A
Christmas Story (PG, 1983) an endearing family film starring young
Peter Billingsly as the boy who wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas!
The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1989, G), narrated by Dudly Moore, this heartwarming tale of an adorable kitten and his cute bulldog friend who have been swept away in flood and their adventures to get home will be a real family pleaser!
The Brave Little Toaster is a cute cartoon adventure featuring a group of household appliances trying to get back to their little boy. This was Ryan Cross' (age 4) favorite last year.
Camp Nowhere (1994, PG) this film about a group of kids who, with the help of a former drama teacher (Christopher Lloyd), fool their parents into sending them to a camp of their own making is not a bad film for families with school age kids - 9-12 or so. (Our six year old critic friend was a little displeased with the film's ethics i.e. that these kids were getting away with lying)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) - a fantastic story about a whimsical family and a fantastic car. A favorite family musical starring Dike Van Dyke.
James and the Giant Peach is an animated fantasy musical from the makers of A Nightmare Before Christmas but not quite as dark. The Cross boys, Ryan and Dylan (4 and 6) liked it.
As soon as it's available for renting (you can already buy it) make sure to see the made-for-tv movie Merlin with Sam Neill, Martin Short and a bunch of other extremely talented folks. Great special effects and overall well done project.
Our friend Jennifer Putterman recommends Microcosmos. She says it's "buggy" but cool!
Mulan is Disney's latest animated feature and, in our opinion, the best in years. We are uncertain whether we like or dislike the disjointed moments in the film such as the sharp contrast in animation style that occurs in some crowd and battle scenes. The effects are cool but so different from the look of the rest of the film that the result is startling. Similarly, Eddie Murphy as sidekick (we liked him) and rap music at the end produce a startling effect which may or may not be a negative. For these reasons we don't feel that this feature has the same unity as say, Beauty and the Beast, but the character is such a refreshing departure (for Disney)from the traditional female role model (well, she's still self-sacrificing and "doesn't fit" like Belle, but she is also able to step out of the female role and "kick butt" with the best of them!) that we really liked it. Check out some of the books about Fa Mulan on our kids books page.
The
Secret Garden --(1993, G) a nice adaptation of one of our favorite
childhood books (by Francis Hogdon Burnett) about a young orphan sent to
live with her mysterious uncle.
The Secret of Roan Inish (1995, PG) -- based on a Celtic folk tale, this is the story of a young girl who believes her missing brother has turned into a mystical creature and her rescue of him with the aid of friendly seals.
Check out our favorite kid correspondent, Natasha's
page of reviews!
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