Wall-E

What can be said about "Wall-E" that hasn't been said about all other Disney movies? Not much. Sure Wall-E is cute and there is a seemingly impossibly love interest. The one thing that makes this a little more unique is that it is told from a machine's point of view. Wall-E is a disposal unit who remains on earth long after the humans left to form their new life on a spaceship. Earthbound Wall-E is infatuated with all-things human. He collects human objects, much like Ariel did in "The Little Mermaid." And true to the Pixar creed, John Ratzenberger is in this movie too (I don't think they can make one without him.) Another slightly unique item is that Sigorney Weaver is the voice of the spaceship. She was also the secondary spaceship voice in "Galaxy Quest" - which was much more fun than this movie. Last but not least was Fred Willard's human hologram as the CEO of the company. That man is comic gold. He was the funniest thing about this movie to me. Wish I'd been a fly on the wall while taping his scenes.
As you might have guessed, "Wall-E" is about the earth's environment, being eco-friendly, having an apocalyptic trash overload and human redemption.
What made the movie a little more special to me was that one of the robots, Eve, had the ability to show a lot of emotion with her computer-generated eyes. I liked that feature. I also liked that Wall-E was able to mess up some of the machines so that the humans could really take a look at what they had been living in rather than what was on their personal screens (difficult to explain).
What I didn't like was that the Disney aspect showed through. There were no parents in the movie. There were cross-dressing scenes with Wall-E (once with a bra over his eyes and another with makeup on his eyes). I'm afraid Disney showed through much more than Pixar did on this one. I was hoping for more imaginative scenes, but then, I'm a mom - not a 6 year old. There just wasn't that much to laugh about in this movie compared to other recent hits, like "Madagascar 2." What I was hoping for was more fun and laughs.
Despite this, I'd say it was a decent movie and one that most preschoolers up would like. I would not recommend buying it until you've seen it because it just didn't live up to the hype to me. Cute, yes - but no "Nemo."

Madagascar

The cast reads like a who's who hot list. Ben Stiller is Alex the Lion, Jada Pinkett Smith is Gloria the hippo, David Schwimmer is Melman the giraffe and last but certainly not least is Chris Rock as Marty the zebra. And these are just the main characters. The animals live in the Central Park Zoo where Alex is hailed king as he is the zoo's star and eats up every bit of attention.

The plot: Marty decides to take a field trip of sorts and the rest of the group either tries to stop him, or are a little encouraged by his bravery. They end up at the train station and are attacked by a granny wielding a purse and finally by the police and vet squad. An outpouring of public sympathy for the animals leads to the animals being boxed up and sent to their native habitat (Africa). Along the way, the zoo penguins get in the mix and take over the ship destined to Africa and hijack it to Antarctica. Once there, they decide it might be better somewhere else and sail off to yet another adventure. This time they land in Madagascar. They are eventually greeted by King Julian (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer). They are skeptically welcomed into the animal fold after Alex scares away the dreaded foosa. Together, the main characters find resolution to their newfound obstacles and learn to live peacefully in Madagascar. Happy, sweet and very funny.
There are parts of this movie that are WAY above the normal kid's intellect. There are references to a lot of sci-fi (love it!) and jabs about New York. For most kids, however, the music will get them in the movie. Somewhat ashamedly, I must admit that my own 4-yr old has to listen to "I Like to Move It" every morning on his way to kindergarten. It's infectious. In a good way. The penguins steal the show. I understand they will get their own cartoon on TV soon. Provided they keep the same writers and voice talents, that too will be great.
I won't say this is a must see, but it is not a waste of your money. It's cute, very funny and filled with references to pop culture. I would suggest this movie for 4 years and up. And they won't get half of it, but the parents will. My favorite part - look for the "Planet of the Apes" homage on the beach.

101 Dalmations - Animated

For some reason, my 4-yr old is fascinated with this Disney movie. We just bought the newest DVD reincarnation (as per the image), so the animation is really bright and less 60s/70s-looking than I remembered.
Plot: Being Disney, something bad has to happen to the children and/or parents. In this case, the dalmatian puppies are stolen away from their parents and are in direous peril. Of course, their human counterparts are helpless. It's up to the older canines to use the Twilight Bark and rescue the puppies. They are aided by a cat and a horse as well. The villain is the nasty human, Cruella de Vil. She wants the puppies for their skins - for a new fur coat (she said she "worships furs"). To see her in action, click on the title link in this blog - it will open in youtube.
I'm not sure if it's just me, but the two baddies remind me a lot of the two crazy burglers in "Home Alone." Cruella's henchmen/baddies, Horace and Jasper, bungle the job assigned to them. The dogs (along with a large number of store-bought dalmatians) finally find freedom. It's a warm fuzzy story that most kids like. Happy ending and sing along music. I especially liked the scenes in which the dogs are watching TV - to me those are the best parts.
Now, Cruella is not only scary to small children, she talks about killing puppies and in one scene makes a reference to hell. She's a chain smoker and the baddies drink alcohol. So, thought I'd put that out there... Possible teaching opportunities.
As I stated, my 4-yr old loves this movie. I think it is appropriate for most kids. You may want to be sensitive if children have been adopted (or taken from their parents).
Additionally, if you get the new DVD, Selena Gomez from The Wizards of Waverly Place has a cute little video that preteens will love.

A Goofy Movie

Disney, creators of lovable characters with early-onset potty mouths, managed to make a cute, funny movie about a boy and his dad. This movie displays the age-appropriate parental rebellion in the form of Goofy's teenage son, Max. Goofy struggles to stay a part of his son's life but it always (surprise) comes off the wrong way. In true Disney form, Max's mother (assumed Goofy's wife) is no where to be seen or mentioned. I think we are to assume she died. I know, but it's Disney.
Max, on the other hand, is interested in girls (Roxanne, to be exact) and struggles to free himself from what he feels is the Goofy curse of coming across, well, goofy. He is fun, has friends, wants to party and has nightmares that he's going to turn into his dad one day.
As part of a father-son bonding trip, Max and Goofy go cross-country to the Goofy traditional fishing place. Max has other plans. He'd rather go to his favorite singer's concert in L.A. But along the way, they find out they do have a lot in common and start to learn more about each other. Mind you, most of this is met at the same time as disaster, but that pretty much follows Goofy around anyway.
The best parts of this movie are when they visit Lester's Possum place and when they run into Bigfoot. I laugh every time, although I've seen this probably 20 times. Also be on the lookout for "Bobby," a teenage friend of Max who is voiced by Pauly Shore: "Leaning Tower of Cheese-a."
The only things that I'm not crazy about are that a parent is unexplainably missing and there are several times something sounds like a curse but is actually something that just sounds like it. So kids WILL pick up on this and you will hear it all the time. Just trust me. Remember in "Spy Kids" when the girl says, "Holy Shitake Mushroom!" Yep. Kinda like that.
Here's a link to a clip: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1840513305/

Hercules - Animated

Although I've seen almost every Disney movie made, I'm not really a big fan. One of the reasons is that Disney routinely places a child in a parent-less situation. Just think...when was the last time you saw a Disney movie that didn't involve a parent dying, a parent already dead, adoption or some sort of parental guardianship? Yep, never.
Disney's 1997 adaption (loosely) of the Greek fable of Hercules turned out to be a pretty good movie. There was action, a love interest, singing, a really bad villain, kooky talking animals and a feel-good ending. However, I think the movie didn't do as well in some parts of the country because it doesn't specifically address ONE higher being. This is also a Disney trait. You can see a small mouse wishing on a star or a mermaid's deal with an undersea devil but you can't address the notion of one "god." In Hercules, Disney displays multiple gods, as with the Greek monotheistic tradition. I think this probably got the far right-wingers upset. Who knows?
As for the movie, it has all the key elements kids like. My 4-yr old loves this movie. I'm sure part of it is because the colors are really vivid and he thinks it's funny. It's also got a catchy series of songs - I found myself singing along. The first time he watched it I think he might have been a little scared of the scenes with Hades (wonderfully voiced by James Woods).
The story, as you probably know, is about a child born to gods (Hera and Zeus) who is stolen away (by Hades) and lives among mortals, believing the people who raised him to be his true parents. He finds out the truth later and works to become a real god by performing feats of heroism. His training comes from the satyr Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), ensuring more laughs to the situation. There is a love interest in Megara, or Meg for short. Also, Paul Shaffer voices Hermes, the messenger, who looks and acts exactly like himself, including glasses. One other note is that Charlton Heston is the narrator. I think that was a great move on Disney's part.
The movie is sweet and not as scary as "The Little Mermaid" or "Sleeping Beauty." It is male-centered, which is rarer nowadays, but little girls will like it too. I would suggest this movie to any age person willing to endure several episodes of gospel singings by the Muses and can overlook the multi god sentiment. I really liked this movie.

Kung Fu Panda

Alright, I admit that I watched this at the pediatrician's office in the waiting room. Not ideal, I know. The animation was great and the voices of Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman made the film. I particularly liked how the animators caught the facial expressions of the actors and imprinted them on the animated characters. Of course it was cute and feel-good and watchable. Most kids would enjoy this movie and the soundtrack.

Nim's Island

I love Jodie Foster. I love Jodie Foster. There, I've said it. To me, she is the great actress of my age. This was a cotton-candy role for her: very light, sweet and venerable. She paired with Abigail Breslin in a role of little girl lost and Gerard Butler as the hunky reclusive dad who gets lost at sea. Foster always lived her character's role out in her fictional writings but through Breslin's emails, feels compelled to swallow her fears and face her toughest challenges. The movie centers around Breslin yet has such good secondary storylines that the movie feels richer than just a kid-flick. This is watchable with elementary age kids and up. It has a feel-good, although somewhat predictable ending.

The Orphanage

This is one of my favorite films of all time. I strongly suggest you watch this film unless you or someone close to you has lost a child. The story starts some years earlier, when the main character is a child at an orphanage. She grows up and marries and then adopts a child with a medical condition (who doesn't know he's adopted). The mother refurbishes her old abandoned orphanage and plans to add more children to their household. Her son goes missing at the open house. She is frantic and goes through horrifying emotions. She is convinced her son is still alive while everyone else (!) gives up, including her husband. Her struggle to find her child is bittersweet, at times bordering on horror and often filled with despair. The movie's resolution is one of the best I've seen in a while. Without giving too much away, the story ends on a happy note, yet not one you would have expected. The writing and acting are among the best I've ever witnessed. Please rent this Spanish movie with English subtitles. It will surprise you, shock you and by the end, make you appreciate the love of a mother.