and such, but the entire message of the film is anti-violence

TEACHING POINTS:

• Violence solves nothing, and often leads to more violence
• It is dangerous to act out of fear rather than from knowledge

THE UPSHOT:

The movie stays very close to the book, and provides some good discussion material about violence begetting violence and the danger of acting out of paranoia. On the negative side, I found the language a bit mature and unnecessary, and the script a bit weak in general. The 5 year-old in the room also wanted some humour-- it's a pretty serious 80-odd minutes.

Ultimately, it was OK, but I would rather read the book than watch this movie.

2/5

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

2010, DreamWorks

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 98 mins.

THE STORY:

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is a young viking, and son of the toughest viking in the band, Stoik (Gerard Butler). Unfortunately, he's not a chip off the old block and his father is not shy about expressing his disappointment. Being a cerebral type, Hiccup has no desire to engage in the number 1 viking pursuit: killing dragons. Although he is undergoing training in the art of dragon-killing, when he happens to run into an injured dragon his instinct is to help rather than harm. 

In secret, he befriends the dragon, essentially turning it into his pet, and begins designing a prosthesis to help him fly again. Through his contact with Toothless, Hiccup discovers that dragons are not the evil killers his clan thinks they are, but are themselves living in fear of a super-dragon. From Toothless, he learns tips on how to calm dragons, and becomes a kind of dragon whisperer.

Eventually, his secret becomes public, and his father heads a mission to find the nest of the super-dragon. Knowing his father cannot cope, Hiccup and his fellow trainees mount dragons and head off to help. Hiccup manages to prove his courage and prove himself to his father. He also succeeds in teaching his people to have a new relationship with dragons, and ultimately they all learn to co-exist happily. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  stupid

VIOLENCE:

• vikings attack dragons with hammers, knives, etc.

TEACHING POINTS:

• don't assume; experience things and people for yourself and make educated judgments
• it is important to recognise and admire others' strengths and opinions even if they are different from ours  

THE UPSHOT:

The 5 year-old in the room loved this as much as I did, thankfully. There was humour for everyone, especially from Craig Ferguson's character. Jay Baruchel is perfect, and the central female character is a positive example for young girls. The story flow is good and the movie is visually stunning.

My only 2 criticisms: 1) There are no kid-friendly special features, just a lot of talking heads. A game or something would have been nice. 2) There is a quite scary scene where it seems that Toothless is going to be killed and this sent the 5 year-old in the room into paroxysms. It is an intense scene, but it passes without actual violence.

4.5/5

THE WIZARD OF OZ

1939, Warner Brothers

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 102 mins.

THE STORY:

Life on her aunt and uncle's farm is not very exciting for adolescent Dorothy (Judy Garland), and the last straw comes when her crabby busybody neighbour, Miss Gulch (Margaret Hamilton), arranges to have Dorothy's dog, Toto, taken away and destroyed. Unable to accept this, she and her dog run away. She doesn't get far, however, before she runs into a travelling salesman/ psychic (Frank Morgan) who sneakily convinces her to go home.

Along the way, she finds herself in a tornado and gets hit on the head by flying debris. Seconds later, black and white Kansas is transformed into technicolour Oz, and Dorothy's house has landed right on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. In doing so, she has started a feud with the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), who wants to kill her for her ruby slippers.

Dorothy makes 3 friends, and they all travel to the Emerald City to have the Wizard (Frank Morgan) grant their wishes. When they find the Wizard, he gives them the seemingly impossible task of bringing him the Wicked Witch's broomstick. They embark on this quest and discover that Oz is both a wondrous and a terrifying place. Eventually they accomplish their task, unmask the 'Wizard,' and get Dorothy back home.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  none

VIOLENCE:

• none

TEACHING POINTS:

•  There's no place like home.
• "If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with."

THE UPSHOT:

This was my absolute favourite movie bar none as a child-- and still in my top 5-- so I really wanted the 4 year-old in the room to love it. I was terrified that it would be like when I tried to introduce her to other movies and books I had loved, and that she would find it hokey or boring or old. But no, she loves it! 

What can I say about Wizard of Oz that hasn't been said? Great music, great story, great cinematography, great characters. An absolute classic.

5/5

STUART LITTLE

1999, Columbia Pictures

Live action with CG

Rating: PG

Approx. 84 mins.

THE STORY:

The Littles (Hugh Laurie, Geena Davis) are a picture perfect family of 3 who long to be a family of 4. They set out to adopt a younger brother for their son, George, and come home with a mouse-son, Stuart (Michael J. Fox).  At first the inter-species adoption has some bumps, but soon Stuart becomes a vital member of the family, much to the consternation of the family cat (Nathan Lane).

Just when everything seems to have settled into a happy routine, however, Stuart's mouse parents show up to claim him. The Littles are devastated to see him go, but feel that being with his birth parents (Jennifer Tilly, Bruno Kirby) is what is best for him. His new-found parents, however, turn out to be impostors, and Stuart makes his way back to his true family, the Littles, trying to evade a group of cats with malign intentions as he does.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• stupid
• dumb
• hate
• damn
• hell

VIOLENCE:

• None beyond cats' talk of killing Stuart

TEACHING POINTS:

• Looking alike doesn't make people family; love makes people family
• It's wrong to dislike others just because others tell you to
• Being accepting of new people gives you a chance to discover their good qualities

THE UPSHOT:

It's a sweet and innocent 84 minutes of disbelief suspension. I love the idea of a world where a mouse can hail a taxi without anyone batting an eyelash. It's visually attractive, well-paced and easy to follow. It isn't exciting or overly funny, but it is... nice.

3/5

DUDLEY DO-RIGHT

1999, Universal Pictures

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 77 mins.

THE STORY:

Dudley Do-Right (Brendan Fraser) always dreamed of becoming a Mountie, and has managed to fulfill his destiny. And if he only weren't such a walking disaster he would be the perfect hero. Instead, he does his best, with the best of intentions, to stop the dastardly Snidely Whiplash (Alfred Molina) from taking over the town. Along the way he tries to win the heart of the fair Nell (Sarah Jessica Parker), whom he has had a crush on since childhood.
Despite his awkwardness and the evil external forces which conspire to take away the three loves of his life-- Nell, his job and his horse-- Dudley's spirit more than compensates for his lagging intellect. Order is restored as he saves the town, gets the girl and finds his horse.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Stupid
• Oh my God.
• Crap
• Idiot

VIOLENCE:

• There are fight scenes, but a point is made to avoid the use of real weapons-- rocks and fireworks take the place of bullets. 
• No senseless violence, nothing scary

TEACHING POINTS:

• It's not really a message-heavy movie, but if one has to be found there is the good triumphs over bad point  

THE UPSHOT:

Is it high art? No. Is it any kind of art? No. For those old enough, it's a hit of nostalgia. For those young enough it's a hit of silly. You could extrapolate something deeper from the representation of 'First Nations' people (Dudley is helped by the Kumquat tribe with their moccasins, giant feathered headdresses, Italian New Yorker speech and Riverdancing legs), and from the discussion of good and bad Dudley shares with the town drunk (Eric Idle). But the movie really just invites you to give your brain some time off. 

Nothing offended me, and nothing made me wish there wasn't a 4 year-old in the room.

2/5 

LION KING 2: SIMBA'S PRIDE

1998, Disney

Animated

Rating: G

Approx. 81 mins.

THE STORY:

Simba (Matthew Broderick) is all grown up, leader of his pride, partner to Lala (Moira Kelly) and father to Kiara (Neve Campbell). His daughter is coming of age and wants to establish her own independent identity. This involves starting a relationship with Kuvo (Jason Marsden), the son of Simba's dead rival's mate, Zira (Suzanne Pleshette).

As staunchly as Simba wants to continue Zira's and her clan's exile from his pride, Zira wants to avenge her partner's loss by killing Simba. She aims to use her son to gain Simba's trust before killing and supplanting him.

In the end, love conquers hate, and the children are the teachers of the parents.   

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

•  lots of talk about killing and maiming and methods of killing and maiming

VIOLENCE:

•  mostly verbal, fighting scenes with no detail

TEACHING POINTS:

If I try to sort through Disney's messaging, I get the following:

• Some people are absolutely good and others are intrinsically bad
• Once the bad people die, good can prevail 
• Taking a close look at our 'enemies' reveals that they are just like us 

 Definitely can't buy into all of that.

THE UPSHOT:

G?! Really?! Sure, there was no gore, no actual killing. But the amount of time dedicated to talking about and singing about and acting on murderous plots is staggering. That is the entire plot.

After the pleasant surprise of Lion King 1 1/2, yet again, Disney has disappointed me. This was a complete waste of 81 minutes of my life, and I just hope it made no lasting impression on the 4 year-old in the room. Save yourselves!

1/5

WRECK-IT RALPH

2012, Disney Animation

Animated

Rating: PG

Approx. 108 mins.

THE STORY:

Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the villain in a classic video game. His raison d'etre is to destroy buildings as the perfect foil for the game's hero, Fix-it Felix (Jack McBrayer). He performs his task, but receives no appreciation. The breaking point comes when Ralph is excluded from a party the game characters hold to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Wanting to gain acceptance, he resolves to earn a medal as proof of his capacity for good.

By joining another arcade game, he manages to get his hands on a medal, but loses it almost immediately in another game, Sugar Rush. The medal ends up in the hands of Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), an outcast little girl character. Her goal is to win a race so that she can prove that she is not simply a glitch. Ralph promises to help her on the condition that she give the medal back to him when she finishes the race.

The friendship that Ralph and Vanellope develop is strained when Ralph is tricked into thinking that winning the race will lead to Vanellope's demise. Ultimately, Ralph is the hero: he protects and supports others and learns that changing the way people see him involves changing the way he is.   

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Stupid
• Butt load

VIOLENCE:

• scenes simulating a combative video game are pretty violent-- lots of shooting and human-devouring insectoids 

TEACHING POINTS:

• Good and bad are not always black and white
• Heroes are people who help and support others in achieving their goals
• Who we are depends on us, not on what others tell us we are 

THE UPSHOT:

It was kind of a 'you had me at hello' film. The opening voice-over is so funny and clever that I completely bought into the character and the fantastic story. I love the idea of an anti-hero, who--despite the incredibly fictional circumstances-- is very much an everyman. I loved the existential implications of Ralph's refusal to accept his mission. He is an Atlas who shrugs, a Sysyphus who leaves the stone at the foot of the hill. 

The recurring theme is not so much good vs. bad, but more the fact that good and bad aren't always easy to label, or even necessarily diametrically opposed. Ralph learns that he isn't 'good', but that that isn't 'bad.' Felix sets out to find Ralph not to punish, but to restore order and protect all of the game's characters, Ralph included. 

It's a pretty deep story and I don't kid myself that the child in the room appreciated all of that, but luckily she found the humour and the clever word play hilarious. Case in point: O-re-o Oooo-re-o chanted by Oreo cookie guards echoing the Wicked Witch's guards in The Wizard of Oz.

I would have loved to give Wreck-it-Ralph a 5, but the story did get confusing around the 2/3 mark. When an adult in the room asked what was going on, the four year-old said, "I don't know. Just watch." There's something to be said for that approach, but I still like to understand what I'm watching.  

4/5