KIDS FIRST! News

A horse with a big heart, wide-open-space scenery and great country music, all packaged in a heartwarming tale of good overcoming adversity - this is a movie that has it all. Released May 1 from 20th Century Fox in a Walmart and Sam’s Club exclusive (and also in a Flicka collection available on amazon.com), it has our KIDS FIRST! youth critics Brianna Beaton (age 12) and Julianna Noone (age 12) also singing its praises. The bond between horse and rider is one of the special aspects that touches Brianna most, and she shares the insight that the bond is what “allows them to trust each other to ride and compete.” “… Flicka plays an important role in helping people overcome obstacles in their lives,” observes Julianna, sharing the movie’s important message that “if you always give your best effort, the outcome doesn’t really matter because you gave it your all.”

Clint Black, country music superstar and Grammy Award winner, stars alongside wife Lisa Hartman. The Blu-ray and DVD includes a never-before-seen music video as well as  two behind-the-scenes featurettes on the making of the film that give more insight on the singer’s involvement with the Flicka franchise. 

Flicka: Country Pride
Reviewed by Brianna Beaton
(See her full review on video.)

This is a very moving and touching film with great country music.

I truly like this film because of all the bonding it has between a horse and her rider. They bond quickly, which allows them to trust each other to ride and compete. The acting by everyone is really good; however Stephanie Meyers (Siobhan Williams) acts extremely well and she stands out from the rest. It really makes me not like Stephanie because of how well she is portraying this mean character. The cinematography gives you great pictures of Flicka with her amazing jumping capabilities and allows you to appreciate this beautiful horse. I love the countryside — it is soooo pretty and you can see why someone would just absolutely love being in the country with nature. It’s a very relaxing atmosphere.

Flicka: Country Pride is a sequel to Flicka 2. It tells the story of Kelly (Kacey Rohl) and a wild mustang whose name is Flicka. They quickly bond and Kelly hopes to get Flicka into an upcoming competition. But the competition is fast approaching, and Kelly faces the additional stress of a rival trainer who plays dirty along with a growing fear of having to sell the stable. Then Toby (country singer Clint Black) gets involved to save the day. Good

Directed by Michael Damian (Flicka 2, Marley & Me), Flicka: Country Pride also has great country music by Clint Black that will definitely satisfy your craving for great country music. Even though I’m not a big country music fan, the music is still pleasant to listen to. My favorite part of the film is when Flicka first appears — she is so pretty.

In watching this film, I feel a great message would be to never lose hope. Always keep in sight your dreams and what you believe in. Be determined and focused!

Although this is mainly a family film, it is rated G and I recommend it to ages 5 to 12. This will definitely appeal to all horse lovers at heart.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars because, while it certainly has a good plot, it is just a tad drawn out and I kind of knew what to expect.

Flicka: Country Pride is absolutely a good film and I can almost promise that you will enjoy it as much as I do. It gallops onto DVD the first of May. So go gather up everyone and enjoy this family film.

Flicka: Country Pride
Reviewed by Julianna Noone
(See her full review on video.)

Flicka: Country Pride is a great film for the entire family. This film stars Kacey Rohl (Red Riding Hood) as Kelly, Lisa Hartman (Back To You and Me) as Lindy, country music star Clint Black (Flicka 2) as Toby, Max Lloyd Jones (Girl Fight) as Briggs and Siobhan Williams (Radio Rebel) as Stephanie.

This is a wonderful and heartwarming story about a family struggling to overcome a tragedy and difficult times and how they work through this, with the help of some friends. This film is about a very special horse — Flicka, a beautiful black mustang — and the special bond the wild horse builds with Kelly. After Kelly’s father dies, she shuts everyone out of her life, but Flicka slowly breaks her down and gives her some hope.

Flicka comes into Kelly’s life along with her owner, Toby, who becomes the new stable manager after Kelly’s father dies. Just as Flicka does for Kelly, Toby is there for Lindy, Kelly’s mom, when she needs it the most.

One of my favorite scenes is when Kelly and Stephanie battle in a riding competition over a boy they are fighting over. In this scene, Stephanie repeatedly tries to kick Kelly and knock her off her horse and win no matter what. This backfires on her, though, as it is Stephanie who falls off her horse. My other favorite scene is when Toby is working in his new office and reads the writing on the wall: “If you give it your all you’ve already won.” This is a phrase that Kelly’s dad liked to use and follow, and it reminds Kelly of her father. It’s a touching point in the movie and is very moving. It’s a good message for everyone to try and follow, in that if you always give your best effort, the outcome doesn’t really matter because you gave it your all.

My favorite character is Flicka because, even though Flicka is a horse, in this film as well as the first two films Flicka plays an important role in helping people overcome obstacles in their lives.

The film is shot on location in British Columbia, Canada, and the countryside is beautiful and makes you want to go outside and go horseback riding. The stunt coordinator, Kirk Jarrett, did a great job in setting the action scenes on the horses. The riding scenes were well shot and fun to watch.

 I rate this film 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend this film as well as the first two Flicka films for ages 5 to 105. Kids of all ages, particularly horse lovers, will enjoy these wholesome family-friendly films. Look for this film on DVD and Blu-ray starting May 1st. I can’t wait to watch this film again!

Photos: Flicka: Country Pride poster (top), Brianna Beaton (middle, Julianna Noone (bottom)

With great gross-out that kids thoroughly enjoy, “Smash Your Food” won First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Apps for Healthy Kids” contest. The iPad application from Octave Media International, LLC, can be downloaded from iTunes. KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Brianna Beaton (age 12) shares why making a mess with food is so educational - and what other advantages it offers to parents.

Smash Your Food
App reviewed by Brianna Beaton

“Smash Your Food” is an educational app that teaches you about healthy food habits. I really don’t know how much sugar, salt and oil there is in the everyday foods we eat, but “Smash Your Food” teaches you.

This app displays a particular food and then you guess how much sugar, salt and oil there is in it. After you guess how much it has, then you can SMASH it. It then tells you the actual amount. It is so real with the videos and sound effects (squishing, popping).

It is definitely an eye-opener as you will learn what not to eat, and it helps with your nutrition. “Smash Your Food” is a fun way for kids to learn about foods, such as sweets that add to your calorie consumption. It has about 40 foods that you can SMASH, from doughnuts, junk food and soda to entire full meals. It is high-definition Video – and real food is used.

I’m not sure if it tells you your daily allotted dose, but I would like to see that.

This app is good for ages about four to teens. Adults will also enjoy it because they may not know how much [of the nutritional elements] is in a food. It has different levels and sends parents e-mails on how well their child is doing with the app.

I really enjoy this app and get to learn at the same time. I give this app 5 out of 5 stars

Photo: “Smash Your Food” (top), Brianna Beaton (bottom)

Done in stop-motion animation by the same studio that brought us Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run, Aardman Animations, The Pirates! Band of Misfits features some well-known voices in Hugh Grant (as The Pirate Captain), Salma Hayek (as Cutlass Liz) and Jeremy Piven (as Black Bellamy). Seasoned KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda (age 9) reviews the film for us here, and will be presenting his review in person on next Tuesday’s edition of KIDS FIRST! Coming Attractions, streaming live on VoiceAmerica Kids.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

This movie was great. I loved it because it has a ton of action and funny parts. This movie is all about the pirate captain and his crew who are trying to win the pirate captain award, so he goes and tries to steal money from other ships but that doesn’t work out well.

The main characters in the movie are the pirate captain, his crew, Queen Elizabeth, Charles Darwin and Polly. My favorite character is the pirate captain because he is really funny and always, ALWAYS does the opposite thing of what his crew says.

My favorite part in the movie is when the monkey and Charles Darwin are falling down a hole, and when the monkey is falling the cards he is holding make this word, aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.

I would recommend this movie for ages five and up because there are some violent parts that younger kids might not like. Go out and see this in a theater near you on April 27.

Photo: The Pirates! Band of Misfits poster (top), Anthony Aranda (bottom)

PBS KIDS is hitting the right note for both kids and their moms, according to the latest Nielsen NPower national program ratings. In February, PBS KIDS‘ weekday block of preschool programming took four of the top spots for kids ages two to five, with “Curious George” at number one, “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot about That!” and “Super Why!” tied for second place and “Dinosaur Train” placing fourth. Online viewing was also at a record high; in fact, February marked the first time PBSKIDS.org was the number one kids site for both unique viewers and videos viewed.

Building on February’s momentum, PBS KIDS presented a special “Cat in the Hat-A-Thon” in March in celebration of Dr. Seuss’s 108th birthday, which also scored high ratings: More than 2.2 million kids from age 2 on up to pre-teen 11-year-olds tuned in to PBS stations across the country for a two-hour marathon of the hit program “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot about That!“  Interest seemed to be running high, as unique visits to “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot about That!” website rose 80 percent during the 10-day period leading up to the marathon. Video streams also spiked: From February 21 to March 2, there were more than 12 million video streams for the program online and on the PBS KIDS Video App, available free on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

“In addition to our success with the preschool audience, PBS KIDS was also number one among moms in February, with six shows in the top 10.  “Curious George,” “Sesame Street,” “Super Why!,” “Thomas & Friends” and “Dinosaur Train” took the top five slots and “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot about That!” placed seventh,” says Lesli Rotenberg, senior vice president of Children’s Media at PBS.

The high ratings, online and mobile content usage attest to PBS KIDS’ focus on serving children wherever they live, learn, and play – whether on TV, online, through mobile devices, in the classroom, and with a new line of educational toys. And PBS KIDS also offers a lot of coloring activities parents can download for their child, built around their favorite PBS KIDS series.

Photo: PBS KIDS

It’s unanimous. Both of our KIDS FIRST! youth film critics who reviewed Disneynature’s documentary Chimpanzee (see below) loved the film - and the chimps it depicts. Talia Rashba (age 11) says, “If you aren’t a fan of chimpanzees now, then this film will make you love them!” Brianna Beaton (age 12) calls the film “amazing” and “heartwarming” as she shares, “I absolutely love how it captures the bond between a loving mother (Isha) and her adorable young son (Oscar).” And it’s spiced with humor, thanks to narrator Tim Allen. The film starts its theatrical run on April 20.

Chimpanzee
Reviewed by Brianna Beaton
(See her full review on video.)

This is a very heartwarming and lovable film.

I absolutely love how it captures the bond between a loving mother (Isha) and her adorable young son (Oscar). Tim Allen narrates this amazing, heartwarming film, and boy is he doing it well! I like how he uses humor and is really describing the chimpanzees’ actions. My favorite scene is when Oscar is trying to open a nut with several tree limbs that fail, but then, after much determination, he realizes that the rock is the right tool to use to crack it open. I really enjoy the music; it captures the feeling of what is going on. When it is suspense, the music is suspenseful. When the rival groups are fighting for territory, the music is really dramatic. The cinematography is extremely well-done, with tons of close-ups of nature and Oscar. It gives you a feel of what the forest is like.

Chimpanzee is a documentary set in the deep forests of Africa. It tells the story of Oscar, a young and playful chimpanzee that has a good life with his friends and family. Oscar is curious and wants to learn everything he can. But when separated from his mother Isha, during a fight for territory between their group and a rival group, the learning stops and he has to look out for himself. When everyone else he knows is rejecting him, the one person that you would never expect to take him in does — and changes his life forever.

Alastair Fothergill (African Cats and Earth) and Mark Linfield (Earth) share in directing this nature film. It’s giving you an up-close and personal experience of what the chimpanzee life is all about. During this film, you will see that chimpanzees have needs and feelings just like humans do.

Chimpanzee is great for ages 7 and up. During the battle seen, it may be a little too much for younger ages.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars because of all the touching scenes between Oscar and his fellow chimpanzees. It left me wanting to know more and more about Oscar. 

Chimpanzee is genuinely a great film and I’m sure you will enjoy it as well. It swings into theaters on April 20th, just in time for Earth Day, so please go and check it out.

Chimpanzee
Reviewed by Talia Rashba

This is the best nature movie ever! I had a wild adventure in the beautiful African rainforest, watching a group of chimpanzees live their lives. This movie has no human characters - the real stars of the movie are actual chimps that live in the rainforst off the coast of West Africa.

This film is a documentary, so the story is very real. We meet a little chimp named Oscar, and his mom Isha, who live in the forest with a group of several other chimps. We see their everyday life and how they interact with each other. When they get attacked by a group of rival chimps, Oscar is left all alone until someone comes to help him.

Oscar is a fun, playful and adorable little chimp who always stays by his mother’s side. When you first look at little Oscar, you will instantly fall in love with him. He sometimes gets confused, especially when he is searching for food. This makes for some very laughable moments.

Isha, Oscar’s mother, is a very loving and protective parent who will do anything to keep her son safe. Freddie is the leader of the troop and is very dependable and strong. He protects and guards the group and he knows how to do everything that they need.

Chimpanzee is narrated by actor Tim Allen. You might recognize him as the voice of Buzz Lightyear from all three Toy Story movies. He definitely adds a lot of humor to the film and he helps explain a lot of what is happening with the animals.

There are SO MANY amazing parts to this movie. The rainforest is absolutely gorgeous, and the way they get close-ups of tiny creatures and plants is outstanding. Just the way they capture raindrops falling onto a leaf or a mushroom blew my mind. The directors of this movie are the same ones who made the award-winning film Earth, and I think they did an excellent job with this movie as well.
Chimpanzee is rated G, and I think that it is a great film for children and adults from ages four to 100. There are, however, some scenes that may be too intense for very young children.

If you aren’t a fan of chimpanzees now, then this film will make you love them! You will see just how smart they are and how much they are really like us. I thought this movie was so terrific that I am giving it a 5 out of 5 stars! This film will teach you so much about the life of a chimpanzee.

You can see this incredible film in theaters April 20th! An extra bonus is that if you see this movie during opening week, Disneynature will make a donation to the Jane Goodall Institute, an organization that helps save chimpanzees all over the world. You DO NOT want to miss seeing this movie!

Photos: Chimpanzee poster (top), Brianna Beaton (middle), Talia Rashba (bottom) 

A two-and-a-half-year labor of love, Return of the Horse gets its first screening May 17 at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe, ahead of an upcoming schedule of screenings at film festivals and museums. The painstakingly researched documentary chronicles the history of America’s wild horses, North America’s native horse, interrelated with the “lifes and times” of the people - heroes, villains and victims - whose lives shaped their destiny.

“Painstakingly” is an unusually apt description in this case. Co-filmmaker Leo Hubbard notes that there is a lot of pain in the history of the American peoples’ relationship with the horse. The mustangs, prized for their endurance (and preferred by cattlemen for those long cattle drives popularized by Western, until the proliferation of railroad spurs shortened the drives to where the European horses could be utilized), were also cruelly treated pawns in the United States’ attempts to subdue the Native Americans.

The movie, aimed for an adult audience – with the ability to be presented to advanced high school students – was a challenge to husband-wife filmmakers Hubbard and Sharon Eliashar, both of whom produced, wrote, directed, filmed, edited and animated the film. Says Eliashar, “The challenge was to take complex scientific things and make it easy to explain them – to take historical concepts and show how connected they are to our relationship with the horse.” And also, she adds, to not make the movie a marathon eight-hour piece – an especially difficult task given the number of “Aha” moments they experienced during their research.

In addition to their background as educators, Eliashar and Hubbard bring a unique combination of artistic talents to the project. While they stress that Return of the Horse is not an entertainment film but is as accurate an account as science and history will allow from our 21st-century vantage point – the script was verified by leading historians at such respected institutions as The Smithsonian – its artistic elements are undeniable.

Eliashar, a musician as well as photographer (she was the film’s cinematographer), focused on creating an experience of authentic music throughout the film. Explains Hubbard, “When trying to get the flavor of the relationship, [she asked], ‘What were the sounds they were listening to? What music was Thomas Jefferson playing?’” She worked with the Library of Congress, for instance, to learn the first cowboy songs, and traced family records to track down living relatives in order to get the rights to include the music in the film – with more “Aha” moments along the way, for instance finding out that Jess Morris got the lyrics to “Goodbye Old Paint” from one of the era’s tremendous population of black cattle drivers.

Hubbard, an architect, artist and printmaker, put his talents into the graphics. Including maps, which are necessary to explaining history but commonly look like power point presentations. Not so in Return of the Horse. The goal, he explains, was to create powerful and beautiful images. “Every graphic should look like art you’d put on your wall,” he says.

While creating a film for “people who really want to learn,” as Hubbard expresses it, he and Eliashar have also crafted a sensory experience.

Photo: film still from Return of the Horse

The inspiring tale of the little guys fighting powerful moguls, Newsies is built around the timeless and always popular theme of fairness for the everyman versus corporate greed. Setting it up as a musical gives it additional punch. In fact, KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Hunter Willow (age 11) says in her review (below), “It was the singing and dancing that kept me watching.” And Brianna Beaton (age 12), another KIDS FIRST! youth film critic who reviewed the film (also below), says, “I love the music because it’s giving you a feeling of what’s going on at that particular moment.” Brianna also credits the costuming for helping define the characters. Newsies is one of the classic films being screened on HDNet Movies kidScene several times throughout the month of April.

Newsies
Reviewed by Hunter Willow
(See her full review on video.)

Newsies is fun-filled with lively music and dancing, which I LOVE!

It’s 1899, and Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World newspaper, and William Randolph Hurst, publisher of the New York Journal, decide to raise the prices of the distribution cost for the newsboys. Already poor, the newsboys won’t stand for it and they decide to strike.

Jack Kelly (Christian Bale — Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) leads the strike with David Jacobs (David Moscow), Jack’s best friend and the brains behind the strike. Gabriel Damon is Spot Conlon, the leader of the Brooklyn boys. It takes newspaper boys from all the boroughs of New York to come together to make a difference. Bryan Denton (Bill Pullman), a reporter for the Sun, who is writing about the strike in a competing paper and trying to help the boys by making sure people know what is happening.

I love musicals! It was the singing and dancing that kept me watching, but I only rate the movie a 3 out of 5 stars. Technically, the film is top-notch; however, the story is hard to follow at times and I had to ask what things meant. I think this movie is better for teens and adults, but it’s definitely worthwhile for younger kids who like musicals, like me!

All this month you can see Newsies on HDNet Movies kidScene! It’s been 20 years since the original release of Newsies. Finally, Disney is taking the movie to the stage! Newsies is now on Broadway for a limited run March 15 to June 10!

Newsies
Reviewed by Brianna Beaton
(See her full review on video.)

Newsies is one of the best musicals I have ever seen.

I really like this film – it has a little touch of what New York is like, including the strong accents of the actors. I love the music because it’s giving you a feel of what’s going on at that particular moment. I must mention the choreography – it is absolutely outstanding, with tons of energy and precision.

Jack Kelly (Christian Bale) plays a young newspaper seller who tries to stand up for his fellow paper sellers, the “newsies.” Their boss has a little trouble making money and figures that since the newsies pay for their own stock before selling, he could raise the amount they pay for it. But they aren’t exactly happy with this decision and decide to stand up for what they want.

Kenny Ortega (High School Musical) directed this great film in 1992. It also stars David Moscow, playing David Jacobs.

The costumes are on point for this specific time period, late 1800s to early 1900s. You can tell who the characters are just by the costumes they are wearing.

This film sends a great message to stand up for what you want and is made for the music lovers at heart.
I recommend this film for ages 10 to adults.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars.

Look for this classic film on HDNet Movies kidScene, sit back and enjoy the music!

Photos: Newsies poster (top), Hunter Willow (middle), Brianna Beaton (bottom)

The Wild West inspired some of Americana’s best-loved legends - such as Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill and Calamity Jane - and the “tall tales” of their deeds, in turn, inspire a young boy to stand up to a greedy land baron in the real world. “They teach him that if you believe in yourself and have the guts to stand up for yourself, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to,” says KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Julianna Noone (age 12) in her review (below). Her fellow KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Blake Hawes is especially taken with the movie’s concept. “I’ve never seen a movie quite like this one. Such an original idea,” he says in his review (below). Both also share how much they enjoyed watching the film, and HDNet Movies kidScene is making it easy for our KIDS FIRST! family to share the experience, giving the film several screenings throughout the month of April.

Tall Tale
Reviewed by Julianna Noone
(See her full review on video.)

Today, I am reviewing the 1995 film Tall Tale. This film is an action-packed film with a positive message to believe in yourself. This film is about a boy named Daniel Hackett (Nick Stahl — Terminator 3). In this movie, Daniel tries to save his family’s farm from Stiles, a greedy businessman, played by Scott Glenn, whom you might have seen in the movie Secretariat.  Throughout this film, Daniel is helped by Pecos Bill (Patrick Swayze — Ghost, Dirty Dancing), Paul Bunyan (Oliver Platt — 2012, Xmen, Dr. Dolittle) and John Henry (Roger Aaron Brown — TV shows “House, M.D.” and “Supernatural”). Together, they help Daniel save not only his farm, but all of Paradise Valley. They teach him that if you believe in yourself and have the guts to stand up for yourself, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.

The director, Jeremiah S. Chechik (Chuck, Warehouse 13), and the writers Steve Bloom (Jack Frost, James and the Giant Peach) and Robert Rodat (Fly Away Home and TV’s “Falling Skies”) really do a great job with this film. I rate this film 4 out of 5 stars.  I believe this film is great for kids 7 to 14 and I hope they enjoy it as much as I did. Look for this classic family film on HDNet Movies kidScene this month.

Tall Tale
Reviewed by Blake Hawes
(See his full review on video.)

Tall Tale is a very interesting movie. I’ve never seen a movie quite like this one. Such an original idea, and I loved it.

Tall Tale is about some classic folk tales from early America. Tales like these, like Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill, are brought to life in cinema in a way I’ve never seen before in theaters.

Now, this movie is about a young boy trying to get his father’s farm back. That story is very emotional and touching, and it’s one of my favorite parts of this movie.

The music in this movie, however, is either good or bad. In the beginning of the movie, the music is awe-inspiring, and it had me wanting more. However, during the action scenes, it got a bit repetitive and a little cheesy after a while.

I recommend this movie for kids 7 through 12 just ’cause kids a little younger will be a little scared of the action scenes but kids over 12 will think this movie’s a bit cheesy.  And it is a bit cheesy, but that doesn’t take away from the mood of the story. The mood of the story is very good, and I love the feeling that is found in this movie.

And this movie actually has Patrick Swayze, one of cinema’s best actors, as a kid actor. It’s really interesting watching him act at such an early age. I can see where they got his fan-dom from.

Photos: Tall Tale poster (top), Julianna Noone (middle), Blake Hawes (bottom)

Is it fun to be on the Red Carpet to talk to the celebrities when a film studio celebrates a new release? KIDS FIRST! youth film critics Morgan Bertsch (age seven) and Cheyenne Nguyen (age eight) eagerly share their excitement at the Twentieth Century Fox Red Carpet event on March 27 for the DVD and Blu-ray release that same day of Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. Reporting live from the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, they capture interviews with producers Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and Janice Karman, Andy Buckley (who plays Captain Correlli), Jason Lee (who plays Dave), Matthew Gray Gubler (who voices Simon), and actress Ariana Grande (who doesn’t appear in Chipwrecked but does add her voice to the concert that was part of the Red Carpet festivities).

Clips from the concert and clips from the movie are interspersed with Morgan and Cheyenne’s reporting and their interviews. Watching the KIDS FIRST! video coverage of the Red Carpet event is almost as much fun as being there, so do click and enjoy the video of KIDS FIRST! youth film critics Morgan and Cheyenne with the Chipmunks and friends.

For Cheyenne, the Chipmunks Red Carpet rounded out a full week that also had her representing KIDS FIRST! at the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on March 31. The video is a high-energy few minutes of Cheyenne catching cast members of “Victorious!,” “A.N.T. Farm,” “America’s Got Talent,” “Big Time Rush” and the latest Wimpy Kid lead (Zachary Gordon) on the Red Carpet. Her charm gets them to open up and interact with her.

The video continues into the backstage after the Awards were presented, and some of the winners share with Cheyenne their excitement about the evening. Nickelodeon shares its coverage of the event, which was hosted by Will Smith, on its website.

Photo: KIDS FIRST! youth film critics Morgan Bertsch and Cheyenne Nguyen at the Red Carpet event for Twentieth Century Fox’s DVD and Blu-ray release of Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.

Relativity Media gives us a new view of Snow White’s adventures in Mirror Mirror, released to theaters nationwide last Friday. In fact, the movie’s longer name - by which it was released in the United Kingdom - is Mirror Mirror: The Untold Adventures of Snow White. To help differentiate it from the classic, the seven dwarfs have new names. Don’t look for Grumpy, Sneezy, Doc or any of the other familiar characters; Mirror Mirror introduces us to Half Pint, Chuckles and Grub, to name a few. Julia Roberts is well-cast as the evil queen, and Lily Collins (who played Collins Tuohy in The Blind Side) and Armie Hammer (whose most recent film role was in J. Edgar) give us an appealing Snow White and Prince Alcott. KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda (age 9) finds Mirror Mirror “has a lot more action than the classic Snow White and there are a lot more cool parts.”

Mirror Mirror
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

I am reviewing a really funny and family-friendly movie called Mirror Mirror. This movie is about Snow White and the seven dwarfs. I really like this movie because it has a lot more action than the classic Snow White and there are a lot more cool parts.  

This movie is all about a girl named Snow White whose evil stepmother mistreats her and the people who live in the kingdom. Snow White gets help from seven unusual dwarfs to take back her kingdom and help her people.    

Some of the main characters in the movie are Snow White, the seven dwarfs, the evil queen and Prince Alcott. My favorite character is Prince Alcott because he is a really funny character. He drinks a potion that gives him puppy love and he does some really funny things. When The Queen throws a book out the window, the prince runs down all the stairs to try and fetch it. It is really funny! 

My favorite part in the movie is when the evil queen gets help from black magic and two puppets on strings go to where the seven dwarfs live to try and hurt Snow White. These puppets are dancing around trying to get the dwarfs while Snow White is running to help them. Snow White gets a sword and cuts the strings and the puppets fall down. Another really cool part of the movie is when The Queen goes into her mirror. She walks right though it and comes out of the water into a place out in the middle of nowhere where she does her black magic. That is really cool.

I would recommend this movie for ages 5 and up because there are some sword-fighting scenes and a few parts that might scare little kids. Kids older than 5 would enjoy this movie especially if they know the classic Snow White story. Go out and see this movie in theaters now!

Photos: Mirror Mirror poster (top), Anthony Aranda (bottom)