KIDS FIRST! News

Po, that immensely huggable martial arts hero, is back. Kung Fu Panda 2 is directed by Jennifer Yuh, who stepped to the helm here after being storyboard artist for the original Kung Fu Panda. Jack Black’s voice is again perfectly cast as the ungainly panda, joined by a host of other actors whose names and faces are as well-known as their voices, among them Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen and martial arts master himself, Jackie Chan.

“This movie is so awesome. All the characters from the first movie are back, along with some new faces. The animation is phenomenal and Jack Black does an exceptional job as the voice of Po!” says KIDS FIRST! film critic Raven Devanney (age 13). And fellow KIDS FIRST! film critic Gabriella Chu (age 14) shares, “Watching this movie in 3-D felt so life-like, espcially thte action scenes. There are so many action sequences and they all are very intense.”

Check out Raven‘s and Gabriella‘s reviews on YouTube, and read their full reviews below:

‘Kung Fu Panda 2’
Reviewed by Raven Devanney

The lovable yet ferocious panda is back in Kung fu Panda 2. Po and the Furious Five are here to save China, and things get a little crazy!

This movie is so awesome. All the characters from the first movie are back, along with some new faces. The animation is phenomenal and Jack Black does an exceptional job as the voice of Po!

My favorite character is Tigress, played by the brilliant Angelina Jolie, because you get to experience the softer side of Tigress.

All the battles in this film are amazing because they are not only action-packed, but are also hilarious. This movie should be viewed by ages 5 and up because this movie is a lot more emotional and sad than the first film and there is a little bit more death.

Overall, I give Kung Fu Panda 2 two thumbs up!! 

‘Kung Fu Panda 2’
Reviewed by Gabriella Chu

The Kung Fu Panda is back with more adventure! This movie is an irresistible action comedy that’s pure fun. In case you have not watched the first Kung Fu Panda before, the protagonist, Po, is a panda who transforms from noodle-shop employee to kung fu master, joining the Furious Seven (a group of heroes who fight villains). In this sequel, Po finds himself conflicted with his past. He starts to question where he has come from and why his father is a goose instead of the panda. He also has to defeat evil Lord Shen, a peacock who plans to use a secret weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. Will Po be able to defeat Lord Shen even when conflicted with this past? You will have to watch this movie for yourself!

Watching this movie in 3-D felt so life-like, especially the action scenes. There are so many action sequences and they all are very intense. My favorite sequence is the one where Po finds his inner peace because the movie is in slow motion and incorporates scenes of his past as well as scenes from Master Shifu’s technique of inner peace. The slow motion emphasized Po’s technique, and made the scene much more interesting. I also thought the humorous voice of Po, Jack Black, is perfect for his role as a lively and entertaining panda. The movie also has inspiring messages, such as: Look to the future instead of the past, and discover who you are. However, I did not think this movie was as good as the first one. I did not find the story as touching and upbeat. I also didn’t find the voices of the characters recognizable, except for Po and the Tigress’s voice. In addition, the colors of the movie were not very vibrant. They did not fit the comical mood of the movie so much.

Overall, though, I think this is a great animated family comedy. I would recommend it to children ages 8 and up because younger kids might not be able to follow the storyline. You should definitely go see this if you are into adventure!

Photos: Kung Fu Panda 2 poster (top), Raven Devanney (middle), Gabriella Chu (bottom)

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.

The latest rendering of Shakespeare’s classic love story “Romeo and Juliet” comes to animated life on the silver screen with impish gnomes as the central characters. KIDS FIRST! film critic Ny’Asia Bell (8 years old) shares her review of the movie now playing in your local theaters. (See her video on YouTube.)

Gnomeo & Juliet
Reviewed by Ny’Asia Bell

I really like this movie. It was cute, fun and action-packed. My family and I laughed a lot, and I loved all the music by Elton John, especially the song “Crocodile Rock.” We were dancing in our seats!
 
This is the kid’s version of the William Shakespeare classic love story “Romeo and Juliet,” but made for kids.  I think what makes this movie so cute is the majority of  the characters are garden gnomes that come to life when the humans aren’t looking.
 
I enjoyed all the characters. I thought they all did a great job, but I do have my favorites. Gnomeo, voiced by James McAvoy, was very adventurous and ready to accept any challenge. Juliet, voiced by Emily Blunt, was an attractive, brave, tough little cookie whose father, Lord Redbrick voiced by Michael Caine,  is an over-protective father. He reminds me of my father! Finally, Nanette the frog, voiced by Ashley Jensen —  I think she brought a lot of humor to this movie. I particularly liked her red lips and long eyelashes.
 
I rate this movie 5 out of 5 stars. I thought it was hilarious, and cute. I recommend this movie to kids 5 and up, because it does have a few violent scenes. So If you want to laugh and listen to good music at the same time,. you must see this one!
 
I want to give a special thanks to everyone at Studio Movie Grill in Holcomb Bridge (Atlanta area) for allowing my family and me to see this movie at their beautiful theater.

PHOTO: Ny’Asia Bell

See Ny’Asia’s video on YouTube.

Elf is a feel-good Christmas movie that brilliantly balances Will Ferrell’s typical silliness with James Caan’s perfectly delivered tough-guy cynicism. Whichever humor is better suited to your personal funny bone, there’s plenty of it to raise a smile or guffaw through to the film’s epilogue.

With a touch of “The Ugly Duckling,” Ferrell’s title character grows up with the elves in Santa’s workshop at the North Pole after having crawled, unseen, from his crib in an orphanage into Santa’s bag of toys one Christmas Eve. The pathos of an orphanage existence is furthered by the scene in a sterile nursery being shot in darkness and shadows, in sharp contrast to the festive ambience of Santa’s North Pole. But rather than open on that dreary note, director Jon Favreau (Iron Man and Iron Man 2) introduces us to the story through a visit with the adoptive elf-father (a pointy-eared Bob Newhart, in his trademark deadpan delivery that imbues the far-fetched tale with an earnest honesty).

“Buddy” (named from the label on the diapers he was wearing on his arrival) grows up with all the positive self-esteem the elves can encourage in him, although it’s obvious to everyone but him that he just doesn’t fit in — literally as well as figuratively, as he spills out of his school desk, squeezes through doorways and nearly smothers Papa Elf when he sits in his lap. But his idyllic existence is shattered when he overhears two elves refer to him as “human.”

So Buddy sets off to find his real father (James Caan as Walter Hobbs), and the snow-globe essence of the scenes changes to real-life when he hits New York City. Misadventures and clumsy emotional overtures follow. Zooey Deschanel provides Ferrell with a sweet love-interest, and Daniel Tay becomes his compatriot as Caan’s other, emotionally starved, son.

There is some mild profanity and discreet sexual innuendo in this 2003, PG-rated, award-winning family film from New Line Cinema, but possibly more disturbing is the reference to unbelievers who think “parents leave the presents under the tree” and eat the cookies put out for Santa — although the film’s resolution affirms that Santa is as real as Christmas spirit.

A REMINDER ABOUT KIDS FIRST! FILM  CRITICS’ SEARCH:
Tomorrow, Oct. 20, is the last day to get those reviews entered in our first annual KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ Search.

The videotaped reviews will be posted on KIDS FIRST!’s partner site, WonderWorldTV.com. Check it out — entries are posted there now. And be sure to vote for your choice to win. There are two more weeks, but remember that voting closes Oct. 31. Your vote is important — the popular vote will determine the 20 finalists.

Keep your Kleenex handy as you watch My Dog Skip. With a screenplay based on the same-named autobiography of writer and editor William Weaks “Willie” Morris, the award-winning Warner Bros. film from 2000 is a poignant revisit of a period of his childhood growing up in Yazoo City, Miss. Accompanied by his Jack Russell terrier Skip, Will (Frankie Muniz) experiences life lessons of idols fallen and retrieved, bullies, first love and, above all, loyalty and friendship.

The boy-dog partnership almost doesn’t happen, when the puppy Will’s mom gives him for his eighth birthday is taken away by his father. This seeming hard-heartedness is revealed to be anything but, as the stoic dad (in a consummate performance by Kevin Bacon) describes to his wife all the heartache he is trying to protect Will from. Pointing out that Will will face these things eventually, she perseveres, and the story unfolds in multiple layers. As much for adults as children, the film offers gems of insight such as, “Give a man a label and you never need to get to know him.”

It’s fall of 1942, and shy bookworm Will is losing the support he has heretofore relied on when the town athletic hero, Will’s next-door-neighbor and seemingly only friend, is shipped off to fight the Nazis in Europe. Although Dink has been a willing mentor, he’s been more crutch than ladder, and it is Skip who helps Will grow in confidence this pivotal year.

Peopled with believable characters in the adult roles, the film centers much on relationships between Will and other kids in his small town, and their performances are uniformly excellent. And aside from a few inconsistencies (such references to both moonshiners and a six-pack), the period in World War II, pre-integration South is nicely constructed.

A REMINDER ABOUT KIDS FIRST! FILM  CRITICS’ SEARCH:
Tomorrow, Oct. 20, is the last day to get those reviews entered in our first annual KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ Search.

The videotaped reviews will be posted on KIDS FIRST!’s partner site, WonderWorldTV.com. Check it out — entries are posted there now. And be sure to vote for your choice to win. There are two more weeks, but remember that voting closes Oct. 31. Your vote is important — the popular vote will determine the 20 finalists.