KIDS FIRST! News

Like The Dark Crystal, which we reviewed in last week’s newsletter, Labyrinth was a creative experiment for Jim Hensen, trying to go beyond the more typical puppet milieu of his popular Muppets. HDNet Movies kidScene brings this 1986 classic to your home Aug. 24 and 25.

As our KIDS FIRST! youth film critics’ views demonstrate, response varied. While 14-year-old Victoria Burns sees the film appealing to much younger audiences (ages 3-6) on the basis of the puppetry alone, 11-year-old Hunter Willow Jones recommends it for ages 8 and up because the characters and situations might be scary for the very young. Hunter makes note of another special element of this movie: “The best part of the movie is the music by David Bowie. It is cool to use a famous rock star and rock music to create a different mood in the film,” and lauds the film’s creativity.

The film did pick up some award nominations in a variety of categories: Saturn Award for Best Costumes from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects, and a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.

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

I love how creative this movie is!

It is the story of Sara (Jennifer Connelly), who is sick of having to watch her infant half-brother, Toby. She wishes that the goblin king would come and take him away and, unbelievably, her wish comes true. The Goblin King, Jareth (David Bowie) arrives at her house and tells her she has thirteen hours to get Toby back, but she has to go through a massive labyrinth. If she fails to do so, Jareth will keep Toby forever and turn him into a goblin. Sara regrets her wish, so she decides she must go through the labyrinth. Throughout her journey she meets many friends and has many near-death experiences. She also learns not to take things for granted.

I really like how the movie is creative. I think having puppets as main characters is really cool. Jim Henson, the creator of Kermit the Frog, wrote, directed and did the puppetry. I also like the setting a lot. It goes with the storyline and makes the movie feel mystical. The set has so many cool ideas. When Sara first comes into the labyrinth, a worm tells her to go through the wall and take a chance. It looks like there is no way to get through, but when she decides to go through she finds that there are more ways for her to go. The best part of the movie is the music by David Bowie. It is cool to use a famous rock star and rock music to create a different mood in the film.

The storyline could be more creative because the concept is too close to Alice in Wonderland.

Jennifer Connelly’s acting is a little weak. She only uses one facial expression the whole time. She doesn’t show much range to her emotion.

I give Labyrinth 4 out of 5 stars and feel that it is better for kids who are 8 and over because the puppets can be a little scary for little kids.

Labyrinth was originally released in 1986 and it will be playing all month on HDNet Movies kidScene!

Labyrinth
Reviewed by Victoria Burns  

I just watched Labyrinth and, from a teen perspective, I would recommend this movie for ages 3-6. I found myself becoming bored and trying to find the point of the storyline. I was looking for more backstory on the main character. There was lots of puppetry that I liked and think would capture the attention of younger audiences.

In this movie, Sarah (portrayed by Jennifer Connelly) asks the Goblin King (portrayed by David Bowie) to take away her little brother Toby (portrayed by Toby Froud). Sarah didn’t actually believe that the goblin king would take away her brother. But he does, and she does everything she can to get him back in a deadline of 13 hours while making friends along the way.

I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars because the story didn’t draw me in. This is a great movie to watch with small children.

Photos: Labyrinth poster (top), Hunter Willow Jones (middle), Victoria Burns (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

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)

An adventure movie for families to enjoy together, Nim’s Island garnered glowing reviews for the charm of its story and appeal of its stars (Abigail Breslin in the title role co-starring with veterans Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler) when it was released in 2008. Breslin even earned a nomination for a Teen Choice Award. And then there’s the setting! In her review, below, 15-year-old KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Gabriella Chu describes it as “exotic and beautiful,” and says, “Watching the movie made me want to live there!”

Nim’s Island, screening March 4, 12 and 16, is one of the many classics brought to your home by HDNet Movies kidScene, a morning and Friday night programming block specifically for kids and families.

Nim’s Island
Reviewed by Gabriella Chu
(See her full review on video.)

Nim’s Island is an adventurous tale about a girl named Nim and her father who live on their own private island in the South Pacific. All goes well until Nim’s father sails away for two days to collect some protozoa for science research. A vicious storm causes him to become stranded in the middle of nowhere, so Nim learns to survive on the island all by herself. Will Nim and her father reunite?

I recommend this family movie to kids 6 and up. The enthusiasm and plot of this movie will most likely appeal to younger kids in this age group. Watch Nim’s Island this month on HDnet movies at kidScene!

Photos: Nim’s Island poster (top), Gabriella Chu (bottom)