Operation Friendship * Terrific Story About Two Enemies Becoming Friends
Tuesday, August 12th, 2025
A young boy and friends, with the help of his grandfather who served in World War II, his loyal friends, and his love of history, takes on the neighborhood bully and learns the importance of teamwork, family, and friendship.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Harper B. comments, “This film is fantastic; I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the film. Operation Friendship is a wonderful film about two enemies becoming friends. Having friends is important but making them is even more important.” Jude A. adds, “I like Operation Friendship because of its faith-based storyline, the honoring of soldiers, and the action-packed thrill. I also like it because of the grandpa who is funny and repeats things over and over. The film’s message is that you should always stand up for what you believe in, no matter what. Somehow, God will cause the right people to come your way to lend a helping hand to defeat your enemies.” See their full reviews below.
Operation Friendship
By Harper B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12
Operation Friendship is a wonderful film about two enemies becoming friends. Having friends is important but making them is even more important.
Operation Friendship is about a boy, Chaz Smith (Izaak Bellis), who loves to play with toy army men. Chaz gets bullied by Jimmy Roland (Grayson Stalcup) and challenges him to an army soldier battle; the community supports Chaz. Even the teacher, Miss Mullens (Kera O’Bryon) gives Chaz her nephew’s old toys and she comes to referee.
This film is fantastic; I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the film. The costumes are realistic, while none stand out. My favorite character is Phoebe (Gabriella Dillenback) because she doesn’t mind hanging out with all boys if she gets the opportunity to support her friends. The scene that really stuck to me is when Chaz’s dad (James Arnold Taylor) and grandpa (Vincent Dantone) reveal their surprise to prove that they are really on Chaz’s side. My least favorite scene is when Chaz has a nightmare because it seems unnecessary. The actors’ performances are magnificent. They are in character throughout the film.
The grandpa’s acting of Grandpa especially stands out because he can be fun or funny but also has the ability to talk seriously with Chaz, his grandson. Grandpa, dad, and Chaz have a very special relationship. We see this at the beginning of the film when the mom, Lisa Smith (Libby Smallbone) goes to the spa and the boys go have fun together. The background music is superb, especially during the battle scene. It truly adds drama and depth to the plot. The character’s facial expressions also add depth and drama to the plot. I truly enjoyed this film because it surprised me.
The film’s message is that when people team up and help others you can make everyone happy. The students in Chaz’s class give some of their troops to Chaz. This shows that when everyone pitches in, it can make a difference. It also teaches us about the meaning of friendship and how it can be found in the most bizarre places.
I give Operation Friendship 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. It releases on It releases on VOD and streaming on August 12, 2025.
Operation Friendship
By Jude A., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 10
I like Operation Friendship because of its faith-based storyline, the honoring of soldiers, and the action-packed thrill. I also like it because of the grandpa who is funny and repeats things over and over.
The storyline is about a young boy named Chaz and his loyal friends who want to beat up Jimmy (Grayson Stalcup) because he always bullies his friends.
The main characters are Chaz Smith (Izaak Bellis) and Phoebe (Gabriella Dillenback). I like how Chaz and his grandpa always play with toy army men and how, in the morning, grandpa blows a trumpet to wake Chaz up. I also like that, with the help of his grandfather who served in World War II, and his loyal friends they were able to take the neighborhood bully down. I was confused about exactly what the story is about. Another thing I don’t like is the dream, which I found a bit disturbing. In spite of all his challenges, I like how Chaz stands up for what he believes. It seems that Chaz’s friends criticize Phoebe a lot, which I didn’t care for. I like how the camera zooms in on the dirt to make it look like a real battle field.
The photography is pretty good, especially the shots with the background scenery. The graphics stand out because they are good crisp.
The film’s message is that you should always stand up for what you believe in, no matter what. Somehow, God will cause the right people to come your way to lend a helping hand to defeat your enemies. The film also reminds us about the importance of teamwork, family, and friendship.
I give Operating Friendship 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. This film releases on VOD and streaming on August 12, 2025.
In Freakier Friday, Curtis and Lohan reprise their roles as Tess and Anna Coleman. The story picks up years after Tess (Curtis) and Anna (Lohan) endured an identity crisis. Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might indeed strike twice.
The story’s hero insect dreams of becoming a butterfly and being able to fly. He hears of a powerful white spider that has discovered the secret of making beautiful butterflies. Setting out to find this spider, he befriends other insects and must face his fears and rely on friends.
The Secret of Butterflies is an enjoyable, fun-to-watch movie with good animation and voice acting.
This film tells a good story and is perfect for younger children. This film was originally made in Iran by Ali Tanhaee, who directed the dubbing for this English version. To his credit, the voice actors fit the characters perfectly. The animation is a highlight of the film; the colors are vibrant when appropriate and the foliage stands out. The characters are quite well illustrated – their eyes stand out, as they are deep and realistic looking. However, they feel a bit rigid and unnatural, and the core designs of the characters are very redundant. While I like the story, at times the dialogue seems unnaturally translated from the original, like when Liam says, “I always love when things happen, especially when I am the one who makes everything happen.”
This film gives me a strange feeling of nostalgia and discomfort that cannot be easily described – it reminds me of old cartoons made in other countries. Note that the animation style is very different from a Disney 3D animated film. Some of the characters end up triggering the unsettling feeling a person gets when an animated character appears too close to reality. I felt that some of the voiceovers don’t convey emotions very well, which makes it hard to tell what they’re feeling. When Ryan and his friend argue, I didn’t realize that his friend was mad until he said so. For its North American release, an English‑language dub was created featuring the voice talent of Innes Maas, Tara MacPherson, Jaryd Pilay, David Wilke, Jake Maisel, and Janeke Huisamen.
In the world of anthropomorphic insects, comes The Secret of Butterflies! Talking insects – butterfly parents that have the same types of concerns that human parents do and live in houses that I could move into next week – I was captivated by this story. It shows the power of perseverance and friendship.
The film begins in a peaceful butterfly village, where we follow a butterfly family in their daily life. The animation is a highlight—the characters are well-defined, and the forest background looks stunningly realistic. This tranquility is shattered when a villainous spider burns down the village, killing the butterfly boy, Ryan’s, father. Ryan escapes, but years later, we find him trapped in a human’s basement, dreaming of the day he can fly and become a butterfly. He escapes into the wilderness, where he encounters a group of bullying insects. Ryan, however, has some impressive martial arts skills and manages to fight them off.
Later, he stumbles upon the Golden Butterfly Show, a competition where he feels out of place. Discouraged, he runs away until his new friend comforts him and suggests seeking out a witch named Liam, who can supposedly turn him into a butterfly. Ryan sets off in search of Liam, only to discover that Liam is the very same white spider who destroyed his village. Captured, Ryan learns the spider’s history from one of the guards before being rescued by his new friends. The film culminates in a duel between Ryan and his friends and the white spider. Ryan is nearly defeated, but his friends remind him that he only needs to flap his wings to fly. It’s through the power of teamwork that they finally defeat the spider and free the captured butterflies. Kudos to filmmaker Ali Tanhaee for creating such a unique and colorful story.
Eyes of Wakanda is an American animated anthology television miniseries created by Todd Harris for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics country Wakanda. It follows the Hatut Zaraze, Wakandan warriors who carry out dangerous missions throughout history. Harris served as showrunner and director.
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