KIDS FIRST! Film Festival

The KIDS FIRST! Film and Video Festival 2003 & 2004

. . At Last, A Film Festival Just for Kids

Titles for Fall 2003 and Spring 04 Festivals

SPANISH AND ENGLISH
Anastasia
A young princess finds her life changed forever by the tide of revolution in Czarist Russia. When the evil Rasputin betrays the royal family, Anastasia is forced to flee for her life, aided by the dashing young soldier Alexander. A charming tale, though the story is too complex for youngest ones and is sometimes scary. This version is more historically accurate than others, though it contains implied violence and has too simple a resolution. Kids four and up liked this, even though they didn't understand the story line. 48 min. Ages 5-8 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman
Fans of the stylized Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and their subsequent feature-length releases (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm) will be pleased to note that the same creative team responsible for those efforts have reunited for this action-filled adventure, which pits the Dark Knight against a fetching vigilante in Bat-gear. Voice talent of Kyra Sedgwick, Hector Elizondo, Kevin Conroy. Kelly Ripa and David Ogden Stiers. . 78 min. Ages 12-15 From Warner Home Video.

VIDEO PREMIERE
Blue's Clues: Blue Talks
Blue's Clues enters a whole new realm with a puppetry segment that allows Blue to express herself as never before. When Luna the Moon Fairy visits Blue and Joe during a blue moon, she relates the legend of the blue puppy. During the eve of the first blue moon, a litter of puppies was born that included one blue puppy bearing a golden key--a key that's destined to open Blue's "greatest gift." A quick search by Blue and Joe yields the key, but the pair struggles to figure out exactly what the key unlocks. What they do finally unlock is indeed Blue's greatest gift--one that opens up a whole new dimension within Blue's Clues that features puppetry, new characters, and a fresh insight into Blue's thoughts. 102 min. Ages 2-5. Paramount Home Entertainment

VIDEO PREMIERE
Blue's Clues: Classic Clues
Includes four unaired Steve episodes: Blue's School - Hop on board our cardboard bus and help Steve pick up our friends for a day of pretend school, where Blue is the teacher! Rhyme Time - If you've got a rhyme, we've got the timeàtoday, Steve is a poet and he knows it - and so are we! Something To Do Blue - Blue can't decide what to do today. Mr. Salt encourages us to pick a few items from around the house and use our imaginations to invent something new to do with them-a recipe he calls "Something to do Stew." Puppets - Today we're acting out puppet stories! We create our very own puppet, Handy, just by using our hand. 100 min. Ages: 2-5 Paramount Home Entertainment

HOUSTON FILM FESTIVAL PLATIMUM AWARD
Children on Their Birthdays
In the summer of 1947, a mysterious thirteen-year-old girl, accompanied by her mute mother, seemingly appears from nowhere. When two thirteen-year-old boys fall deeply in love with her, they find themselves on a collision course with one another that could not only destroy their friendship, but take the tiny town of Medda, Alabama with them. . Starring Sheryl Lee, Christopher MacDonald, Joe Pichler, Jesse Plemons, Tania Raymonde and Tom Arnold. 102 min Age: 12-18 Lionsgate Home Entertainment

VIDEO PREMIERE
Dora The Explorer: Dora's Pirate Adventure
Dora needs you to play a very important role in her new pirate play! Dora and her friends are putting on a pirate musical for all their family and friends. They've painted sets, they've built props, they've even got a little talking cannon who says "Boom!" Just as the play is about to start, who should sail by but a band of real pirates! It's the Pirate Pig and his Pirate Piggies. When the Pirate Pigs spy the Treasure Chest filled with costumes, they mistakenly think it's full of gold. Before you can say "Yo-ho-ho," the Pirate Pigs have stolen the Treasure Chest and sailed away. 50 min. Age: 2-5 Paramount Home Entertainment

VIDEO PREMIERE
Dora the Explorer: Dora's Egg Hunt
It's an egg-cellent day for an Egg Hunt Adventure with Dora and Boots as they hunt for cascarones, special eggs with confetti and prizes inside them. They need your help to find the Big Yellow Egg with a big prize inside. Along the way, keep an eye out for other surprises-filled eggs, as well as a few surprises from Swiper the Fox! Also playing is "El Dia De Las Madres" when Dora and her friends are having a Mother's Day party. Before the party begins, Dora needs to gather bananas, nuts, and chocolate for the special cake Dora wants to help Papi bake for Mama as a special Mother's Day treat. 50 min. Ages 2-5 Paramount Home Entertainment;

VIDEO PREMIERE
Dora the Explorer: Meet Diego
Meet Diego, Dora's super cool cousin. Diego works at the Animal Rescue Center. He can make animal noises and talk to wild animals! Suddenly, Baby Jaguar calls for help. Mreow! Mreow! She's stuck by the edge of a waterfall! To save her, we'll zipcord through the rainforest, move like the animals, and learn to talk to howler monkeys, snakes, condors, dolphins, and baby bears too! 50 min. Age: 2-5 Paramount Home Entertainment

INDEPENDENT SHORT
Dottie: The Little Girl With the Big Voice
Dottie Atherton is a five-year-old who seems quite ordinary except she does have a very special power: she is able to positively impact the world around her using her "quite large, very giant and incredibly humongous" VOICE. Using humor and thought-provoking circumstances, Dottie's story encourages children to speak up for what they believe in, and reminds each of us that we can make a difference in our world when we reach out with caring and tolerance. 11 min. Age 5-8 Dawn Westlake

FROM THE EMMY AWARD-WINNING SERIES, READING RAINBOW
Enemy Pie
When his dad suggests making an "enemy pie," the boy in this book is excited, but confused about the requirement of spending an entire day with his adversary. In the end, he learns how to turn a best enemy into a best friend. Based on the book Enemy Pie by Derek Munson. Hosted by LeVar Burton. A series of young friends share stories of how they became friends and how they make their friendships work. Then LeVar introduces us to two friends from very different backgrounds who spend the day exploring their cultural differences. They discover that they are more similar than they ever would have thought. 30 min. Age: 5-12. From Reading Rainbow and GPN/WNED-TV.

VIDEO PREMIERE
Fairly Odd Parents, The: Superhero Spectacle
Join Timmy Turner and friends as they fight for truth, justice and a later bedtime in this collection of episodes that feature those superhuman, righters of wrongs, those people with the power to do good (or not)...the superhero. Includes: CHIN UP!; BOY TOY; THE CRIMSON CHIN MEETS MIGHTY MOM AND DYNO DAD; CRIME WAVE; NAKED! MIGHTY MOM AND DYNO DAD; .ACTION PACKED; TOTALLY SPACED OUT; SO TOTALLY SPACED OUT; MISS DIMMSDALE; MIND OVER MAGIC. 126 min. Age 5-8. Paramount Home Entertainment

FAMILIES OF THE WORLD
Families of Brazil
Meet Lilian, the youngest member of a Brazilian family of sixty. She lives in a small house with her parents, aunts and grandparents, and has plenty of cousins nearby. Though only four, Lilian is learning how to perform household chores like cooking and doing laundry. But it's not all work and no play - join Lilian as she spends a fun day at the beach, plays with her pet hen and celebrates at a festive family party. 30 min. Ages 5-9 Master Communications


Families of India
Meet Devie, a 12-year-old girl living in India with her parents, younger brother, and grandmother. Hinduisn is a very important part of Devie's life. Every morning, she helps prepare fresh flower wreaths for the statues at the village Hindu temple. After school, Devie helps her mom prepare dinner and then lights the traditional lamp at nightfall before evening prayer. During the annual Onam festivities, Devie's extended family gathers to enjoy good food and traditional dance in each other's company. 30 min. Master Communications.

FAMILIES OF THE WORLD
Families of Costa Rica
Meet Heriberto, a nine-year-old boy living on an Indian reservation in a village inhabited entirely by his extended family. When Heriberto is not attending school or playing football with his cousins, he helps his father tend to the family banana plantation and assists his mother with household chores like cooking and laundry. With no electricity in their three-room home, his family lives by the rhythm of the sun, just as their ancient ancestors did. Watch as Heriberto's family forms a ritual circle at the end of a joyful harvest celebration, and see hos close family bonds are celebrated through this age-old cultural tradition. 30 min. Master Communications.

KIDS FIRST! ALL-STAR
The First of May .
A family film adventure of two lifetimes! This award-winning family film starring Julie Harris, Dan Byrd, Mickey Rooney, Charles Nelson Reilly, and the baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, follows two lost souls -- a 12-year-old foster child and an old lady in a retirement home -- who run away together in search of the family neither ever had. Their adventure lands them jobs with a three-ring circus, where they ultimately discover the true meaning of family. The film's star, Julie Harris, recently received a Lifetime Tony Award - her sixth Tony award - for her renowned career on the stage. 110 min. Age: 5-12 Forevermore Films, Inc.

VIDEO PREMIERE
Good Sports Gang #1: Elliot the Invincible - 40 min.
Kurt Warner (two-time NFL MVP), better known to the Good Sports as Coach, is on the lookout for kids in need and relies on the Good Sports Gang to save the day! In the very first episode, the town jocks have exiled a boy named Elliot from their zany new game, Flobo, and saddled him with a cruel nickname, Elliot the Unable. But our superheroes know that everyone has a talent, and they're off to the rescue! You'll find out how they help a kid, who thought he was a chump, discover that he really is a champ! From GoodTimes Home Entertainment.

VIDEO PREMIERE
Hot Wheels: World Race
Five teams. Thirty-five unique cars and drivers. Exotic settings in deserts, jungles, and city streets. A high-energy theme song. This is not a new reality series; rather, this is the storyline of "Hot Wheels: World Race," a fantastic voyage that will played out by children everywhere! The story of the eccentric Dr. Tezla, who puts together the most intense car race known to man unfolds in five action-packed parts that are pulled together for this one-of-a-kind release. 110 min. AGe 5-12. Lions Gate Family Home Entertainment.

VIDEO PREMIERE
I Spy: a Thing That Flings and Other Stories.
The most fun adventure ever, Spyler and CeCe searched for the missing items what Duck told them to spy. Spyler and CeCe brought back the items, so they can create items. The fun has Spyler and CeCe had to get along each other. And that's just evening fun ever and ever. 12 min. Ages 2-5. Scholastic Entertainment

VIDEO PREMIERE
I Spy: a Rockin' Bronco
This play-along series airing on HBO Family was inspired by the magical book series. This installment of I SPY adventures follows the successful release of I SPY A Mumble Monster, and I SPY A Runaway Robot. Two delightful characters, Spyler and CeCe, lead young viewers through search and find adventures set in an imaginary world. The series' eclectic soundtrack musically complements the visual assortment of bright objects in the series, incorporating sounds made by everyday objects as musical notes. 12 min. AGe: 2-5 Scholastic Entertainment

VIDEO PREMIERE
Jimmy Timmy Power Hour
Humor, mistaken identity, and massive confusion reign when Jimmy Neutron and Timmy Turner (The Fairly Odd Parents) inadvertently wind up in each other's worlds in this double-length episode. Timmy Turner's wish to visit the greatest laboratory in the universe lands him in Jimmy Neutron's backyard lab just as Jimmy is about to give his cyberdog Goddard a tune-up. When Jimmy accidentally teleports himself into Timmy's bedroom with a gizmo created by Timmy's Fairy Godparents, Cosmo and Wanda, Timmy interrupts Goddard's reprogramming by booting up a violent video game that severely changes the dog's disposition. 126 min. Ages 5-8. Paramount Home Entertainment

VIDEO PREMIERE
Jimmy Neutron: Jet Fusion
Contains all 4 parts of the Operation: Rescue Jet Fusion series. Jimmy is enlisted as a spy by the Big Top Secret Organization. His mission: find and rescue Agent X. When Agent X turns out to be Jimmy's movie hero, Jet Fusion (and a super spy off the big screen as well), Jimmy and Jet team up to save the world from the nefarious Professor Calamitous and his beautiful, gorgeous daughter, Beautiful Gorgeous." 44 min. Ages: 5-8 Paramount Home Entertainment

VIDEO PREMIERE
Jimmy Neutron: Sea of Trouble – 58 min.
Contains 5 episodes including "Raise the ooby Scab", "Phantom of Retroland", "Hypno Birthday to You", "Hall Monster", "Trading Faces". The DVD also contains 5 bonus episodes: "Journey to the Center of Carl", "Aaugh! Wilderness", "Substitute Creature", "Broadcast Blues", "Professor Calamitous" 58 min. Age: 5-8 Paramount Home Entertainment

VIDEO PREMIERE
Jumping for Joy - 94 minutes
It is 1964 and tomboy Bobbie Dean gets the chance to live her dream when she is mistaken for a boy and invited to play on a boys basketball team. Bobbie provides much-needed leadership and helps her team reach the championship game ­­ only to be kicked out by a court order. Undaunted, her coach lets her lead her team from the sidelines. But will it be enough? Win or lose, Bobbie shows what it means to have the heart of a champion. .94 min. Ages 12-18 Feature Films for Families

NATIVE AMERICAN SELECTIONS Ages 5-12 Includes:
Frog Monster and Other Penobscot Stories - 10 min.
Wabanaki legends retold by 3rd to 8th grade students of Indian Island School, Penobscot Nation, Maine. Frog Monster tells the story of the origin of the Penobscot River in the State of Maine. The People see their river dry up, and a Pure Man from the village goes out to see why this is happening. He finds the Frog Monster has swallowed up the entire river, and the People call upon Koluskap to help the get their river back. Awarded. best children's video and first place animation, American Indian Film Festival, Oklahoma; winner, Maine Student Film and Video Festival; New England Emmy Nomination. From the Indian Island School, Penobscot Nation, Maine
Klouskap and His People - 6 min
Klouskap creates several animals, the moose, the squirrel, and the Bear. His brother Molsum ceates Laks who likes to play tricks. The movie is based on a penobscot tribal Creation story that utilizes paper cut out animation. From the Indian Island School, Penobscot Nation, Maine
Creation - 4 min
A clay animation and adaptation of a Wabanaki Creation story. Tabaldak, the creator, makes people out of clay. To the surprise of the creator, Koluskap creates himself out of the dust left over from the first human beings. Tabaldak tells Koluskap, "You are very wonderful." From the Indian Island School, Penobscot Nation, Maine
The Wind Bird - 18 min.
A Penobscot Indian legend retold through the magic of claymation. The main character, Glouscabi, finds himself at odds with the wind over and over again early in the film. Sudden breezes playfully antagonize him, even after he begins his journey to confront the Wind Bird, which sits atop a mountain and creates the air movement by irreverently flapping his massage wings. Glouscabi manages to knowk his featherly antagonish from his perch, but realizes after a while that he and his people depend on air movement and that they m7ust somehow go and make things right again. Viewers will find themselves amused by and attentive to the character and plot development in "The Wind Bird," In fact, they will probably forget the animation if it weren't for occasional special effects, such as the arrival of wind gusts, that force the question, how'd they do that?" Written and directed by Tiana Vermette. Animated by Tiana Vermette, Peter McDermott, and Shane Smith.