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If you saw it in the theater you already know what I'm about to tell you: "The Princess and the Frog" isn't in the same class as the great Disney Princess films. In fact, the princess isn't even a princess until the final 30 seconds of the movie!
Tiana is a young woman who's always had big dreams and parents who support her. Along with wishing on a star (which Jiminy Cricket told us to do 70 years ago), Tiana's mother and father taught her to work hard to make her dreams come true. Tiana's dream is to open her own restaurant in New Orleans, where the story is set.
One night, while dressed as a princess at a party, she kisses a frog who has convinced her that's he's a prince who's been cursed by an evil "shadow man" (who looks a lot like Jafar from "Aladdin"). Tiana turns into a frog herself, and the two of them, with some friends they make along the way, have to save themselves as they try to break the spell and become human again.
Along with the ones I've already mentioned there are plenty of other things in "Princess/Frog" that seem to be taken from other Disney films, including:
- The song "Human Again", which is straight from "Beauty and the Beast"
- A float in the Mardi Grai parade with a King Triton on it ("The Little Mermaid")
- A rip-off of the classic spaghetti scene from "The Lady and the Tramp"
And there's more. Needless to say, this film lacks originality.
The other element that seems to be in most Disney films - the killing-off of a main character - takes place in "Princess/Frog" as well. But they really over do it - as three characters die in the film, and the last one is shocking.
The movie is a musical, and the songs are great. But there are too many of them, especially in the first 15 minutes.
The animation is excellent. This movie marks a nice comeback for the studio in hand-drawn animation. The voices are o.k. Anika Noni Rose does a good job with Tiana, Disney's first African-American princess. John Goodman, Terrence Howard, Oprah and the "BAM" chef himself, Emeril Lagasse, also lend their voices, but all have small roles.
The main problem is with the story. It didn't grab me emotionally like "Beauty and the Beast" or "The Lion King". There aren't many laughs, as the supporting characters, who usually supply all the comedy in Disney movies, just don't get the job done.
"The Princess and the Frog" is rated G. It's appropriate for everyone (though the death at the end may be sad for the little ones). The 3 disk Blu-ray/DVD combo pack includes 10, yes 10 extra features, and the picture and sound are spectacular (maybe better than they were in theaters).
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "The Princess and the Frog" gets a C+. If you've got a young girl in the house - buy it. However it doesn't deserve a place on your shelf with the all-time Disney classics.
Old Dogs (PG) D+
When this Disney comedy came out last year, with Hollywood legends John Travolta and Robin Williams teaming-up, I hoped that they'd be a winning combo in a funny film. I was wrong.
In "Old Dogs", Dan (Wliiams) and Charlie (Travolta) are long-time best friends and business partners. Dan's old girlfriend, Vicki (played by Travolta's real wife, Kelly Preston), comes to town and tells Dan that he's the father of her two children.
Vicki needs to find someone to take care of the 7-year old twins while she's in jail for two weeks, so Dan and Charlie volunteer. Neither of the two "old dogs" have any experience with kids so they have trouble keeping the kids happy while also trying to close a huge business deal.
The overall theme of "Old Dogs" is a little adult for a Disney film, but that isn't the biggest problem with the movie. The script is horrible - no funny lines or originality. The performances are dreadful, and there are several awkward scenes in which you feel embarrassed for the actors. I've really enjoyed both Travolta and Williams in previous family films, including "Hairspray" and "RV", but there's nothing to like here.
In some ways "Old Dogs" is similar to the 2008 family comedy "Imagine That", in which Eddie Murphy plays a businessman who doesn't know how to take care of his daughter. That movie surprised me in a good way. What's surprising about "Old Dogs" is just how unfunny it is.
"Old Dogs" is rated PG for mild adult humor and themes, including a scene in which characters get hit in their private parts with golf balls. You know a comedy is bad when there has to be a scene in which characters get hit in their private parts to get a laugh.
This movie is supposed to be for kids, but they'll be bored. If you're a big fans of Travolta and Willams you may want to see them together, but after about 10-minutes you'll wish they, and you, were in a different movie.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Old Dogs" gets a D+. That grade is probably a little higher than it should be, but it was the final movie for the late Bernie Mac, who has a cameo, so I'm being generous.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) B+
My favorite film of 2009 - the Academy Award-nominated "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is out on DVD. If you didn't see it when it was in theaters, or even if you did, this is must-viewing for every movie fan.
From "Matilda" to "James and the Giant Peach" to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", author Roald Dahl's classic children's books have adapted well to the big screen. But "Fantastic Mr. Fox", is the best of them all.
Mr. Fox (great voice work by Clooney) is a newspaper columnist who isn't happy with his life. He use to steal chickens for a living, but his wife (Streep) made him give that up when she became pregnant with their first child. The couple moved into a hole in a tree not far from the three meanest farmers in the valley - Boggis, Bunce and Bean.
Mr. Fox, wanting to make some extra money, comes-up with a plan for him and his friend Kylie (an opossum) to steal chickens and cider from the farmers. But they get spotted, the farmers want their revenge, and the battle between the animals and the humans IS ON.
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is not your typical animated movie. It's completely done in stop-motion animation. In fact, over 125,000 individual pictures were needed to complete the film. A full days works produced only about 30-seconds of film. And unlike in most stop-motion movies that use clay for their characters and sets, most of the "Mr. Fox" characters are puppets. It’s an amazing accomplishment.
The other thing that sets the movie apart is it's quirkiness. It's funny, but not laugh-out-loud funny. There is a lot of dialogue and the script is very clever, but kids and parents who are expecting a typical "taking animals movie" are going to be disappointed.
All of the voice work is superb. Besides Clooney (who is in practically every scene) and Streep, Jason Schwartzman is outstanding as their son, Ash. Murray and Owen Wilson also add their touches to the film.
The plot follows the book (which I recently re-read), but also expands the story with new characters and situations, but they all work.
"Fantastic Mr. Fox is rated PG for some brief animated violence and a few scenes in which characters are smoking. It's safe for kids of all ages, but it's not a typical kids animated film, and because of that many kids (and many adults) won't like it because it's so off-beat from mainstream Hollywood animated films. But if you're a fan of Dahl or director Wes Anderson it's a must see.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Fantastic Mr. Fox get a B+. It's a quirky, delightful feast, and the DVD extras only add to the fun. Snatch it up while you can!
The Blind Side (PG-13) B
An Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. An Academy Award win for Best Actress. By now practically everyone know the story behind "The Blind Side", but if you didn't have a chance to see it when it was out in theaters, you're in for a real treat.
The moive tells the true story of football player Michael Oher, and the family that takes him in when he starts attending a new high school but doesn't have anywhere to live.
Michael isn't dumb, but he's a bad student and isn't a great football player. But with the help of some of the teachers and especially the mom of the family - played by Sandra Bullock - he become a pretty good student AND a very good football player, and he may even earn a college scholarship.
This is a true story, but I didn't know anything about Michael Oher or this family before seeing the movie. The script is both interesting and inspiring - telling people (especially kids who have had rough childhoods) that they can turn their lives around, AND for those who are fortunate, who may be inspired to help kids in need.
Most of the acting in "The Blind Side" is very good, led, of course, by Bullock, who gets is rare starring role - a strong, modern-day female character - and scores a touchdown.
Quinton Aaron is fine as Michael. Tim McGraw and Kathy Bates are also in the cast.
The only bad acting comes from the real-life college football coaches who play themselves. They're all a mess.
"The Blind Side" is rated PG-13 for some bad language and one violent scene, but it's appropriate for anyone 10 and up, and you don't have to be a football fan to enjoy and appreciate the movie.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "The Blind Side" gets a solid B.
Planet 51 (PG) C+
The trailer for "Planet 51" began running almost a year before the film came out in theaters (Jan 16, right before "Paul Blart, Mall Cop"), and I'd probably saw that trailer and others at least 30 times before I finally got to see the actual movie.
Normally that's not a good thing - and that was the case, again, this time.
"Planet 51" comes from a new animation company, Ilion Animation Studios, which is located in Spain. It's a nice first effort, but they've still got plenty of work to do.
Dwayne "I Guess You Can Call Me "The Rock" Again" Johnson stars as the voice of U.S. astronaut Charles "Chuck" Baker, who lands on a distant planet only to learn that the creatures there talk and live like humans - but back in the 1950's.
The aliens capture Chuck's spaceship and so he convinces a teenage alien named Lem (voiced by Justin long) to hide him and help him get back to his ship so that he can return to Earth.
There are some nice '50's touches in the film, including the music and the overall look of the planet, but, unfortunately most of the gags and jokes have already been given away in the trailers. I only laughed a couple of times during the entire movie. If you haven't seen any trailers you may laugh a few more times that I did, but there just aren't enough funny lines or situations.
The animation itself isn't great. The look of "Planet 51" is pretty basic and there are times the characters actually looked a little blurry.
Jessica Biel, Gary Oldman and John Cleese also lend their voice talents. No one really stands out.
"Planet 51" is rated PG. It's safe for all ages. There are plenty of extars on the DVD, including games and deleted scenes. I can't get too excited over them because I couldn't get too excited over the movie.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Planet 51" gets a C+.
An O.K. start for Ilion Animation, but the next time they have to come up with a better story, and they need to improve their quality of their animation if they are going to eventually compete with the Pixar's, DreamWorks and Blue Sky's of the animation world.
Disney's A Christmas Carol (PG) B
The 2009 Holiday Movie Season is officially underway, much earlier than usual. And who better to get things started than the #1 anti-Christmas guy - Scrooge.
"Disney's A Christmas Carol" is directed by Robert Zemeckis, who also did the 2004 holiday film, "The Polar Express". Zemeckis uses the same motion-capture animation process he unveiled in "The Polar Express" in this latest version of Charles Dickens' classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts who visit him one Christmas Eve.
The movie stays true to the Dickens story, using dialogue straight from the book. And the tone of the movie is very serious, which surprised me. I thought Disney might lighten things up a bit, especially since they've been promoting this as a movie for the entire family.
As you certainly know by now, Jim Carrey is the star of "A Christmas Carol". Carrey plays eight characters: Scrooge at five different ages and all three ghosts. Incredibly, he did all his work on the film in only 22 days. The motion capture process looks great on most of Carrey's characters, but not so great on others, including Gary Oldman's Bob Cratchit and his entire family, including Tiny Tim.
The overall look of "A Christmas Carol" is fantastic. The 3-D is phenomenal and the CGI effects are top-notch. There are several exciting sequences, including some impressive flying scenes and the story does work on you emotionally.
Since I haven't read the book or seen any other previous big screen adaptations of "A Christmas Carol" my only experience with the story was with the Mickey Mouse and SpongeBob versions. Trust me, the only similarity between this version and Mickey is that they come from the same company. There are no laughs in "Disney's A Christmas Carol" and enough intense and scary scenes for parents to think twice before bringing little ones to this movie.
"Disney's A Christmas Carol" is rated PG, for the scary images and serious themes. It's appropriate for kids eight and up, but many kids will be disappointed that the film isn't alot of fun.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Disney's A Christmas Carol" gets a B.
Jim Carrey has now played Christmas's two biggest bad-guys: Scrooge and The Grinch. Who's next - the Burgermeister Meisterburger?
Michael Jackson's This Is It (PG) B+
From Thriller to Beat It to Billy Jean to Man in the Mirror, Michael Jackson earned the title: The King of Pop. And if you don't believe that, you will after you see this movie.
"Michael Jackson's This Is It" is a documentary that covers the rehearsals leading-up to what would have been his final 50 live concerts in London, England this summer. Fortunately over 100 hours of footage was shot during the three months that Jackson and a few dozen musicians and dancers practiced for the concert at The Forum and the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
It's likely that very little of this rehearsal footage would have made it into the concert movie that was planned, but, since there will never be a concert tour because of Jackson's death, this documentary becomes a wonderful final tribute to the man and his music.
The movie is presented in a very basic style, going back and forth between songs and behind the scenes stuff, including interviews with some of the other performers. The best non-musical parts of the movie are the scenes in which we see Michael as producer: making changes with the musicians and choreographer, talking with the crew, and working with director Kenny Ortega (best known as the man behind the "High School Musical" trilogy).
But "This Is It" is mainly about the music, and Jackson sounds and looks great. Considering all the stories we've read and heard about the final days before his death, I was not expecting Michael to sing and dance as well as he does. And there are several cool music videos that were going to be a part of the concert that we get to see, including for "Thriller" and "Smooth Criminal".
Even if you're just as casual fan, you will be thrilled seeing and hearing Jackson do these songs, especially since it's the final time that he did them. And Ortega deserves a lot of credit for putting together this documentary, which runs over 2-hours, in a few short months.
And the DVD and Blu-ray extras are tremendous, including more footage, as well as tributes to Michael from family members and friends.
"This Is It" is rated PG for a few scary scenes in the "Thriller" sequence, but there's really nothing in the film that's a problem for anyone. It's a must-see for fans of any age.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Michael Jackson's This Is It" gets a B+.
After seeing "This Is It" you'll wish that, if Jackson was still alive and there was a concert tour, that you had a front row ticket.
Astro Boy (PG) B
He's a classic Japanese character and a long-time cartoon cult favorite. Last summer "Astro Boy" hit the big screen, with help from his friends in Hong Kong.
"Astro Boy" is set in futuristic Metro City, where robots are smart and helpful, doing practically everything for the humans. The top robotic scientist in the land watches as his young son dies in a laboratory accident. The scientist decides to re-create his son, as a robot.
However, the scientist (who's voiced by Nicholas Cage) soon realizes that he can't love the robot boy, so the boy leaves home and hooks-up with a group of human kids, who have also left their homes. Meantime, the evil president of Metro City wants to capture Astro Boy, who has incredible powers and destroy him.
The plot of the movie turned out to be a little different than I expected. There's a little bit of Pinocchio in it, mixed with some serious elements dealing with love, friendship and betrayal. It's not a comedy, though director David Powers, the man behind the very funny "Flushed Away", tries to inject humor through some supporting character robots that seem like bad rip-offs from the 2007 movie "Robots". It doesn't work.
The animation in "Astro Boy"is cool looking, with a lot of soft colors. And practically everything has round edges. Hong Kong's Imagi Studios gets the credit. They were also responsible for the great look of 2007's "TMNT". Unfortunately, because "Astro Boy" did so poorly at the box office, Imagi was shutdown in February.
As for the voices, Freddie Highmore is perfect as the young boy and Astro Boy. Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane and Kristen Bell join Cage in the all-star cast.
Was "Astro Boy" one of the best animated films of 2009? No. The story becomes predictable and there are too many scenes where the script tries to grab you emotionally and fails. But it's definitely worth seeing if you missed it when it was out.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Astro Boy" gets a B.
It's rated PG for some mild cartoon violence, but it's appropriate for practically everyone. However, there's really not a lot of action so kids (and adults) expecting to see a high-energy, action-packed animated adventure will be a little disappointed.
Where the Wild Things Are (PG) C+
46 years after it was first published, Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, was released as a film this past summer, to mixed reviews.
"Where the Wild Things Are" follows the plot of the book: Max is a 9 year old boy who's a little out-of-control. He's going through some rough times in his life, including not getting along with his older sister and not getting enough attention from his divorced mother.
After a fight with his mom, Max runs away from home and ends-up on an island where he meets the "Wild Things" - very large monster-like creatures who are in need of a leader. Max becomes their king, and during his few days on the island Max has to deal with a lot of the problems that he's dealing with back home.
The best way I can describe "Where the Wild Things Are" is "interesting". If you think this is just another family film where a kid runs away from home and meets-up with animated monsters and has fun adventures, you are wrong. Instead, director Spike Jonze has made a very serious film that, frankly, most kids won't understand. Sure, they'll like seeing the big creatures, but the tone is clearly adult, which is what Jonze wanted.
The acting is pretty good. Newcomer Max Records is fine as Max. James Gandolfini stands out as the voice of Carol, the leader of the "Wild Things", who is a lot like Max.
One of the most interesting things about the making of the film is that the large creatures are not CGI characters, but are actually stunt actors in real costumes, created by the Jim Henson company. Jonze spent months in post-production using computers to add their facial expression and to get their mouths to move. The effect is very impressive.
"Where the Wild Things Are" is rated PG for the serious situations and themes and some mild violence. Again, younger kids may want to watch this, but don't expect them to understand why they're watching so much anger and sadness and fighting and pain involving this little boy.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Where the Wild Things Are" gets a C+. Apparently Jonze's first cut of the movie was even more serious and adult than this one and he was asked to lighten-it-up a little bit. Maybe that would have been a better film, because this version, even though it's interesting, didn't really grab me emotionally.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (G) A
Of all the great Disney animated films of all-time, there's none more beloved than the original classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Chances are you've seen it, maybe several times, but you've never seen it like this.
This "Diamond Edition" gives us an all-new, state-of-the-art, digital version of "Snow White" in both Blu-ray and standard DVD. It still has the classic hand-drawn animation look, but is sharper and cleaner and brighter than any of the previous versions.
Plus the original soundtrack has been restored and enhanced, with high-definition 7.1 sound with the Blu-ray version.
In short...this new "Snow White" is spectacular!
The 3-disc Combo Pack includes audio commentary; games; a look at Walt Disney’s original studio; newly discovered storyboards from “Snow White Return, which many people think was a sequel that Walt was planning.
Plus there's other bonus features, music videos and a sneak peak at “The Princess and the Frog”.
Just as they did with their previous Blu-ray releases of “Sleeping Beauty” and “Pinocchio”, Disney will on make "Snow White" available for a limited time.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Show White and the Seven Dwarfs" gets an A.
The studio has announced that their Blu-ray releases for 2010 will be “Dumbo” and “Beauty and the Beast” There’s enough included with this incredible “Snow White" combo pack to keep you “whistling” till then.
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