KIDS FIRST! News

Thank you to all KIDS FIRST! supporters for viewing and voting for our 2012 KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search. Your votes narrowed the field to these 24 finalists, and our panel of industry judges in reviewing their entries now.

While we’re waiting for the judges’ selection of the winners - which will be announced shortly - groove on this video we’ve prepared of all the finalists, taking an excerpt from their entry. A lot of positive energy and enthusiastic kids. Enjoy!

Finalists - 2012 KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search

Alan Albert of Dunwoody, GA
Camille Bajema of Santa Fe, NM
Brianna Beaton of Clermont, FL
Morgan Bertsch of Northridge, CA
Caylee Boman of Fort Collins, CO
Kylah Bullock of Jonesboro, GA
Victoria Burns of Atlanta, GA
Verolyn Campos of Santa Fe, NM
Casey Chandler of Santa Fe, NM
Julia Chestnut of Highlands Ranch, CO
Aira Dani of Atlanta, GA
Delilah Dubois of Santa Fe, NM
Chloe Ford of Marietta, GA
Jared Gragg of Bloomington, IN
Blake Hawes of Kailua, HI
Jennifer Huntoon of Bloomington, IN
Hunter Willow Jones of Kutztown, PA
Cheyenne Nguyen of Northridge, CA
Julianna Noone of Warwick, NY
Kaden Butler of Loveland, CO
Kataya Rain of Santa Fe, NM
Talia Rashba of Oak Park, CA
Ajay Sharma of Bloomington, IN
Alyssa Willis of Bloomington, IN

KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Sam Connan (age 10) had a chance to enjoy one of the special experiences of being a film critic: discovering the unexpected gem of a movie. That’s what he found A Mile in His Shoes to be - “really a very good movie” to which he gives a full five out of five stars.

Available now on DVD from Vivendi Entertainment and Nasser Entertainment, the powerful and positive family-friendly film is screening at the Beloit International Film Festival on Feb. 18. The screening is free, so if you’re near this southern Wisconsin town, consider making it a family outing.

A Mile in His Shoes
Reviewed by Sam Connan
(See his full review on video.)

I just finished watching A Mile in His Shoes, and when I was first sitting down to watch it, I thought, “Oh please, don’t be as bad as I think it’s going to be!” But that was unfair of me because, first of all, I didn’t know anything about it, and second of all, it was really a very good movie.

It’s about an autistic farm boy who has Asperger’s syndrome, and he likes to feed his pigs by throwing apples into a tub that is nailed sideways to a tree so his pigs can eat smashed apples. A baseball coach sees him doing that, so he has the kid try it with a real baseball, and the kid throws the ball so hard that it goes straight through the tub.

The baseball coach realizes that this kid is a natural pitcher, so he recruits the kid, whose name is Mickey.

Much of the movie is about Mickey’s troubles communicating with the world outside the farm, functioning in society.

Luke Schroder played Mickey in this, and I was very surprised when I went onto IMDb.com to find that there was really nothing on him. Then I realized that this movie was filmed just last year (2011), so this was probably his first film. But, I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that he is going to be a gigantic star. He was so incredibly wonderful in this role. He doesn’t have much to his credit yet, but he will.

I liked the way that they show things through Mickey’s eyes. I don’t have Asperger’s, but they show it in a way that gives you a better idea of what it’s like to have Asperger’s and look around and comprehend what’s happening. I think that is very well done.

I’d have to say that the age range is pretty much anybody. Very small kids might not like it because there’s a lot of talking, although some of the stuff that Mickey says is very funny.

All in all, I’d have to give this a five out of five stars, because this was really a wonderful movie. This is something I’d recommend to friends. It’s very good.

Photo: A Mile in His Shoes box art (top), Sam Connan (bottom)

The title character in this Disney animated film is a small woodland pigeon who yearns to do noble duty in the war effort and join the Royal Homing Pigeon Service. KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Makai Weber Colvin (age 10) give the film five out of five stars “because it’s just so great for everyone,” and adds an enthusiastic “And I’ll bet you’ll love it, too.” Valiant is voiced by Ewan MacGregor, part of a stellar cast - it might be fun to try to match the voices of Ricky Gervais, Tim Curry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie and John Cleese to their avian characters. The 2005 film was nominated in 2006 for the Young Artist Award’s Best Family Feature Film - Animation. One of many classics brought to your home by HDnet Movies kidScene, a morning and Friday night programming block specifically for kids and families, Valiant screens on Fri., Jan. 20 and Sun., Jan. 29.

Valiant
Reviewed by Makai Weber Colvin
(See her full review on video.)

I’m reviewing the movie Valiant, a Disney film. This movie is about a small, little bird that lives in a small, little town. But he wants to become a messenger bird. A messenger bird is a bird that carries important messages to people across the country. So, if a person was in the army, a messenger bird would go send the letter to the army and then they would send the letter back to the army back at home.

But the evil hawks are trying to stop that, and they have to fix it. They need new messenger birds, so they decide to train them. Valiant wants to be a messenger bird so badly that he goes to try out to be one. Nobody thinks he can be a messenger bird, because he’s so little. But Valiant is much bigger than he appears to be.

This movie is a really good movie to watch with the whole family. The animation in this movie is very detailed. And I loved the picture of Valiant because he has colors right below his neck. They were pink and blue, and they were very cool to see.

I give this movie five out of five stars because it’s just so great for everyone. And I’ll bet you’ll love it, too.

Photos: Valiant poster (top), Makai Weber Colvin (bottom)

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, a 1999 film nominated in 2000 for the Young Artist Award’s Best Family Feature Film - Animation, is a Sesame Street mix of puppets and people. It would be fun viewing for toddlers and early elementary-school-aged kids, says 10-year-old KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Makai Weber Colvin. Another of the many classics brought to your home by HDNet Movies kidScene, a morning and Friday night programming block specifically for kids and families, it will run Jan. 23 through Feb. 27.

If you’re in the business of creating programming for kids, take note of the Kid, Youth and Parent Power conference presented by International Quality & Productivity Center in Orlando, Fla., March 26-28. The conference will focus on top business challenges and engaging the family with innovative, responsible marketing strategies. IQPC is offering a limited number of special package prices to KIDS FIRST! Contact Michael.Brothers@iqpc.com.  

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
Reviewed by Makai Weber Colvin
(See her full review on video.)

I’m reviewing the movie The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. This movie is about Elmo and all of his friends from Sesame Street. Elmo has a very beloved blanket that he loves so much, but when the blanket gets lost and goes down the portal to Grouchland in Oscar’s trashcan home, Elmo has to get it back.

Trying to get the blanket back, Elmo falls down the portal into Grouchland. And he can’t find his blanket in Grouchland. Everybody’s grouchy in Grouchland, as you can guess. But he doesn’t really know how to act grouchy because Elmo’s always happy.

Elmo has to get his blanket back, so he has to get to the evil master who stole his blanket. The evil master does not want to give the blanket back but Elmo thinks he can get it back. He goes through amazing adventures through the woods and finds giant chickens and even goes through the Garbage Queen’s kingdom.

This movie has so many amazing adventures in it, you’d like to watch it. The music is very upbeat and joyful. Almost every scene has a song in it, and Elmo or one of the characters sings it. It’s very joyful, but also kind of grouchy since they’re in Grouchland.

My favorite character in this movie would probably have to be Elmo’s friend from Sesame Street, most likely Big Bird, because Big Bird says that they have to go save Elmo when they can’t find him. They don’t really know he’s in Grouchland until Oscar tells them he’s in Grouchland. They all go off on a mission to go find Elmo.

This movie is not for older kids, and it might have been a little bit too young for me. I suggest this movie for two and up. Teens and ten-year-olds and nine-year-olds probably won’t be the most interested in it because it’s kind of a younger kid’s movie. But if you’re younger, I’ll bet you’ll love it. I give this movie three out of five stars.

Photos: The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland poster (top), Makai Weber Colvin (bottom)

Sure, you enjoyed the film when Disney’s Buena Vista Pictures released it 20 years ago, but now get ready to enjoy it in a whole new way. Newly tricked out in 3-D, the animated classic that spawned a live musical that took Broadway by storm is hitting the theaters for a fresh run this month as Walt Disney Studios gives it both a theatrical and DVD release. Nine-year-old KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda, who’s seen Beauty and the Beast in both dimensionalities, shares what the 3-D adds to the experience.

Anthony and his fellow 2011 KIDS FIRST! youth film critics have had a great year reviewing films and interviewing celebrities. Video reviews from all the hopefuls for 2012 are posted on our partner site WonderWorldTV. Be sure to vote - voting ends this weekend, at midnight, Jan. 15.

Beauty and the Beast
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

This movie is being re-released in theaters in 3-D! It was very cool to see this in 3-D since I had already seen this movie at home in 2-D. The 3-D effects add a lot to the movie.

The movie is all about Belle, who finds out her father was taken by a Beast and she sets out to save him. She decides to take her father’s place as the Beast’s prisoner so that her father can go free. Belle will have to stay at the castle for the rest of her life. Belle starts to get to know the Beast and realizes he isn’t so bad after all. There is an enchantment on the castle, and if the Beast doesn’t learn to love another and have that person return the love then he will stay a Beast forever and everyone in the castle will also stay the way they are. 

Some of the main characters in the movie are Belle, Belle’s father, the Beast and Gaston. My favorite character is Chip. He is Mrs. Potts’ son and he is a little teacup. I like him because he is super funny and so tiny and cute. At the end, he says a really funny catchphrase to make people laugh. Chip says, “Do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?” even though he already turned back into a boy. I thought that was really funny. 

The re-release of this movie in 3-D is really cool. You can really feel like you can reach out and touch the trees and the castle in the movie. The Beast in 3-D is pretty scary at first (scarier in 3-D than he was in 2-D). Also, when they sing “Be Our Guest,” that whole scene is really cool because all the dishes and silverware are singing and dancing and that looks really cool in 3-D. During the fight scene at the end of the movie when the townspeople break into the castle, the clock is coming down the stairs and it looks like he is flying right at me. They do really good job.

I recommend this movie for all ages because the scary parts in the movie aren’t that bad. The Beast may scare some younger kids but only for a minute, and throughout the movie they learn that he is really nice after all. It is also really funny. Go out and see the re-release of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in 3-D on January 13.  

Photos: Beauty and the Beast poster (top), Anthony Aranda (bottom)

The latest Mission: Impossible feature film, Paramount Pictures’ release Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, once again puts Tom Cruise leading an elite team of undercover agents (played by Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Paula Patton) in a slick spy thriller. Unlike the capers of this film’s predecessors, this mission is not impossible to follow. While we may be suspending our disbelief that these agents can actually do the feats of skill and precision and daring that move our pulse rate into the danger zone, there are not the questions of why they’re doing them or, more basic, what exactly they’re doing that plagued Cruise’s previous Mission: Impossible forays. Fifteen-year-old KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Gabriella Chu shares why the film kept her on the edge of her seat.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Reviewed by Gabriella Chu
(See her full review on video.)

Are you into action? The latest Mission: Impossible has just been released. The Impossible Missions Force is blamed for the bombing of Kremlin, so Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team try to get back their reputation by preventing a nuclear missile from killing everyone on Earth. Can the team undertake this impossible mission?

Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol is a quick-witted picture fast on its feet. From the beginning, I was on the edge of my seat. Scene after scene, Hunt and his team are on the move. There are so many cool and inventive high-tech gadgets in the movie combined with breathtaking visuals, making it even more intense.

I recommend this film to teens 13 and up. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol is a wonderful cinematic experience filled with action, and I think almost everyone will enjoy its fast pace.

Photos: Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol poster (top), Gabriella Chu (bottom)

A Happy 2012 to all our KIDS FIRST! supporters. To the inevitable list of “New Year’s Resolutions,” let us suggest one more: Add your voice to the votes that will help select the eight kids who will be this year’s KIDS FIRST! youth film critics. Voting is open through midnight Jan. 15.

Videoed reviews from kids ages six to 14 are ready for your viewing on our partner site at WonderWorldTV. Last year, our inaugural year for the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search, saw 11 million votes cast in this public voting stage of the contest that will land eight lucky kids theopportunities that include reviewing films before their public release, attending red carpet events and interviewing actors and directors about their projects.

Your vote will help narrow the field to 24 finalists. The eight winners will then be chosen from the finalists by our panel of distinguished judges: Thelma Adams, currently a Yahoo contributing editor and author of the “Thelma Adams on Reel Women” column that runs on AMC Filmcritic.com, and who was the film critic at Us Weekly for 11 years following six years at the New York Post; Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theaters and Magnolia Pictures; Ben Lyons, E! film critic and frequent contributor to “Good Morning America”; and George Pennacchio, the entertainment reporter for “ABC7 Eyewitness News” and host of ABC7’s “Evening at the Academy Awards” pre-show and post-show, whose career has been studded with three Emmy Awards, the Publicists Guild of America’s Press Award and the Critics’ Choice Movie Award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, North America’s largest critics group.
 
Winners will be announced later this month.

Campaign support comes from national nonprofit organizations that include the National Council of Women’s Organizations, with a cumulative 17+ million members, and the National Education Association. And our thanks also to our industry supporters: Amazon.com, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Feature Films for Families, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video and WonderWorld Entertainment.  

The iconic Sherlock Holmes has been a favorite of mystery buffs since his introduction to English literature in 1887, earning a knighthood for his creator, the Scottish physician Arthur Conan Doyle. Yet in spite of it being such a perennial favorite with a devoted following, Warner Bros.’ releases Sherlock Holmes, in 2009, and the current Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows are the only major film adaptations since the 1939 film The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The more staid Sherlock Holmes as played by Basil Rathbone has given way to a delightfully eccentric character in Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal. As KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Gabriella Chu (age 15) points out in her review, the British flavor of the story remains strong.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Reviewed by Gabriella Chu
(See her full review on video.)

Are you into action films? The Sherlock Holmes sequel is out in theaters now. Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his sidekick, Dr. Watson (Jude Law), try to kill their foe, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), because Holmes believes he is linked to a number of recent crimes. They discover that Moriarty invests in companies in England owning cotton and other goods. He plans to start a war so that there will be a high demand for the goods, so he can make a fortune. Will Holmes succeed in preventing this war?

The cinematography of the movie was impressive. Several action scenes were filmed in slow motion, making it more thrilling. However, the lighting of the movie is gloomy, and it doesn’t really match the tone of the movie since it is a combination of action and adventure with a dash of comedy.

The storyline of the movie didn’t quite work for me, either. Although the film is like Mission Impossible in the 19th century, it’s a bit hard hearing what the characters are saying since they have a British accent, and the plot gets confusing at some parts. I did enjoy the ending of the film, though. It was interesting watching the director’s comparison of the face-off between Holmes and Professor Moriarty to a chess game.

I recommend this film to teens 13 and up, especially to fans of Sherlock Holmes. If you have a sharp eye and keen hearing, then you might find Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows intriguing.

Photos: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows poster (top), Gabriella Chu (bottom)

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked is good for a lot of laughs for audiences of all ages. That’s the word from seasoned KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda (age 9). His review gives you a taste of what to expect from this Twentieth Century Fox release that’s in theaters now.

Kids aged six to 14, if you’d like a chance to be a KIDS FIRST! youth film critic, there are still a few days left to enter the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search. Get your submission in by midnight, Dec. 31.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

I am reviewing a really funny movie called Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. This is awesome because there is a lot of action in the movie and everything the Chipmunks and Chipettes do is so funny.

This movie is all about Dave, the Chipmunks and the Chipettes, who go on vacation and have a really big adventure. They go on a cruise ship, and Alvin keeps causing lots of trouble on the ship (like always). Alvin comes up with a really great idea to fly on top of a kite. All of the other Chipmunks and Chipettes are holding the kite while Alvin is flying, but the wind picks up too hard. They start to fly away and Simon tries to help by tying the kite to Dave’s chair (while he is sleeping). This still doesn’t work and the chair and the chipmunks start to move down the deck of the ship. Eventually, the kite slips off the chair and the chair flips over. Dave wakes up to see the Chipmunks and the Chipettes fly away on the kite.

Some of the main characters in the movie are Dave, the Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon and Theodore), the Chipettes (Eleanor, Jeanette and Brittany), Zoe and Ian. My favorite character is Alvin because he is always having fun and causing lots of trouble. I also like him because, in the end, he learns that he can still have fun while being responsible.

My favorite part in the movie is when the Chipmunks and Chipettes meet Zoe when they are stranded on the island. She invites them to meet her friends, and when they get there they see that her friends are a bunch of sports balls. It’s really funny because it seems like she is a little crazy since she has been on the island for so long. We figure out later that there are spiders on the island that change a person’s personality and make them act differently. Later in the movie, Simon gets bitten by one of the spiders and then he starts acting like someone else. It is really funny.

I would recommend this movie for all ages because it is super funny and there was no violence or parts that would scare anyone. It also shows how much family means and that most families would do anything for each other. Go out and see this movie.

Photos: Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked poster (top); Anthony Aranda (bottom)

As 15-year-old KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Gabriella Chu points out in her review of Walt Disney Studios release War Horse, war does not impact only the human participants. “It has a severe effect … on animals, too.” In addition to viewing the film’s screening at its red carpet event in New York, Gabriella - as a KIDS FIRST! youth film critic - had the opportunity to interview Michael Morpurgo, the author of the book on which the film is based. Gabriella’s insightful review will resonate with adults as well as with her fellow teens.

War Horse
Reviewed by Gabriella Chu
(See her full review on video.)

The acclaimed War Horse play and children’s book is now on the big screen! War Horse is a heartwarming tale about a father who buys a horse for his son on a whim. His son, Albert (played by Jeremy Irvine), develops an unbreakable bond with his horse, Joey. However, World War I approaches, and Joey is drafted into the military. Will the two ever reunite?

The movie has a charming story. When I interviewed the author of the children’s book War Horse, Michael Morpurgo, he told me that his book shows how war does not produce a severe effect on only people but on animals, too, specifically horses. It is interesting watching director Steven Spielberg’s translation of that theme into film. One notable scene shows the horse, Joey, galloping fiercely through no man’s land but then forced to slow down after he is tangled in a bunch of wires. After intense war, both opposing sides come together to detangle the horse! I found it touching because it shows that it takes both sides to solve a problem, and when the movie shows both soldiers cutting the wires from the horse, I thought of it as a symbol, like they were ending their conflict between each other. The cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski, filmed the scene beautifully, which helped produce such an emotional effect on the audience.

The cinematography in general is wonderful, especially when Kaminski zooms in on the feet of the horses and the faces of the horses as they gallop across the vast fields. Most of the beauty of the movie comes from the horses, and I think the horse trainers did an impeccable job, particularly Zelie Bullen, who trained the main horse, Joey.

I recommend this movie to teens ages 13 and up. It is a pleasant family film because it is not too brutal, yet it still packs in all of the action and intensity of war. The movie is a bit slow in the beginning, so younger teens may get bored, but it quickly picks up the pace as the war begins. This is a moving tale to watch and will bring the entire family together for the holidays.

Photos: War Horse poster (top), Gabriella Chu (bottom)