KIDS FIRST! News

Recent theatrical release Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is available today from Fox on Blu-ray and DVD for home viewing. The Wimpy series continues to connect with kdis, and KIDS FIRST! film critic Raven Devanney (age 13) - who recently interviewed the movie’s star Zachary Godeon - shares why:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Reviewed by Raven Devanney
(and see her review on video)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a fantastic sequel in the Wimpy series. This film is a super fun adaptation from the popular book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I really enjoy that it shows the relationship between Greg and Rodrick, because it shows the ups and downs of being siblings.

I especially like the fact that I related to this movie so much. I have a brother, like Greg, and I’m also a middle-schooler. I feel that this film truly captures a lot of the real struggles of middle school life.

My favorite character is Greg Heffley, played by Zachary Gordon, because he gets into so many funny embarrassing situations. I had the privilege to talk with him in a recent interview. His favorite scene is when he and Rodrick run from their coach over the dumpster, because it was so fun to do. This is also my favorite scene because when Rodrick and Greg are pranking all the people and running from their coach at the gas station, they really bond.

This wonderful movie is for everyone because it is funny for an audience of many different age groups.

Overall I give Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules two thumbs up.

Photos: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules poster (top), Raven Devanney (bottom)

An Australian high schooler dreams of making his life in music. In fact, Tommy daydreams in music, mentally creating orchestral performances out of the sounds that surround him - such unlikely noises as post-hole diggers in the rugged Outback and construction site clamor. As Broken Hill enacts these imaginings, we experience the artistic beauty that inspires Tommy.

Reviews by KIDS FIRST! film critics Gabriella Chu (age 14) and Raven Sky Devanney (age 13) share how well Broken Hill connects with its audience. “I love this movie because it is very creative. I never heard someone play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” so authentically until I heard Tommy and the inmates improvise with the song and make it sound so awesome by using all kinds of instruments - from buckets to violins. The final piece Tommy’s band plays is also excellent,” says Gabriella. Below are the full reviews from both teens. 

‘Broken Hill’
by Gabriella Chu

Broken Hill is a wonderful movie. The first few minutes of the movie instantly capture my attention! It tells the story of a teenage boy named Tommy (played by Luke Arnold) who dreams of starting a band to get into music school but is distracted from his goal because he likes a girl in his class named Kat (played by Alexa Vega), and he is also discouraged by his father. Tommy and Kat end up doing community service at a jail after they pull a juvenile prank and get caught by the police. The two do not get along initially, but they gradually become friends and form an original band with the prison inmates. Is Tommy’s band good enough to get him into the Sydney Conservatory music school? You have to watch this movie for yourself!

I love this movie because it is very creative. I never heard someone play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” so authentically until I heard Tommy and the inmates improvise with the song and make it sound so awesome by using all kinds of instruments — from buckets to violins. The final piece Tommy’s band plays is also excellent. I think the original music by Christopher Brady and the orchestrator David Long are fantastic! I also like how director Dagen Merrill shows how Tommy hears music everywhere. Just by listening to things in nature such as grasshoppers, the wind, and rivers, in the middle of the Australian desert, Tommy can replace these normal noises with the sounds of instruments to compose a beautiful symphony in his mind. I am impressed at the way the director made this comparison.
 
It is difficult for me to hear everything the actors are saying because most of them have an Australian accent. Other than that, I think this is a great movie. I would recommend it to children ages 11 and up because the movie contains some deep messages that may be hard for younger kids to understand, such as music can be found everywhere and music can lift anyone’s spirits. This movie will suit most viewers, especially those who are interested in music. 

For Tommy, the prison band seems his last chance to put together the audition performance he needs to get into the prestigious music conservatory, though he keeps his goal a secret from everyone but his private music maestro. The prisoners are not so enthusiastic at first about the band, but are persuaded to participate by another inmate, Kalai, who seemingly feels he owes Tommy for an earlier act of kindness. There are many strands of relationships that develop around Tommy, as KIDS FIRST! film critic Raven Sky Devanney shares:

‘Broken Hill’
By Raven Sky Devanney

Broken Hill is an amazing movie about a boy from Australia who wants to become a composer but his father disapproves, so he makes a band with local prisoners.

I really really like this film. It is funny and touching and super great! The cinematography was nice and it is pretty funny in the beginning when Tommy is imagining the orchestra.

I really enjoyed watching the relationship grow between Kat and Tommy throughout the film. My favorite character is the drumming prisoner because he was clueless and hilarious.

I was really shocked, in the end, after Kalai escaped and there was no closure between him and Tommy. It left me wanting more.

This film is for ages 12 and up because it is a little mature for younger kids. Broken Hill is a great movie for teens. I give this film a thumbs up!

Released for home viewing by E One Entertainment, Broken Hill is available on DVD May 17.

Photos, from top to bottom: Broken Hill, Gabriella Chu, Raven Sky Devanney

If your kids are into rubber band bracelets, it’s no stretch to imagine they’ll be into Bands on the Run: The Rubber Band Movie, a DVD release from E One Entertainment scheduled for May 31 (with 10 limited-edition bands as a bonus feature!). Five specialty shaped rubber bands are carelessly left behind on a deserted stretch of desert highway after the box they’re in is jostled off the delivery truck. Attempting to “follow that truck” and get back on track to the toy store that’s expecting them, they get run over by a speeding car - which turns out to be a good thing, as they happily roll along, stuck to the spinning tire as it unknowingly carries them where they wanted to go.

Shapes and dialog coordinate perfectly in this 50-minute animation, rendered in very elementary form that the youngest of ages can easily follow, although some of the dialog hits a little above that level in wordplay and message. Each of the novelty bands has a unique talent they are proud to show off (”I sparkle,” flower-shaped Daisy repeatedly reminds the others), but it’s an ordinary rubber band they meet after a second mishap sends them to a recycling center in a garbage truck who really snaps them into focus. “We all have different talents, but we’re all made from the same stuff,” Stretch tells the novelty bands. “We’re a team.”

As a team, now, all six continue on their journey to the toy store – and, they hope, the wrist of a novelty-rubber-band-loving child.

White Lion is a magnificently lensed coming-of-age film that follows the titular white lion from cub to king. A 25-year labor of love from producer Kevin Richardson, who was also the lead animal wrangler, and director Michael Swan, the Screen Media Films release features cinematography that ranges from awe-inspiring panoramas of flat-topped mountains rising out of densely verdant valleys to closer shots of dew-dropped flowers glistening in the moonlight.

The lion’s saga is related as a narration by an African storyteller (veteran actor John Kani) holding his audience of children in thrall around a campfire. While we return to the campfire from time to time to connect with the children and their reactions, the camera cuts away to what is essentially a nature film of the unfolding story: A white cub, Letsatsi, is born into a lion pride. Playful as any kitten, he has some close calls with hyenas and venomous snakes as romps in the tall grass. And just being different from a lion’s usual tawny color causes challenges for him with the other lions in his pride. He slowly learns the skills he needs to survive the natural perils of the wilderness – lightning-sparked fires, hidden dangers such as alligators in the river from which he must get water to drink – as well as meeting the basic need to find food. Humans pose yet another danger.

Giving a framework for the story of Letsatsi’s life is a secondary story of Gisani, a native villager who has been raised with the traditional legends that revere the rare white lion as a messenger of the gods that brings peace and prosperity. Gisani is little more than a child when he first sees Letsatsi, and he takes on himself the responsibility for watching over the lion through the years, to be his storyteller. This culminates in a showdown with hunters who see value in Letsatsi only as a trophy.

As a nature film, White Lion is true to the genre in its honest depiction of the animals’ lives. Kills are acknowledged, although the camera takes a respectful view and avoids grisly sensationalism. Nor are there groomed manes or other attempts to prettify the animals. Life includes moments of heart-pounding adventure punctuating long days of quieter existence, and the film’s slow pace – with music as a low-key accompaniment – seems to capture life in real time.

The DVD’s bonus feature on how the wranglers worked with the lions to capture authentic actions is a livelier piece, and the behind-the-scenes views add to rather than detract from an appreciation of the feature film.

Everything about Strawberry Shortcake: Puttin’ on the Glitz is as sweet as the title character’s name - from the voices to the music to the almost Candyland-style village sure to captivate all little girls who like to play with dolls. But, hey, that’s OK - because, as Mary Poppins has famously pointed out, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” The medicine being, in this case, messages about right and wrong and getting along.

The DVD, which 20th Century Fox released March 20, contains three 20-minute “Berry Bitty Adventures.” None are separately titled, but the final one is obviously the source for the DVD’s title. Lemon Meringue has created a dazzling new manicure she calls a “glamicure,” with sparkly polish and a special gem that plays music customized for each girl. Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry, Orange, Raspberry and Plum are all thrilled at first with how the glam livens up their days, until the dazzle becomes a distraction and the constant music interferes with their regular activities. How can Plum practice in her dance studio when the glamicure music competes with her dance music? How can Blueberry relax with a book when every time she moves her hand, the glamicure music sounds off? And Strawberry Shortcake wonders if the incessant glamicure music is the reason no customers come into her pastry shop.

When they catch each other surreptitiously trying to get rid of the glamicure, they discuss whether to ask Lemon to remove it. The problem the girls wrestle with is whether Lemon’s feelings will be badly hurt if they tell her they’d rather be without the glamicure, and they steadfastly vow to put up with the annoyance rather than make Lemon feel badly. (By the way — kudos to the writers, who employ grammatically correct language throughout, and never lapse into such common malconstructions as “I feel bad.”) Strawberry has not been part of these discussions, but she catches on. And Strawberry also lends Lemon the ear to cry in when no one comes to her beauty salon any more. Strawberry — always the most mature among the friends — approaches the issue from two directions: First, she suggests Lemon overcome her timidity and ask everyone if they’re OK with the glamicure (”Could it be more terrible than what you’re afraid of?”). Second, she sets an example for the other girls, who notice right away when she shows up with plain fingernails (”Part of being a good friend is having the courage to give constructive criticism — telling the truth so they can do better next time” and “You can’t make her feel worse than you did by avoiding her.”).

Each of the other episodes has its distinct moral. In the first, it’s Lemon again who focuses the central issue: The need to feel useful (well, age appropriate: the need to make her own special contribution to the community and do something she has fun doing). The second tackles the sticky subject of rules: Plum disregards some of their community’s rules, and her actions cause difficulties for her friends. But when they try to make her understand, she retaliates with petulance and makes up some rules they must follow at her dance studio. The story makes a good case not only for observing the rules but for realizing that rules need to serve a good purpose rather than just an arbitrary whim.

Chuggington’s appealing train-yard toddlers … er, trainees, are ready to ride into your home on Anchor Bay Entertainment’s DVD Chuggington: Chuggers to the Rescue, released April 5. In each of the six 10-minute episodes starring the young locomotives, Brewster, Wilson and Koko eagerly rush into a new escapade in their pleasingly pastel world much like any human child would do.

Which is a big part of why the TV series connects with its 2- to 5-year-old audience. And the simplified sets add to the sense of playfulness. But there’s a serious lesson within each adventure as the three trainees test where the limits are and learn what the consequences may be for not listening to the older-and-wiser trains.

In the first episode, trains not only talk but they fly. Not with wings, of course — grounding the fantasy with a little reality, the trains achieve this feat by being outfitted with jet packs. But it’s no joy ride. In “Jet Pack Wilson,” the threesome take training from Action Chugger, a Superman-like hero who makes girls swoon but keeps a level head and concentrates on the rescue at hand. Training isn’t the fun and games that Wilson, Koko and Brewster had anticipated, as they push and pull heavy loads up steep hills to build stamina. Even the practice rescue of a kitten from a tree seems a little silly to Wilson, who points out the practice “kitten” is a teddy bear. But Action Chugger stays serious, pointing out, “I can’t put [real] small creatures in danger while you learn.”

Always the hot-headed one, Wilson finds some jet packs in the train yard and takes off with them in spite of Koko’s and Brewster’s warnings that he’s not ready yet. He can’t handle himself in the air, and, after Action Chugger saves him, Wilson admits, “It looked easy in the movies.” Action Chugger drives home the point: “Real life isn’t like the movies.”

In “Wilson and the Wild Wind,” it isn’t just himself whom Wilson puts in danger. Dunbar, another mentor for their training, has created a weather simulator and can call up wind storms, rain storms, even thunder and lightning so the trainees can learn how to handle such weather. The simulator responds only to Dunbar’s voice, so Wilson practices copying it — and sets off gale-force winds that blow the train yard topsy turvy. But at least Wilson remembered one lesson, that they should couple-up in a headwind so they’ll be heavier. Hooking together their couplings, Brewster, Koko and Wilson chug back to the weather simulator to try to turn it off. “I didn’t think about what could happen,” Wilson admits to Dunbar. 

In spite of the main characters being metal machines, there’s a sense of warmth among the characters. And whatever the challenge, the fear factor stays in the mild range, just enough for young viewers to understand that something bad could happen without being so alarming as to send them hiding under the bed.

Tangled, Disney’s update of the Rapunzel fairy tale, garnered rave reviews from our KIDS FIRST! film critics (visit www.kidsfirst.org/filmfestival/Tangled.htm for their full reviews, written and video.) Due out on DVD March 29, Tangled earned five out of five stars from Makai Weber Colvin (9 years old), who sums it up, “If you like a classic story, great songs and one BIG adventure, this is the DVD for you. Fun, fun, fun for the whole family!” Raven Devanney (13 years old), recommending it to all ages - “even teens” - says, “The colorful animation is great as well and adds brilliance to a familiar story.” Ny’Asia Bell (8 years old) points out especially that it is “full of lots of action and great special effects.”

Rapunzel, who has been locked away in a tower for years, captures the kingdom’s most-wanted bandit, Flynn Rider, when he tries to hide out in her tower. Seeing an opportunity to escape her tower prison, the beautiful and feisty teen tressed with 70 feet of magical, golden hair strikes a deal with the charming thief, and the unlikely duo set off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an overprotective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs. Spiced with humor and heart, the story is only one part of what Raven Devanney liked about the film.

Go On and Get ‘Tangled’!
A review by Raven Devanney

The story we all grew up with is back and better than ever. The lovable tale of Rapunzel is here with an all-new comical and musical twist, and things are about to get Tangled! I really enjoyed this film. The music is excellent and extremely funny. The voice of Mandy Moore as Rapunzel is fantastic. She is really talented. She is totally perfect for Rapunzel’s bubbly voice and character, while empowering viewers to follow their hearts. Plus, she can really sing. Her voice is super clear, and I really loved hearing her beautiful singing.

Zachary Levi, the voice of the kingdom’s most wanted bandit, Flynn Rider, is amazing! Just listening to him talk makes me laugh. He does an excellent job.

The colorful animation is great as well and adds brilliance to a familiar story. I wasn’t sure how I would like this movie, especially because of the fact that it is a musical, but I was so surprised how much I fell in love with it. My favorite character is Maximus, Flynn Rider’s bloodhound of a horse. I like this character because of his hilarious facial expressions and outstanding personality. My absolute favorite scene that sticks with me is the montage right after Rapunzel leaves the tower with Flynn, because she is totally battling with herself.

This movie is most definitely for all ages, even teens. So if you want a good laugh, and awesome animation, then this movie is perfect for you.

So go on and get Tangled!!!

A popular book for little kids, The Little Engine That Could features a scrappy little engine determined to get her load of toys over a steep mountain to all the good little boys and girls waiting on the other side. Cheering herself on with an “I think I can,” she succeeds.

Universal’s film The Little Engine That Could (scheduled for DVD release March 22) is for kids a tad older, and steps back to tell the story of where the little engine came from and expand the adventure with more challenges for children to relate to.

We’re introduced to Dreamland, focusing in on talking trains happily and busily chugging around a train yard. A small shunter engine shares with an obviously older engine that she, too, would like to be a dreamhauler that makes special deliveries to children in the real world. Rusty responds to Little Engine with prophetic words: “If you think you can, you will; if you think you can’t, you won’t. Either way, you’re right.”

Cut to the “real world”: In a schoolyard, two bullies nab another boy’s prized possession — a silver pocket watch that had been his grandfather’s. Ashamed to go home without the watch, he heads over to the nearby park instead and discovers a train he is sure has never been there before. Mysterious it is, but it offers shelter from the snowy winter, so he climbs into one of the freight cars. The movement causes Rusty, up front, to awaken from his nap; he realizes he’s been discovered where he shouldn’t be, and tries unsuccessfully to shake off his unwanted passenger as he rushes back to Dreamland.

A real boy in Dreamland puts “a hole in the dream/reality continuum,” according to the tower in charge of the train yard, explaining why the tunnel between the two worlds has collapsed and then organizing work shifts for the dreamhaulers to re-open the tunnel so they can get the boy back to his real world. Little Engine thinks it would be faster to use the tracks she’s heard about that go over the mountain, but most of the other trains think those tracks exist only in old stories.

Adding a dangerous time element to the emergency is a trainload of toys worried about getting to their intended children before the children forget they wished for the toys. “Once we’re forgotten, we disappear,” they tell Little Engine. Many adventures ensue, including a run-in with the foreboding Nightmare Train, before we finally get to the well-known refrain, “I think I can, I think I can …”

The Little Engine That Could is a film with a moral. Several of them. And it foregoes subtlety to get them across (e.g., “You’re not annoying; you’re unique,” one toy reassures another). Sweet songs written for the film further spell out the lessons.

The Little Engine That Could mixes in some vocabulary-stretching dialog, with words like “grueling” and “naïve,” with enough context for elementary-school-aged kids to understand them. Younger kids, too, could keep up with the story, but the Nightmare Train sequences might be too intense for them.

NBC Universal has put together a little girl’s dream adventure. Available March 15 on DVD, Barbie: A Fairy Secret begins with the titular star and heroine trying on fancy dresses and extravagant shoes in what is obviously an upscale boutique. And it’s quickly made clear the occasion for the dressing-up is an ultimate of glamour: a red carpet appearance for her movie premiere.

There seems to be nothing on the dress racks that’s quite right, but in the hands of Barbie’s two wardrobe designers, Carrie and Taylor, one appears as if by magic. Then, after Barbie’s rival shows up at the red carpet and uses her stiletto heels to put an enormous rip in Barbie’s trailing skirt, we see there really is magic when Carrie and Taylor and a little fairy dust make the rip disappear.

Fairy dust, shimmering wings, a fantastical, brightly hued fairy world complete with grand palace — and, of course, beautiful girls and handsome boys and even a duel for the hand of a princess.  The film is an hour and a quarter of feminine fantasy that flits from one adventure to another.

The characters, however, play out with recognizably human reactions and interactions. Barbie is straightforwardly sweet, but the jealous Raquelle interjects sarcasm that helps keep the film from being too saccharine. Ken, who is compelled to duel against a more warriorly proportioned rival, wants to back out but can’t bring himself to say he’s not “man enough” to face the battle. And Zane, the Latin Adonis with mellifluous accent, is caught for a quick second posturing to show off his physique. 

The story eventually deals with the petty jealousies typical of preteen and early teen-aged girls, laying out not just the misunderstandings that are both cause and effect but digging down a level to uncover the reason for them. Understanding leads to forgiveness, and friendship becomes possible.

Hoodwinked, released on DVD by Vivendi Entertainment, earned a nomination for a Saturn Award  in 2006 as Best Animated Film from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA, from its theatrical release. KIDS FIRST! film critic Gabriella Chu (age 14) tells us about the movie. (See her video on YouTube.)

Hoodwinked
Reviewed by Gabriella Chu

This movie is sweet and funny. It made me laugh out loud a couple of times. The movie’s message isn’t new - “don’t judge a book by its cover.” However, the message is delivered with a lot of creativity and originality by  presenting the points of view of each of the characters.

You would expect Hoodwinked to tell the story of Little Red Riding Hood and it does, but with a new angle. The movie starts off with Red delivering goods to her Granny, but once she arrives home, she sees a wolf disguised as her Grandma, her grandma is tied up and locked in the closet, and then a crazy woodsman breaks into their house screaming with an ax in his hand. As crazy as it sounds, there is an interesting explanation for everything that happened at this scene. The movie adds a lot of twists to the original story of Little Red Riding Hood as it depicts the viewpoints of all of the characters involved at the scene to keep you guessing what really happened. When you piece the different perspectives of the characters in the movie together, you will be shocked at the true story!

Hoodwinked stars the voice talent of Anne Hathaway as Red, Glenn Close as Granny, James Belushi as the woodsman and Patrick Warburton as the wolf. The movie is written and directed by Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards, and Tony Leech.

The animation of the movie didn’t wow me when I compare it to films such as Shrek, Ice Age, Toy Story and similar. On the other hand, the voice talent is great. Anne Hathaway does a great job at portraying Red’s character as a tough yet charming girl, especially in the scene when she is about to perform kung-fu on the wolf. Glenn Close’s voice is a perfect match for the grandmother.

I recommend this movie to children ages 7 and up. Younger kids may not be able to understand some of the jokes. This is a fun family film and something I would enjoy watching with my friends. It is a sweet comedy with an interesting plot! 

PHOTO: Gabriella Chu

See Gabriella’s video on YouTube.