Kids
How to Train Your Dragon Review
This is a heartwarming, animated story about a Viking teenage boy named Hiccup. He is a softhearted, sweet boy, who doesn’t fit in with his tribes tradition of killing dragons. When Hiccup encounters a dragon, instead of killing the dragon, which he was supposed to do, he develops a loving relationship with him. While bonding with the dragon, he names him Toothless, and does everything he can to try and stop his father, and their tribe, of slaying this dragon and all the other dragons.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: October 15, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: Any age
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
Talking Points:
The relationship between Hiccup (the boy) and Toothless (the dragon), is similar to a boy and his dog. While Hiccup is feeling insecure, lonely and rejected, because he’s not like all the other Vikings. Toothless is always there for him; being a very loyal companion and friend. Toothless even risks his life for Hiccup. I couldn’t wait to get home and cuddle with my dog.
The movie could bring up some good parent-child discussions. Hiccup’s dad, the leader of the tribe, is a very big, strong, tough, leader; he wishes his son was more like him and the other Vikings. Though he loves his son very much, he has a hard time relating to him. Hiccup has a hard time communicating with his dad as well. Initially, Hiccup doesn’t tell his dad about Toothless, he even considers running away. In the end they both realize their mistakes, and learn to appreciate and accept each other for who they are.
He has a charming relationship with Astrid( America Ferrera), his “girl buddy,” who later becomes his girlfriend. Initially, she’s the only one that knows about Hiccup’s relationship with Toothless.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Innocent flirting.
Violent Content: Moderate
- A main concern for many parents with younger children, (4 and under), are the intense battle scenes. At the end of the movie there is a massive battle involving a very large, scary dragon. This may scare younger kids, as it did in the theater.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
When I interviewed people in the audience, some comments were:
A dad said, “The trailer was deceiving, it seemed more comedic, but this was intense, especially for my 4 year old.”
A mom said, “ I liked the message of communicating and not fighting.”
Overall this is a wonderful animated movie. It’s suspenseful, but yet sweet and endearing as well. I recommend this for kids ages 5 and up. I give 5 out of 5 buckets.
Hotel Transylvania Review
It’s hard for a father to let his little girl go out into the world and start her own life. Dracula (voice of Adam Sandler) had an especially hard time with that; you’d think by the time his daughter turned 118 years old he’d let her go, but that wasn’t the case. It all started after his wife past away and Dracula realized that he was the sole parent of his beautiful baby girl, Mavis (voice of Selena Gomez). He was going to protect her no matter what it took; though he became a little bit too protective. Dracula believed that all humans were evil, so he turned his castle into a high end resort for monsters, hidden away from all humans, which kept his daughter safe and secluded. However, things dramatically changed when a young man discovered the posh resort, and fell madly in love with Dracula’s daughter. Dracula desperately tried to keep the young man away from his little girl, which wasn’t an easy task. Hotel Transylvania is wonderful, hilarious, heartfelt film for the whole family.
Rating: 5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: January 29, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
I loved this movie! It’s about parents loving their kids unconditionally and wanting them to have a content life with no difficulties or worries. Dracula eventually came to realize that children need to discover things for themselves and face their own trials that life brings. Dracula said to his daughter, “the worst thing is seeing you unhappy.”
Johnny, the boy who fell in love with Mavis (Dracula’s daughter), respected Dracula and his wishes. This was hard at times because he was so in love with Mavis and wanted to be with her.
The film is very funny and sweet,though also sad in parts. Dracula’s wife died when Mavis was a baby. She left Mavis a note which described the value of love, and that it only happens once in a lifetime.
There was some potty humor as one of the monster’s continuously passed gas; one even urinated on the furniture. Kids in the theater thought that was funny.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Mavis and Johnny kiss.
- We see a pair of bees in bed on their honeymoon.
Violent Content: Mild
- Dracula tried to keep Johnny and Mavis apart, which caused some chaos throughout the film.
- When we hear the story of Mavis’ mom’s death, we see a burning building with men and women holding torches. As I previously mentioned, Dracula and the other monsters felt that humans were evil. They eventually came to realize that wasn’t true.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this was an entertaining, humorous film, one that parents don’t need to worry about their kids seeing. You can sit back and enjoy the show…you may even shed a tear.
Hotel for Dogs Review
Hotel for Dogs is a comedy adventure about two orphaned siblings, a 16 year old girl, and an 11 year old boy, whose new foster parents won’t let them keep their dog. So they keep it with a couple of other strays in an abandoned hotel, gradually, they get the idea to transform the rundown building into an amazing home for not only their dog, but also all the stray dogs which they rescue, with the help of 2 teens. The little brother sets up elaborate contraptions to entertain the dogs, which will also entertain the children in the audience.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: April 28, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 6+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Talking Points:
The film’s ideas are about loyalty and family.
The kids will do whatever it takes to save the dogs.
The kids are very clever; they teach the dogs how to use the toilet seat, and eat at the table.
The little brother’s contraptions are cute and clever: He sets up dinner bowls that come out on a conveyor belt. He also develops a car door simulator that lets the dogs pretend they’re riding through the countryside.
Even though the foster parents are mean, and don’t care about the kids, the social worker responsible for the kids provides adult guidance and truly cares for them.
Their devotion to the dogs has some negative effects; they lie, cheat and steal to take care of the dogs.
When we first meet the siblings they’re placing rocks in cell phone boxes and pawning them off to local merchants to get money to feed their dog.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Two dogs hook up at a hotel, it’s implied that they’ve had sex.
- Two characters (humans) kiss.
Violent Content: Mild
- A child kicks a dogcatcher in the groin.
- Dogs wreck a hotel, knocking over furniture and creates mayhem.
- A Doberman barks so loud the dogcatcher locks himself in a cage because he’s so scared.
- The kids break into the dog pound to release hundreds of dogs.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- Words such as “poop,” “idiot, and “crap.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Overall it’s an entertaining movie for kids ages 6 to 10. Parents may get bored, even dog lovers! It would have been a good “made for TV movie.”
Happy Feet 2 Review
Have you ever seen your child being bullied? Well Mumble, The Master of Tap, saw his son Erik being bullied, because he couldn’t dance. Feeling depressed and lonely, Erik ran away, and came across The Mighty Sven, a penguin who could fly. Erik’s father, Mumble, may have been a good dancer, but he could not fly, and he certainly could not compete with Erik’s new role model, Sven. However, when a massive iceberg broke and slammed into the emperor penguins’ bay; the penguins were trapped. So then Mumble, Erik and friends had to rescue the victims. Happy Feet Two is an entertaining fun movie for kids of all ages.
Rating: 3 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: March 13, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: Any age
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
See a clip of my review here, plus the Breaking Dawn review!
Talking Points:
At some point in our lives we may have experienced what it’s like not to fit in. Mumble desperately wanted to let Erik know that he will eventually fit in, and make his contribution to the world. This could spark a good parent-child conversation.
The movie is filled with great messages for youngsters to hear. In one scene Erik sang a song about how his father had inspired him to keep striving to make a difference, even if things seemed impossible. Another great parent/child conversation.
The music was fun and entertaining in the film. Kids in the theater were dancing in their seats; they had happy feet too!
I never saw the first Happy Feet movie, and I really enjoyed this movie, though it was about a half an hour too long. I noticed the kids in the theater were getting antsy too.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Two male characters had affection for each other. This could spark a conversation with your kids.
- One character said, “I’d never have an egg with you.”
Violent Content: Mild
- Penguins formed an ice ramp to try and fly out of the hole they were trapped in; it didn’t work, but they kept trying, though they fell to the ground each time.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- They said, “fluff” instead of the f-word…”fluff off.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Overall Happy Feet Two is an entertaining, heartwarming film with a message of the importance of love, acceptance, and determination. Appropriate for any age!
Gulliver’s Travels Review
Gulliver’s Travels is an adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels. This is the story about Gulliver (Jack Black), who works in the mailroom at a New York newspaper, though he desperately wants to be a travel writer for the newspaper. He finally gets his big break when he’s sent out on an assignment to the Bermuda Triangle. Hit by an unexpected storm, Gulliver is shipwrecked on the shore of a tiny island called Lilliput, and he is surrounded by the tiny inhabitants of this 18th century style kingdom. He and his new friends have many adventures as Gulliver risks his life to save Lilliput from their enemies.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: April 19, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
In this kid friendly movie, children will be entertained by Jack Black’s character as a big, harry beast, (that’s how the Lilliputian’s described him). He is a likable character, who you feel sorry for, and want to succeed.
Even though Gulliver was not initially liked by the Lilliputians, he ended up being an inspiration to them. He introduced them to music video games, and he taught his best friend Horatio some modern day courting techniques, which was quite humorous.
Sexual Content: Mild
This was a PG movie, which I think was rated correctly. There were some passionate kisses, but nothing inappropriate. There was one scene where the princess asks her fiance why he loves her, and points to her chest. Something parents may want to know.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There were a few battles, in one scene Gulliver was hit by cannonballs on his stomach, after the battle his chest was covered with red welts, it was disgusting.
- In another scene, Gulliver was fighting with a general, who built a giant robot to defeat Gulliver. Gulliver took a lot of abuse from this robot.
Profanity: Mild
- There was some profanity, nothing too bad.
When the movie was finished I interviewed a 6 year old boy and his dad. The boy liked the movie, and the dad said he thought it was okay, but a good kid movie. That’s how I felt, the movie was just okay. However, kids seemed to enjoy it, there was nothing too inappropriate, a movie boys and girls may like. Appropriate for kids ages five and up.