KIDS FIRST! News

An adventure movie for families to enjoy together, Nim’s Island garnered glowing reviews for the charm of its story and appeal of its stars (Abigail Breslin in the title role co-starring with veterans Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler) when it was released in 2008. Breslin even earned a nomination for a Teen Choice Award. And then there’s the setting! In her review, below, 15-year-old KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Gabriella Chu describes it as “exotic and beautiful,” and says, “Watching the movie made me want to live there!”

Nim’s Island, screening March 4, 12 and 16, is one of the many classics brought to your home by HDNet Movies kidScene, a morning and Friday night programming block specifically for kids and families.

Nim’s Island
Reviewed by Gabriella Chu
(See her full review on video.)

Nim’s Island is an adventurous tale about a girl named Nim and her father who live on their own private island in the South Pacific. All goes well until Nim’s father sails away for two days to collect some protozoa for science research. A vicious storm causes him to become stranded in the middle of nowhere, so Nim learns to survive on the island all by herself. Will Nim and her father reunite?

I recommend this family movie to kids 6 and up. The enthusiasm and plot of this movie will most likely appeal to younger kids in this age group. Watch Nim’s Island this month on HDnet movies at kidScene!

Photos: Nim’s Island poster (top), Gabriella Chu (bottom)

Mary Norton’s novel The Borrowers has made it from book to screen several times since its first publishing in 1952. Nine-year-old KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda reviewed the recently released version, The Secret of Arrietty, and now shares his views on the earlier (1997) The Borrowers, a classic featuring the voices of John Goodman, Jim Broadbent and Mark Williams that is screening on HDNet Movies‘ family programming block kidScene on March 2, 3 and 8.

The Borrowers
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

The Borrowers is awesome because it’s really funny and cool to see the little people living in the house with the big people.

This movie is all about a kid named Pete Lender who is determined to find out why all the stuff in his family’s house keeps disappearing. He eventually finds Arrietty, who is a Borrower, and she explains what Borrowers do. The Lenders have to move out of their house because a mean man named Ocious Potter wants to build an apartment building in its place. The Borrowers try to go with the Lenders but the kids fall out of the truck and have to travel through the city to find the new house that is by the old church.

Some of the main characters in the movie are Pete Lender, Arrietty Clock, Ocious P. Potter and Exterminator Jeff. My favorite character is Pete Lender because he really cares about the Borrowers and is really funny. Exterminator Jeff is on Ocious P. Potter’s team at first but then wants to help Pete and the Borrowers.

I would recommend this movie for all ages 3 and up because there are a couple of scary parts but not too many and it is a really good movie. The Borrowers is one of the many classics brought to your home by HDnet Movies kidScene, a morning and Friday night programming block specifically for kids and families.

Photos: The Borrowers poster (top), Anthony Aranda (bottom)

Are you concerned about what your kids are watching on TV, in the movies, on videogames or even phone or iPad apps? Did you know that the average American child will spend more time watching TV and playing videogames than he or she will spend in school?

At KIDS FIRST!, we work with adults and kids all over the country to increase awareness and help them become more media savvy. One way we do this is through our Juror Training Course and Junior Film Critic Clubs. Adults are trained to evaluate media for KIDS FIRST! and to work with a group of kids to do the same. KDIS FIRST! rates and reviews DVDs, feature films, audio CDs, videogames and apps.

Sound fun? Then we have just the class for you to become a KIDS FIRST! juror – interactive, live, two-session webinars or a recorded version that lets you do the training on your own time. Becoming a juror has always been easy – but it just got even easier! If you are one of the first 20 people to sign up for training, we will waive our standard $10 administrative fee. Plus, everyone who completes a registration form will automatically be enrolled in this month’s KIDS FIRST! sweepstakes to win cool, new DVDs.

In order to get the free training, you must sign up by March 15 and complete the course by May 31.

There’s NO TIME COMMITMENT required of you as a KIDS FIRST! juror and you get to keep all of the products we send you to evaluate! You can build up your personal media library or donate these products to your school, community center or any children’s organization you choose. You will be offered opportunities once or twice a month to evaluate a children’s product, and you pick as many or as few as appeal to you.

As an official KIDS FIRST! juror, you can start your own Junior Film Critics Club and become part of a nationwide nucleus of more than 200 adults and 3,000 kids that make up the KIDS FIRST! volunteer evaluators. Jurors help children learn to view media critically, express their opinions verbally or in written form and assist other families in their media viewing decisions. 

For more information about the KIDS FIRST! jury, or for dates of our upcoming live webinars, visit us online.

“There is so much action in the movie that people might love,” says KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda (age 9) in his review (below). But this anime film from Studio Ghibli in Japan (released theatrically in the U.S. by Walt Disney Studios) has even more to recommend it: the quiet and slow-paced moments that lend the film greater persuasion as it captures the honest details of life all around us. Not to mention its impact of juxtaposing the miniature world of Arrietty’s family with the “normal” world of the family whose house they inhabit, all built with recognizable, real items we see (or overlook) in our homes every day. Bridgit Mendler, Will Arnett, David Henrie and Amy Poehler are some of the voices that bring life to this screenplay co-written by Hayao Miyazaki from Mary Norton’s novel, The Borrowers.

The Secret World of Arrietty
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

Hello everyone. My name is Anthony Aranda from Kids First!  and I am reviewing a movie called The Secret World of Arrietty. This movie is amazing — there is so much action in the movie that people might love.

This movie is all about a kid visiting his grandma’s house and she says there are living people in the house who are as tiny as a mouse. That’s where Arrietty comes in, along with her mom, dad and a friend of hers named Spiller. Spiller saw Arrietty’s dad was hurt so he brought him back home. But they have to move because the boy who came saw Arrietty — and they can never be seen by the big people, who might look for all of them and capture them.

Some of the main characters in the movie are Arrietty, her dad and mom, the boy and his grandma. My favorite character is Arrietty’s mom because she’s so funny. I like Arrietty, also, because she wants to be a borrower just like her dad but she messes up and the boy sees her so they have to move.

I would recommend this movie for all ages because it’s really good for everyone. There are not any scary parts and the adults might know the story from when they were a kid (The Borrowers). Go out and see this movie in theaters today.

Photos: The Secret World of Arrietty poster (top), Anthony Aranda (bottom)

The 1972 movie of Dr. Seuss favorite The Lorax is newly released today on DVD by Warner Home Video. Tune in to KIDS FIRST! Coming Attractions as we feature the DVD on today’s program. Raven Devanney, one of the KIDS FIRST! youth film critics in that program’s 2011 inaugural year and now the weekly show’s regular host, will share her review and some clips from the disc. Streaming on the VoiceAmerica Kids Channel, episodes can be enjoyed, shared with friends, and re-enjoyed again.

The Lorax
1972 version (now available on DVD) reviewed by Raven Devanney

The Lorax is a wonderful film based on the beloved Dr. Seuss book. It shows the story of a greedy Once-ler who thinks only of himself – and, in his selfishness, he destroys the Truffula trees. The Lorax, who speaks for the trees, tries his hardest to save the land and its inhabitants, but will his pleas be enough to stop the tyrant Once-ler?

I enjoyed this film very much and I thought the cinematography was wonderful because it is exactly like the illustrations in the Dr. Seuss book. Being able to see the world through the creative eyes of Dr. Seuss is wonderful – and now you can, better than ever, with the deluxe edition of The Lorax, including an ultraviolet copy of the movie. This movie delivers fantastic messages about caring for the environment and respecting the Earth we live on. I like the Lorax character most because he stands up for the land and teaches that being greedy and self-centered leads to destruction.

I loved all of the music in The Lorax, and I especially liked the first scene when you see the land in all of its splendid glory. I give The Lorax 4 out of 5 stars for its strong messages and great classic entertainment. I suggest this film for ages 4 to 10. Be sure to watch the new, 2012 animated Lorax film when it hits the big screen on March 2, and get the deluxe edition of the original 1972 Lorax in stores today!

Photos: The Lorax box art (top), Raven Devanney (bottom)