Kids

Hotel Transylvania 2-Kids’ Movie Review

Dracula (voice of Adam Sandler) finally decided that humans should be invited to stay at Hotel Transylavia, and his business is booming. However, he is worried because his half-human grandson, Dennis, doesn’t have any vampire traits…not even fangs. So when Dracula babysits Dennis for a weekend, he gathers his monster friends and they put the boy through a “monster-in-training” boot camp. Now the action begins as Dennis tries to become a vampire while Dracula gets some unexpected visitors. Hotel Transylvania 2 is an entertaining film for the whole family.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5
Release Date: January 12, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5 +
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Sexual Content: Mild

A joke is made about “grandma’s boobies.”

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

Dracula sings a lullaby to his grandson….”Suffer, Suffer Scream in Pain.”
Dracula throws his son off a high platform, assuming he can fly. Dracula saves his son before he lands to the ground.
Frankenstein pulls his head off to take a selfie.
Frankenstein falls into a bonfire and sets a whole camp on fire.
There are creepy looking monsters that may scare young kids.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drug and Alcohol Content: None

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed kids ages 4 to 8 who all loved the movie. They weren’t frightened by some of the violence or scary monsters.

Over Hotel Transylvania 2 is an entertaining animated film appropriate for kids ages 5 and up.

Shaun the Sheep Movie- Kids’ Movie Review

All work and no play makes Shaun a dull sheep. Shaun is a sheep who wants to have fun. He’s tired of the day to day grind of working on a farm, so he plans to take a day off. However, things don’t go as he hopes. When Shaun distracts the farmer, so he can sneak away, he accidentally sends the farmer into the city. Shaun quickly realizes that a farm definitely needs a farmer. So now Shaun and the flock must figure out how to get the farmer back where he belongs…Mossy Bottom Farm. Shaun the Sheep Movie is a “clay-mation” comedy, based on Shaun the Sheep television series.

Rating: 5 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: November 24 , 2015
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

The sound effects and music are fun and entertaining.
There aren’t any life lessons or inspirational moments, but it’s a cute animated film with comical parts and amazing animation.
There is some potty humor throughout the film. We see a man with his pants down sitting on a toilet, a character falling head first into a large pile of manure, and we hear several farts and burbs.

Sexual Content: Mild

There is some flirting amongst the sheep and even a kiss.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild

There is some slapstick violence with hitting, pushing, and tumbling on the ground.
A runaway trailer almost gets hit by a train.
A street lamp falls and hits the farmer on the head which knocks him out.
A character produces a special animal hook that’s connected to a high-voltage battery. He ends up setting a toy on fire.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see a character holding a bottle of champagne.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Young kids were giggling in the theater throughout the film.

Overall this is a wonderful animated film geared towards young kids.

Minions-Kids’ Movie Review

Minions live to serve…though not just anyone. They want to serve the most despicable person around! That’s their mantra and that’s how they live. However, when things don’t go very well and there are no masters left to serve, the poor little creatures become sad and depressed. Finally, Minions Kevin, Bob and Stuart take charge and travel across the country to find a new evil boss; which leads them to Scarlet Overkill. Now the excitement begins as they learn to serve the world’s first super-villainess; which is not a safe or easy task. Minions is a prequel/spin-off to the Despicable Me franchise; it’s a film that most kids will find fun and entertaining.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: December 8, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Though the Minions serve evil bosses, they are basically cute little creatures who just want to make people happy.
Kids in the theater were giggling at the silly and goofy Minions. Having said that, parents seemed a little bored with the animated creatures.

Sexual Content: Mild

We see bare backsides on some of the Minions.
Two human characters are shown passionately kissing.
Three human guards are shown on a stage singing a song to a tune from the musical Hair. They are only wearing boxers while performing.

Violent Content: Moderate

There is a lot of slapstick and silly violence. We see fish eating one another, a soldier impaled by a sword, a bear jumping on a caveman and a pyramid landing on a group of Egyptians.
The Minions are picked up by a family who happen to be bank robbers escaping from the police. They’re shooting paintballs as well.
Villains attack a female character, she defends herself by punching the men and leaving them unconscious.
There are explosions with buildings crumbling to the ground.
In one scene the Minions are in a dungeon where they are to be tortured, however the shifty little creatures manage to escape.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Characters are shown drinking martini’s and beer.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed three kids ages four and five who thought the film was very funny.

Overall Minions is a comedy adventure that will appeal to most kids. Parents need to be aware of the slapstick violence throughout the film.

Max-Kids’ Movie Review

“A dog is man’s best friend;” is a very familiar adage. Max is a very loyal dog that helped the US Marines in Afghanistan. His master and best friend, Kyle, died during the war, so Max returns to the U.S. and is adopted by his Kyle’s family. Though the dog suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he immediately develops a special bond with Justin; Kyle’s younger brother. Now Justin and Max become the best of friends, and this war-time hero dog not only gives Justin several kisses a day, he even helps him solve some local crimes. Max is an action-packed movie; one for the whole family.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: October 27, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

The message of doing the right thing is woven throughout the film, and will spark some good parent/child conversations. Justin’s dad says a hero is someone who always tells the truth.
The film is a little corny in parts. It seemed like an ABC family movie on TV. Having said that kids will like the characters and the action in the film.

Sexual Content: Mild

A couple briefly kiss.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

Kyle is shown dead after an explosion while fighting in Afghanistan.
We see a truck full of weapons veer off the road and burst into flames.
The bad guys chase Max, Justin, and his friends. They shoot at the boys and Max several times.
Justin’s dad is held captive at gunpoint. He punches the villain and slam’s the man’s arm in a truck door.
Max jumps on a man who attacks Justin, and then Max and the man fall off a bridge.
Max and two vicious dogs roll around and get into some brutal fights.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

We hear “d–ned.

Drug and Alcohol Content:

We see character’s drinking beer.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed a 13 year-old boy and 15 year-old girl who both loved the movie. They thought it was very exciting; while sitting at the edge of their seats.

Overall Max is an action packed adventurous film. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 8 and up.

Inside Out-Kids’ Movie Review

We all want our children to be happy, but as we know there are ups and downs in life which causes temporary sadness. Riley is a happy 11 year-old girl living in Minnesota. She is a star hockey player, does well in school, and has a great group of friends. However, everything changes when her dad gets a new job, and the family moves to San Francisco. We see her struggle as the film centers on the five emotions that guide her life: Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. These emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they advise her daily life. Things get complicated as her emotions disagree on how to handle all the changes she’s going through. They eventually realize that Joy might not be the emotion Riley needs during her difficult time.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: November 3, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

This is a very cleaver and thought provoking film, one that will spark numerous parent/child conversations. The film highlights the fact that it’s okay to be sad at times, and that we can’t be happy all the time. {Spoiler Alert} During the film we want the character, Joy, to be in Riley’s life- not Sadness. However we eventually realize that Sadness is the hero in the film. With Sadness, Riley is allowed to grieve and then move on to a better life.
The importance of family is another element in the film. When Riley is depressed and down, it’s her parents that comfort her and lift her spirits.
This is a PG animated film which will target young kids. However, there are some sad and emotional parts that parents need to be aware of. When Riley’s world changes, she’s very down and depressed; this may be upsetting to some sensitive kids.
Riley steals her mom’s credit card and attempts to run away from home.

Sexual Content: Mild

Riley imagines herself with a boyfriend who dramatically says, “I would die for Riley.”
Riley talks to a boy, and we see inside his mind where the controllers are freaking out .

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

There is a dark and somewhat disturbing tone to the film. {Spoiler Alert} However, in the end you realize that’s a critical part to the storyline and that it’s okay to be sad at times.
We see Riley’s dreams: one has a growling dog running around. She’s also haunted by a dead mouse in a dream.
Riley’s “train of thought” derails. We see characters flying off the train.
When characters enter into a danger zone we see their bodies become distorted.

Crude or Profane Language: None

There is a discussion on the use of curse words, but we don’t hear any.

Drug and Alcohol Content: None

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed two kids ages four and six. The four year girl got bored and antsy, while the six year old boy liked it and thought it was funny in parts.
Two 13 year old girls loved it and said, “It was amazing.”

Overall, this is another wonderful Pixar film. Parents need to be aware of the mature storyline which has some sad and emotional parts to it. Depending on the child, I recommend this film for kids ages 8 and up.