KIDS FIRST! News

A getaway for an awesome summer vacation with Rainy and her mom turns into something else.  When Rainy’s mother is accidentally turned into a living candy it is up to Rainy to save her mom from a world of outrageous characters in the sweetest places – Candy Planet. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Katherine S. comments, “Candy Planet is an interesting animated movie that younger kids will definitely find entertaining. It is somewhat predictable and some of the characters are kind of strange. The dubbing is very good and lines up pretty well with the animation.” Leandro R. adds, “Candy Planet is a 3D animated movie with a unique story. It has great animation and lots of bright colors throughout. It is a fun movie with lots of emotion. Due to the short run time of the movie, it seems very fast paced, but that doesn’t stop it from being a good film.” Tor F., KIDS FIRST! Adult Reviewer adds, “I enjoy the vibrant color scheme of the animated film, Candy Planet. There is a copious amount of neon and bright colors. It visually appealing to me, so I assume it will also be appealing for children.” See their full reviews below.

Candy Planet
By Katherine S., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

Candy Planet is an interesting animated movie that younger kids will definitely find entertaining. It is somewhat predictable and some of the characters are kind of strange. The dubbing is very good and lines up pretty well with the animation.

The storyline is about a young girl, Rainie and her mom who go to a magical jungle for a vacation. They find a mysterious present outside their door and discover it is a magical camera that turns people into candy! Rainie’s mom turns into a living chocolate bar, and to save her, Rainie and her friends fly to her rescue and get dragged to Candy Planet. There they meet Gordon who is not who he seems. Find out what else happens when you watch Candy Planet.

This movie is aimed at a younger audience, because the humor is basic and the storyline is simple. Even though it is somewhat predictable, it is an original idea, and I appreciate that. The movie’s dialogue was initially in Chinese, so it is dubbed in English and it syncs up better than I expected. The animation is well produced. It looks similar to other animated movies, but has a uniqueness of its own. The characters are not very well-developed. There is little background on the characters and you have to guess what their relationships are. Speaking of characters, my favorite is Powderpup, the candy dog that they meet along the way. He is adorably cute.

The primary messages are about friendship and teamwork. Even though this movie is aimed at showing the importance of friendship, Rainie does make rude remarks towards her friends.

I give Candy Planet 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 8. It is available now on Amazon Prime Video, FandangoNow and other streaming platforms.

Candy Planet
Leandro R., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

Candy Planet is a 3D animated movie with a unique story. It has great animation and lots of bright colors throughout. It is a fun movie with lots of emotion. Due to the short run time of the movie (75 mins.), it seems very fast paced, but that doesn’t stop it from being a good film. I also really like the villain of the movie.

The storyline is about a girl named Rainie (Cherami Leigh) and her friends getting transported to a world inhabited by candy people after her mom gets turned into a candy. Rainie and her friends have to go through tests to turn her mom back into a human. The villain of the movie, Gordon (Todd Haberkorn), is the leader of the candy planet and tries to get Rainie to lose her friends and her belief in friendship. The only complaint I have with this movie is that it’s never explained how Rainie became friends with the blue jungle people. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story.

The voice actors in the film are very good, especially Cherami Leigh who plays Rainie. She gives a fantastic performance, which is probably due to her extensive voice acting experience. I also really liked Robbie Daymond’s performance. The voice actors are the best part of the movie as they really stand out. The animation is excellent as well; I really like all the colors in the movie. They make the movie feel more fun and playful. I also really like movies that are 3D animated. My favorite scene is when they’re running on different planets, trying to get to the test.

The main theme of the movie is about friendship and how important it is. Throughout the movie, Rainie is tempted by Gordon that she doesn’t need her friends and that they slow her down. Although friendship is a strong theme in a lot of animated movies, I think Candy Planet utilizes that theme particularly well. The film doesn’t have anything that parents would worry about except a couple of fight scenes, which aren’t too bad.

I give this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 4 to 10. You can find Candy Planet now on iTunes, Amazon digital, Google Play, Vudu and FandangoNow.

Candy Planet
By Tor F., KIDS FIRST! Adult Juror, age 22

I enjoy the vibrant color scheme of the animated film, Candy Planet. There is a copious amount of neon and bright colors. It visually appealing to me, so I assume it will also be appealing for children. Sometimes there are unnecessary scenes that slow down the pace of the high energy adventure. For example, when the film cross-cuts between the adventure and the residents of candy planet, I know it is necessary to show both places, but it seems as if the candy planet scenes are there to add runtime rather than give the viewer information.

The storyline is about a mysterious robot appearing and zapping Rainie’s mother, Eileen, into a piece of candy. Rainie and her friends follow the robot to discover it  is trying to take Eileen back to the candy planet. Along the way, Rainie and her friends discover the truth about candy planet’s existence and during their adventure, they learn the meaning of friendship.

I like how the viewer is omniscient while the characters are more restricted in their knowledge of the candy planet’s ruler, Gordon’s true intentions. This technique may reduce the surprise of the “big reveal,” but the viewer still experiences tension while the characters discover Gordon’s motive. The film starts in the middle of things, which makes the viewer intrigued instantly. Besides the extra added fluff, which can be easily looked over, it’s still a good storyline. Everything gets explained thoroughly.

This film is animated and doesn’t employ an array of varied camera angles. With the action scenes, of course we receive some medium and close-ups that connect us with specific characters emotions, but other than that the camerawork is fairly simple. The costumes that Rainie’s friends wear are ornate and correlate with her friends being from an otherworldly jungle, hence their skin is blue. I like the various different planets and how each one has a specific theme. One is frozen; one has attacking candies which resemble Venus flytraps; one is a molten lava planet. Each planet also presents a different obstacle the characters need to overcome.

The music and sound effects work well. Both appropriately connect to the scenes in which they are paired. The music in the dance scene that Rainie and Gordon share is upbeat; each time they step on a button it beeps to the beat. Fun fact, the character that voices Rainie, Cherami Leigh, is an adult and not a child. Leigh’s range in voice-acting is great. The key influencers are the editors and the storyboard creators. With animation, production process is a little wonky due to editors starting towards the beginning of the process rather than the end. Creating storyboards for any film is tedious, but especially with animation, because if someone decides to cut a single second out of the original storyboard, the creators have ultimately wasted time when it is cut. The same idea applies if something is added later.

This is small, but having the main character as a young girl and not a young boy can potentially inspire young girls to lead and embark on their own heroic journeys. One of the simpler messages is of friendship. Working together with people that care for one another, through the good and bad moments, results in a stronger and more loving friendship. An implicit message of this film is karma. Whether that be good or bad, like Gordon reluctantly becoming a piece of food, which he turned people into for years, unwillingly. A positive example of karma is when Rainie’s mother explains to her that since she has a kind heart, she’ll attract kind people in her life. What you put out in the world, positive or negative affects you, so you might as well make it a positive. One other message is that you can’t subdue your emotions or bad experiences. The more you suppress them the bigger it explodes in the end. If Gordon communicated with his brother about how he genuinely felt, Rainie and her friends would have never endured his wrath.

There are a couple of fights, but they are more like tackling between the antagonist and the other characters. There is no graphic violence. My favorite part is the ending because Gordon receives karma. He’s turned into a piece of food, which is what he was doing to other people for years. A lot of the characters in this film are voiced by actors with a long list of prior work such as Cam Clarke, Robbie Daymond and Dorothy Elias-Fahn.

I give Candy Planet 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it ages 3 to 10. It is a cute, adventurous film and it actually presents important messages.

To save her ailing father from serving in the Imperial Army, a fearless young woman disguises herself as a man to battle northern invaders in China. Mulan 2020 is a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1998 animated film of the same name, based on the Chinese folklore “The Ballad of Mulan.” Directed by Niki Caro. With Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Li Gong, Jet Li. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Dominic D. comments, “This action-packed, family film will keep viewers in suspense while tugging at their hearts along the way. Mulan offers us much to appreciate …culture, a love for family, honesty, peace and so much more.” See his full review below.

Mulan (2020)
By Dominic D., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 10

Loyal, brave, true, honorable, and devoted, all describe aspects of Disney’s new remake of the animated movie, Mulan (1998). Niki Caro, the director of this year’s live-action version, took on the huge challenge of giving new life to the legendary tale of China’s fearless girl warrior after 22 years. This action-packed, family film will keep viewers in suspense while tugging at their hearts along the way. Mulan offers us much to appreciate …culture, a love for family, honesty, peace and so much more. We couldn’t have asked for a better release date for Mulan, as itsmany messages are powerful and uplifting which are needed during these unsettling times in many communities.

The film follows a fearless young woman named Hua Mulan who is the daughter of Zhou, a warrior veteran. Mulan is not like other traditional women of her age. She is a uniquely gifted woman driven by the power of the chi, destined not to conform and marry the match of her parent’s choice; rather she prefers to use her skills to fight as a warrior and to defend her country, town and family. Her father, who is traditional in his beliefs, warns Mulan to hide her gifts. Upon learning of a possible empire takeover by Bori Khan and his power hungry rebel group, one male from every household is ordered to enlist in the Imperial Army to defend their land. Mulan’s father, the dad of two daughters, is not in good physical condition to take on this feat yet steps up to the challenge. Knowing that her father is in no shape to battle the enemy, Mulan sacrifices everything and faces death to disguise herself as the man of the household and train with the Imperial Army. 

Yifei Liu, who plays Mulan, possesses great star power. She is fierce yet sensitive and shows viewers a wide variety of her emotions throughout the film. A huge shout out to the cinematography, art, set, costume, and make up crews for bringing such light, excitement, and brilliance to the legendary Chinese Empire.  Every scene is colorful, bright, and full of  life. China and New Zealand are perfect landscapes for the film sets and are perfect for captivating the viewers. And despite the adventure and suspense, the film entertains us with several scenes containing humor.

Mulan is a film with many messages of loyalty, bravery, honor, devotion to family, and more. The strongest message  is about empowerment. Mulan, born into a culture where there is a clear division between the roles for men and women, chooses not to conform to tradition and claims her rights to be who she wants to be. Mulan is faced with many heartfelt decisions that, above all, could cause her death, yet she stays true to herself.

I give Mulan 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to ages 8 to 18. Mulan is the perfect family film and adults will love it as much as kids. Mulan will begin streaming on September 4^th 2020 on Disney+. This is a film that you do not want to miss!

Enjoy Nathalia J.’s interview with Erik Davis, Managing Editor, Fandango. Erik is one of the nation’s leading movie commentators, with over a decade of experience writing about movies for Fandango, Movies.com, AOL Moviefone, Cinematical and others, as well as talking about movies on TV, YouTube and radio.

Erik has appeared on The TODAY Show, CBS This Morning, CNN, MSNBC, New York Live, Good Day NY, Bloomberg TV, Fox Business, CNBC, PBS and more, and he has sat on the “Masters of the Web” panel at San Diego Comic-Con three times, as well as hosted panels at SXSW and inside Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con. Erik is also a proud voting member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association.

Erik has worked with and edited over 100 different writers, many of whom are now at places like the New York Times, The Daily Beast, MTV News, LA Weekly, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Indiewire, the LA Times, Business Insider, and a bunch of other sites you read daily. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikdavis.

Interviewed by KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Nathalia Maria J., age 12. Nathalia lives in southern California and has a younger brother. As an actress, she is known for her roles in South Central Love, Blue Laces (2018) and Burt and the Wall Children (2018). She is an excellent student and plans to attend UCLA majoring in cinematic arts. She also has an interest in fashion and has already launched a clothing line called Naji.

Based on historical events, three young shepherds in Fátima, Portugal, report visions of the Virgin Mary, inspiring believers and angering officials of the Church and the government, who try to force them to recant their story. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Heather S. comments, “The true standouts of Fatimaare its young actors. Stephanie, Jorge and Alejandra show the struggle of being called “liars” when telling the truth. The kids are called out by their parents and are given the cold shoulder by many in the village. This never stops them—they stand by the truth with faith in their hearts.” See her full review below.

Fatima
By Heather S., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 14

Fatima is a definite must-see film for those of the Catholic faith. A phenomenal period masterpiece that pulls at your heartstrings. A film that should not be missed. Fatima brings light to a true story that many do not know.

Fatima tells the true story of three young children who met the Virgin Mary and were witnesses of “The Miracle of the Sun.” The movie opens up with Professor Nichols (Harvey Keitel) as he visits Sister Lucia (Sonia Braga) in a nunnery in 1989. They talk about the happenings from Lucia’s past in 1917 Fatima, Portugal.

The film goes back and forth between both years. We see a young Lucia (Stephanie Gil) with her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto (Jorge Lamelas and Alejandra Howard) meet the Virgin Mary (Joana Ribeiro). After that fateful day, the story breaks out and the children are faced with a harsh reality.

The true standouts of Fatimaare its young actors. Stephanie, Jorge and Alejandra show the struggle of being called “liars” when telling the truth. The kids are called out by their parents and are given the cold shoulder by many in the village. This never stops them—they stand by the truth with faith in their hearts.

The movie concludes with The Miracle of the Sun which happened on October 13, 1917, followed by actual photos of that day. The makeshift monument that was built in the movie is an exact replica of the monument in the photograph. It is appealing to see how much filmmakers worked on small yet important details such as this one.

The lesson to be learned from the film is to always have faith and believe in your truth. Time and time again, Lucia faces anger from her mother, who believes her daughter is lying about meeting Mary. Not once does Lucia give up, however; and she always prays, standing by her word. The topic of the Catholic faith may disinterest some audiences who do not share the same views. Considering that Fatimafeatures the Virgin Mary, Catholicism is front and center in the movie.

I give Fatima 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 14 to 18 plus adults. It is available in theaters August 28, 2020.

Check out more of Heather’s interviews with talent from the film below.

Enjoy Eshaan M. and Jude A.’s interview with Michael E. Uslan, The Batman Everything Guy. Uslan, a well-known figure in the entertainment industry, is the producer and brand-builder behind every Batman movie since 1989.

Uslan, who famously led a decade-long effort to bring Tim Burton’s Batman to theaters in 1989 will now oversee the development of the Stan Lee Universe across film and TV development for Genius Brands. In 1979, with production partner Ben Melniker, Uslan purchased film rights for the fictional superhero. Tim Burton’s “Batman” made it to theaters a decade later, launching a Caped Crusader empire of 16 feature films generating $7.1 billion in worldwide ticket sales.

For more than 30 years, Uslan has produced every Batman film, including Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy, Todd Phillips’ Joker, and Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman. He has written for comics and was a close friend of Stan Lee. His son, David Uslan will work on the project with him. Stan Lee Universe is a joint venture between Genius Brands and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, managed by Genius.

Interviewed by Jude A.(left) and Eshaan M.(right), KIDS FIRST! Film Critics