Kids
Feel the Beat-Kids Movie Review
April (Sofia Carson) is a 20-something aspiring dance professional who faces eviction from her New York City apartment. Much to her dismay, she ends up back home in New Hope, Wisconsin. April receives a warm welcoming from her father, and her dance teacher, Barb. Eventually, Barb entices April to teach a dance class. Sadly, April is a very selfish, dismissive instructor who has her own agenda while trying to prepare her group of misfit students for a competition. After much drama, April’s heart softens as she tries to connect with her adorable, young, students. Feel the Beat is an upbeat, entertaining film, which will appeal to young dance students!
Rating: 4 5 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: June 19, 2020
Rating: TV-G
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
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Talking Points:
Sexual Content: Mild
- We see a man and woman kiss.
The young girls have some suggestive dance moves during their routines.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- An elderly woman falls off a stage. We eventually learn she broke her leg and wrist.
Two woman fight over a cab in the rain.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- We hear “ass,” “butt,” “crap,” and “suck, and “weiner.” “S–t” appears in a song lyric. A character says, “grow a pair.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall, this is an entertaining film which will especially appeal to young dancers.
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.
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.
Stargirl-Kids Movie Review: Kids’ Movie Review
There’s a new girl in school, and her name is Stargirl (Grace VanderWaal, 2016 America’s Got Talent winner) . Stargirl enrolls in a small-town high school; she was previously home schooled. Initially, the free-spirited teen has a hard time making friends. She dresses and acts differently from all the other kids. However, things change during a Friday night football game. At halftime Stargirl sings a folk song with her ukulele. The team scores a touchdown immediately after hearing the beautiful sound of the new girls’ voice. Stargirl becomes the good luck charm for the entire school. Stargirl is based on a Young Adult novel of the same name.
Rating: 5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: March 13, 2020
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
- The film highlights the importance for tweens and teens to “be yourself.”
Sexual Content: Mild
- Teens kiss.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
- A character’s father dies.
- A football player is injured during a game and is carried off in an ambulance.
- It’s mentioned that a teen’s younger brother was permanently injured from a bike crash.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- We hear “dumb.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We see an adult drinking a glass of wine.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is a fun and entertaining movie. Depending on the child , this is appropriate for kids ages 10 and up.