Animation
Animated movie reviews
Scoob-Kids’ Movie Review
The beloved Scooby-Doo character’s have returned in this animated reboot called Scoob! The film initially takes us back to when Shaggy (Will Forte) and Scooby (Frank Welker) first meet, and when they team up with Velma (Gina Rodriguez), Fred (Zac Efron), and Daphne (Amanda Seyfried) to form Mystery, Inc. A decade later we see them trying to solve a mystery, while Scooby and Shaggy get involved in a dangerous mission. Scoob is a wonderful animated film for the whole family.
Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: May 15, 2020
Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 9+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Sexual Content: Mild
- Fred is speechless when an attractive cop stops the Mystery machine.
- We hear…”she was pretty hot.”
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
- A ghost chases the young Scooby gang.
- A scary dog tries to eat the gang.
- It’s sad when Shaggy is separated from his friends.
- A lot of slapstick violence throughout the film involving the gang with the villain.
- Characters fall from heights, get smashed under rocks, and are spun around in sci-fi device.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- Name calling such as “moron,” “pinheads,” imbecile,” and “stupid.”
- We hear them say “F bombs” (referring to falcon bombs) and “falcon around.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall, this is an entertaining movie. Depending on the child this is appropriate for kids ages 9 and up.
Space Jam-Kids’ Movie Review
I’m going to play for North Carolina, then I’m going to play in the NBA, then pro baseball. ” That’s what young Michael Jordan says as he’s shooting baskets with his father. After seeing young Mike, the film flash forwards to adult Michael Jordan in his baseball career. We also see a parallel story in an alternate cartoon universe where the beloved Looney Tune cartoon characters desperately need Michael Jordan as they must defeat a group of aliens who are trying to capture them as attractions in their outer space theme park. So Bugs, Porky and Tweety recruit the superstar of basketball to save the day! Space Jam is a live action/animated sports movie which will appeal to young viewers.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: November 15, 1996
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 6+
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- Slapstick cartoon violence; explosions and shootings.
- Scary cartoon aliens….”the mean team.”
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is a fun movie for kids ages 6 and up.
Trolls World Tour-Kids Movie Review
Best friends and love interests Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) are back, and Poppy is now the queen of the Trolls. She loves being queen and wants to handle the trolls’ problems with love and hugs. However, her life changes when she receives an invitation from the Queen Barb, the queen of the hard Rock Trolls. Poppy is optimistic and excited about the invitation, however she eventually discovers that Queen Barb wants to destroy any kind of music that’s not her beloved Hard Rock. Now Poppy and her friends try to save all the Trolls. Trolls World Tour is the sequel to the popular 2016 animated musical, Trolls.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: April 10, 2020
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 6+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
- There is a lot of fun music that kids will enjoy. We hear Hard Rock, Country, Funk, Classical and Techno.
- The film highlights themes of love and accepting people who are different. We don’t always have to agree with each other, but we should respect each other’s differences.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Flirting between two Trolls.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- The Hard Rock Trolls have attacked other troll territories and kidnapped their leaders.
- Bounty hunters are sent out to find Poppy and Branch.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- We hear “you suck,” “dang,” and “we’re screwed.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall, this is a fun and entertaining film for kids and 6 and up. Parents need to be aware of the moderate violence.
The Willoughbys- Kids Movie Review
Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby are not the best parents. They love each dearly, in fact so much they ignore their four kids. The children are not allowed to sing, play or do anything that might disturb their mother’s knitting. They eat whatever they want, and strangely enough the set of twins have the same name and share one sweater between themselves. The Willoughby children decide to send their parents away on a trip, hoping they’ll eventually be orphaned. However, Mr. Willoughby says, “We’ll hire a not-good nanny! For cheap!” Luckily for the children the nanny (Maya Rudolph) is kind and loving, and actually cares about the kids. When the nanny befriends Commander Melanoff (Terry Crews), the Willoughby’s candy maker neighbor, the children discover the true meaning of family.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: April 22, 2020
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
Sexual Content: Mild
- Kissing.
- Several references to Mrs. Willoughby’s balls of yarn and joking about male anatomy.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- There is some cartoon violence. Characters get thrown out of windows, they get electric shocks, and fall from big heights.
- Character’s nearly freeze to death.
- When the parents are on vacation, the Willoughby kids destroy some of the knickknacks in their house.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Character’s drink wine.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is a fun and entertaining film for the whole family.
Onward-Kids Movie Review
Bold. Confident. Popular. Those are the characteristics that teenage elf Ian Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland) wants to have. He’s often heard that his deceased father, whom he’s never met, had those qualities, and Ian wants to be just like him. On Ian’s 16 birthday, his mother gives him and his brother Barley (voiced by Chris Pratt), a wizard’s staff and a magical spell that would bring their dad back to life for one day. However, something goes awry and only their father’s bottom half appears. So now the brothers must embark on a journey to find a way to complete the magic and hopefully see their father before time runs out. Onward, is a Pixar fantasy adventure film for the whole family.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: March 6, 2020
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 7+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points
Sexual Content: Mild
- Two characters flirt, kiss and hug one another.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- There’s a lot of cartoonish, slapstick violence.
- Mature subject matter of parental death may upset some kids.
- The deceased parent comes back for a day, but only from the waist down.
- A flying monster injures several characters.
- There are some scary and creepy scenes with skeletons, flying arrows and an attack by a deadly gelatinous cube.
- There’s a chase scene in which motorcycle-riding pixies chase the boys.
- A character loses her temper and destroys things while spewing fire.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- Name calling such as “screw up,” “lazy,” and “weirdo.” We also hear “what the…,” and “son of a…,”
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall, this is an entertaining film for kids ages 7 and up. Parents need to be aware of the moderate violence throughout the film.