Watch Kids' Reviews of
MIA AND THE MIGOO

Don't be so quick to judge, because sometimes true beauty lies beneath the surface. This film is about a girl named Mia (voiced by Amanda Misques) who has a dream about her father Pedro (voiced by Jesse Corti) who is away working. This dream is so realistic, she just has to go and see her father and this sets her off on a grand adventure to find her father, because he is the only family she has. However there is a boy named Aldrin (voiced by Vincent Agnello) who is having troubles with his father, Jekhide (voiced by John Di Maggio). Follow Mia along on her journey and see how her adventure crosses paths with Aldrin and his father. My favorite character is Mia. I like Mia because she is a very intelligent girl who is brave, strong and fierce. Mia knows what she has to do to find her father and she is determined to find him. She is a fearless young girl. My favorite scene is the scene when Aldrin's father realizes he is not focusing on his son and he is completely ignoring him. He apologizes to Aldrin and he promises to change his ways, to lose his selfishness and to pay attention to his son more. It's a touching moment in the movie and I love the overall message that this sends to everyone. I think the message is that you should not be selfish and you should be kind to everyone because sometimes what goes around comes around. The animation is your basic 2D animation, which makes the film look like it is hand drawn or painted. As well, there is minimal CGI, through the snowfall, or the rising smoke or the rainfall, to name a few examples. Though is very minimal, I think this CGI is just enough to compliment the basic animation. I rate this film 3 out of 5 stars because at first, I really did get the movie, but as it went on, it was much more enjoyable. I also love the great message of the movie and I think a lot of people can learn from this movie. I think that this movie is for ages 7 to 14 because there are a few scenes that may be a little inappropriate for some of the younger children. Work together and be stronger. Julianna Noone, age 12, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

The film Mia and the Migoo is a very magical and heartwarming film. One night Mia (voiced by Amanda Misquez) is feeling that she wants to see her father, Pedro (voiced by Pierre Richard). So after saying a few parting words at her mother's grave, she sets out on a journey across mountains and jungles to search for her father, who is trapped in a landslide at a remote construction site. Mia gets a little help from the Migoos (voiced by Wallace Shawn), unknown creatures that protect the ancient tree of life. I really love this film because it's very magical, touching and almost makes me cry. I also like how Mia is extremely courageous and daring. I think the background music fit very nicely into this film. My favorite part is when Mia cannot get on a bus without a ticket. So to distract the bus driver, an overweight lady complains about how hot and tired she is, while complaining she puts Mia under her skirt then walks on sneaking Mia on the bus. I love this part because it shows that someone likes how persistent Mia is in trying to find her father. Other voices in this film are John DiMaggio, Whoopi Goldberg. In addition, Vincent Agnello (voiced by Aldrin), a boy that later in the film becomes Mia's friend, and Matthew Modine (voiced by Mr. Houston). Mia and the Migoo is created from 500,000 of hand-painted frames which I really like. A couple of messages I found in this film are to not let the things that scare you get in your way of doing something and be persistent in everything you do, don't give up. I can see why Mia and The Migoo won the Best Animated Feature European Film Award as it is lovely to watch and enjoyable. I give it 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend the film Mia and the Migoo for ages 6 to 12. This is also a great film for those who like to imagine and it's also a good film for the family to watch. However it does have a little bit of scenes that may be freighting to younger children. Mia and the Migoo is now available on DVD, so check it out. Brianna Hope Beaton, age 12, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

This movie is a hand drawn cartoon from France. The voice overs were done twice, once in French and then in English. It is amazing that all the images were hand drawn. In order to really understand this movie and all it took to get this movie to the big screen you must watch the bonus features including the making of Mia and the Migoo. I am only seven which means it took them almost as long to make this movie as I have been alive. WOW! Six years of drawing, music, sound, voice overs and it is finally done. The art is amazing. The shadowing and colors are bright and happy and bring the characters to life. I could not imagine drawing every frame of this movie by hand. Keep this in mind while you watch it and you will see just how special this movie is. In a time of computers it is great to see people still using pencil, paper, ink and paint to create such a piece of art. The music is creepy and was created with a full orchestra and parts of the story are scary. So the music matches well. Perfect sound effects add to the believability and the attention to details they put into every picture is incredible. Mia has a dream that her Father is missing. When she wakes up she decides to go up to the mountains and see if she can find her lost father. He is trapped underground. Mia is fearless and has a spirit for adventure. She has a big heart but learns not to judge people by their looks alone. Along the way we meet many funny, strange and cute people and creatures. My favorite part was when Mia meets the Migoos. When she gets to the forest, she meets the scary Migoos who she discovers are not scary at all but funny and friendly. You can see through parts of them. They are able to get small and grow larger. There are many language differences so they have funny moments where they are trying to relate to Mia. It is the Migoos job to protect the tree of life. There are evil people out to destroy it. Does Mia find her father? Who finds out they have a heart after all? The ages are 6 and up. I give it 4 twinkling stars. Be forewarned there is some bad language. Morgan Bertsch, age 7, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

An entertaining journey of a brave young girl on a quest for her lost father. Beautifully hand-drawn cell animation with an intricate storyline and wonderful voice overs and music! This is a wonderful departure from the overly animated and computerized movies of this day. Hand drawn characters seem to have more soul. You should be aware that there are multiple uses of the word "damn" and, at times this film can be somewhat scary and violent. There is also some bad behavior by main characters, including an opening card game scene showing gambling and cheating. This movie also includes some of the greatest voice talent in Hollywood (Whoopi Goldberg, Matthew Modine, James Woods). It's a story of courage, commitment, love, redemption, understanding, caring for earth and empowerment. It certainly breaks the mold of gender bias, with young Aldrin's mother as an important scientist and Mia herself, fierce and brave.

From the theatrical distributors of the Oscar-nominated A Cat in Paris comes this fable-like journey of a young girl who must overcome her fears on a quest to find her father. Created from 500,000 hand-painted frames of animation with backgrounds that invoke Van Gogh, Monet, and Cezanne, this stunning film carries an eco-friendly message and features the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Matthew Modine, James Woods and Wallace Shawn.