The BORROWERS

1997, Polygram

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 90 mins.

THE STORY:

You know how you keep losing things you just had and can't find them anywhere no matter how hard you look? Well, the good news is, it's not you. It's the Borrowers, a tribe of little-- as in minuscule-- people who live in the walls and floors of our houses and temporarily borrow our belongings for their own survival.

Pete (Bradley Pierce), the boy of the house, is astonished to discover the family of little people living in his home. the family are astonished to learn that the house is soon to be demolished as the owner, Pete's great-aunt, died without apparently leaving a will. The greedy lawyer handling her affairs, Ocious Potter (John Goodman) actually comes across a will, however, hidden in the walls. He deliberately stays quiet about this development, planning on exploiting and profiting from the situation. But when the Borrowers steal the will, Potter, who knows about them, goes to great lengths to get it back.

After various adventures and perils, Potter gets his due, Peter keeps his home, and the Borrowers make a friend not only of Peter, but also of another family of "outie" (outdoor) Borrowers. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• none

VIOLENCE:

• nothing significant; some slight danger, but nothing scary or violent

TEACHING POINTS:

• nothing significant

THE UPSHOT:

It's cute and quaint, and kept the 6 year-old in the room entertained. She found aspects of the story hard to grasp (the legal/ fraud side of things), but was captivated by the action and originality. I liked the fact that the central character was not a semi-orphan misunderstood by his living parent until the latter comes to accept his child's gifts and interests. (I'm not referencing a specific film, just a huge, redundant sub-genre that seems to have included many of the kids' films I've seen of late... and ever.)

I have to confess a sentimental attachment to the story, since I read the book as a youngster. And I have soft spot for stories that try to mythologize and explain everyday phenomena in whimsical ways-- in this case a pleasant way to frame the annoying habit of losing things.

It is a bit dated, especially in terms of the special effects, but it is quirky and safe. Recommended for younger, not yet jaded viewers. 

3.5/5

MADLY MADAGASCAR

2013, DreamWorks Animation

Animation

Rating: unrated (G)

Approx. 21 mins.

THE STORY:

It's Valentine's Day for the savannah dwelling Madagascar crowd and this causes anxiety in everyone. Alex (Ben Stiller) misses the mountains of cards he used to get from admirers back at the zoo. Marty (Chris Rock) has fallen for an okapi who won't give him the time of day. Skipper the penguin (Tom McGrath) has lost his bobble-head wife to another doll and is desperate to win her back. Melman (David Schwimmer) and Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) are plagued by misunderstanding and miscommunication as they try to celebrate their first Valentine's Day as a couple.

King Julien (Danny Jacobs, not Sacha Baron Cohen) is, as usual, immune to the slings and arrows the others face. He has discovered a love potion which he sells to unrequited Marty. Marty seriously regrets this, however, when it works a little too well. Marty learns to appreciate those who do love him, Alex learns that it's who not how many love you that matters, Gloria and Melman communicate, Skipper wins back his bobble bride. King Julien ends up naked and drenched in love potion. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• stupid

VIOLENCE:

• none

TEACHING POINTS:

• It's important to appreciate people as well as to let them know they are appreciated 

THE UPSHOT:

If you like the Madagascar movies, you will probably like this. Obviously, it's not as developed or nuanced as the feature-lengths, but it's funny and has a positive message: it's not how many people love you, but who loves you that matters. 

I've done worse things with 21 minutes of my life than watch this.

4/5

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS

2013, Animal Logic

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 87 mins.

THE STORY:

Set 70 million years ago, this tells the story of Patchi (Justin Long), a feisty Pachyrhinosaurus, his bully brother Scowler (Skyler Stone), his bird-mentor Alex (John Leguizamo), and his love interest Juniper (Tiya Sircar). Life is tough for the dinosaurs, and Patchi loses his mother, siblings and father to a predator. When Scowler becomes the leader, his rashness endangers the lives of the pack and Patchi steps in to rescue the tribe. This causes a rift with his brother, and Pachi, Juniper and Alex are forced to struggle alone on their migration journey. Eventually, however, the family is reunited and together they are strong enough to overcome a fierce group of predators to finish their migration journey. 

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• nothing significant

VIOLENCE:

• There are fight/ challenge scenes, but nothing scary
• The protagonist is attacked by a predator who takes a chunk out of him, but then is chased off
• The protagonist's father is killed
• The protagonist lies down and begins to be pecked at by predators until he is spurred into self-preservation
• There is a pretty long, intense but non-gory fight scene; no one dies, but an arm is broken on screen

TEACHING POINTS:

• There's a lot of information about dinosaurs, which is a topic lots of kids are fascinated with; it makes a good complement to museum visits and dinosaur learning blocks for younger kids since most of the action gives a sense of what we believe life was like for various types of dinos and there is the interjection of documentary information through voice-overs and dino ID cards

THE UPSHOT:

As a piece or fiction, it's pretty poor; but as an educational tool it is pretty good. If the weak story-line is what it takes to engage those kids not naturally enthralled by dinosaurs, then it's a small price to pay. I wish the story was less cliched, the characters a bit less black and white, and the voices less irritating (every time Scowler lumbered onto the screen I cringed), but the 6 year-old in the room was less concerned with these things. She enjoyed the impressive animation, the romance and the humour. And she learned a thing or two about dinosaurs.  

3.5/5

DOOGAL

2006, The Weinstein Company

Animation

Rating: G

Approx. 74 mins.

THE STORY:

Doogal the dog (Daniel Tay) and his friends (Jimmy Fallon, Whoopie Goldberg, William H. Macy, Chey Chase, Kevin Smith) have to save the world from a deep freeze imposed by the evil Zeebad (Jon Stewart). They struggle and succeed.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• none

VIOLENCE:

• none

TEACHING POINTS:

• none

THE UPSHOT:

Oh, the horror. Even the 6 year-old in the room wanted to give up about half-way in. Unfortunately, she changes her mind soon after and we did watch the whole torturous thing.

The story is confusing, the characters are unfamiliar to a North American audience, the voices are irritating (quite a feat given the star-power involved). The fortunate thing was that it was only about 74 minutes long. The unfortunate thing was that it's about 64 minutes too long.

As the child of expat British parents, I grew up on The Magic Carousel, so was expecting a stroll down nostalgia lane if nothing else. Not even. Spare yourself.

1/5

The BOOK of LIFE

2014, Reel FX Animation

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 96 mins.

THE STORY:

Manolo (Diego Luna) and Joaquin (Channing Tatum) are best friends growing up in a nineteenth-century Mexican town. They are also rivals for the hand of Maria (Zoe Saldana), and their competition only increases as they grow into men. Watching over them are the lord of the underworld, Xibalba (Ron Perlman), and the goddess, La Muerte (Kate del Castillo), who make a bet as to which of the boys will win Maria's hand.

Both boys are following in their family traditions, Manolo as a toreador and Joaquin as a soldier. While Joaquin seems a natural born fighter, Manolo is conflicted in that he has no desire to kill bulls. Instead he just wants to be a troubadour. As Manolo tries to live up to his father's expectations, Joaquin receives the gift of a life-preserving amulet from Xibalba which only confirms him as a great warrior.

Though Maria has feelings for the sensitive Manolo, she feels compelled to marry Jaoquin so they he will stay and protect her village from marauding invaders. Manolo's love for Maria, however, remains undeterred, and he is even tricked by Xibalba into dying in order to save Maria. Justice and love prevail in the end and everyone gets the end they deserve.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• stupid
• shut up
• idiot

VIOLENCE:

• it's all about death and dying, and half of the characters in the film are dead or die during the action
• there are a couple of bull fighting scenes which are intended to end in the bull being killed, but which do not
• a 'bull spirit' fights a toreador and dissolves, which could lead younger/ more sensitive viewers to feel it dies
• fighting, battle scenes
• characters are bitten by a snake and (temporarily) die

TEACHING POINTS:

• can serve as a starting point for discussions about life after death and such
• be true to yourself and your heart

THE UPSHOT:

Another kids' animated film that periodically tries go over the kids' heads to appeal to adults... and that fails to entertain anyone. Visually and thematically it is unique. I like the fact that it introduces a culture not often presented in films for kids, but the theme was just too heavy for the sensitive 6 year-old in the theatre. There were some tears and there was some confusion.

Aside form the potential for anxiety in more delicate kids, the film is just not that good. The story is pretty thin for the length, and the end is predictable from about 3 minutes in. Also, the 3D was a complete waste of the extra money-- no significant effects to speak of. 

2.5/5

FREE BIRDS

2013, Reel FX Creative Studios

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 90 mins.

THE STORY:

Reggie the turkey (Owen Wilson), the voice of doom in the farmyard, is suddenly rescued from a life of warning others about their impending doom by a presidential pardon. He is transported to the White House where he lives a life of indulgence and luxury. Suddenly he is again uprooted, this time by time-travelling turkey commando Jake (Woody Harrelson). Following on the orders of the mysterious 'Great Turkey', Jake drags a very reluctant Reggie back to 17th century New England with a plan to ensure turkeys are off the menu for the first Thanksgiving dinner.

Once there, they encounter the local wild turkey tribe, and Reggie meets the unlikely love of his life, Jenny (Amy Poehler), daughter of the tribe's aging leader. They all join forces to take on the evil Myles Standish (Colm Meaney) and the pilgrims whose sole mission is to kill as many turkeys as possible.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Oh my God
• Stupid

VIOLENCE:

• some shooting and hunting
• turkeys die though not on screen

TEACHING POINTS:

• I was really thrown by the happy ending and not sure what message this was supposed to convey to kids, so... not sure

THE UPSHOT:

The film definitely has the niche factor of being the only major animated film related to Thanksgiving. And then there's the niche factor of being about the hypothetical reversal of a 'genocide' (i.e. the culling of turkeys at Thanksgiving). The more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I get. Fortunately, the film doesn't exactly encourage a lot of mental activity. I just kept hoping there would be no questions from the 6 year-old in the room about that aspect.

The pros: The lead female character is a positive example-- smart, brave, flawed-- the voices are good, the animation is appealing, the humour is solid. The cons: It seemed longer than it needed to be and got confusing. The time travel thing got complicated for the 6 year-old in the room-- some blurriness about what is historical fact and what is fantasy-- but it was enjoyable to watch for the most part. Then there's the cultural (in)sensitivity aspect where turkeys appear to be collapsed with First Nations. As I said, though, it seems to discourage mental over-exertion, so you can make as much or as little of this as you choose.

3/5