KIDS FIRST! News

Join Little Nutbrown Hare and his father, Big Nutbrown Hare, as they romp through more charming adventures!  Fun-loving Little Field Mouse, mischievous Little Grey Squirrel and tricky Little Redwood Fox are back, as well as Little White Owl with her tales of mystery. Together the friends explore the meadows, forests and streams and on to Cloudy Mountain…playing, laughing and discovering the wonder that the world holds. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Abigail L. comments, “It is super cute and has lots of life lessons to learn. I especially like the main character, Little Nutbrown Hare because he is always so curious. If there is a problem he tries to figure it out.” Morgan B. adds, “This collection of TV episodes is adorable. The hand drawn features are exquisitely detailed. It looks like just what I pictured it would in my head when I read the stories on my Leapster when I was younger. It has a quaint fairy tale feel to it with huggable characters.” See their full reviews below.

Guess How Much I Love You: The Song of Spring
By Abigail Zoe L., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, 8 years old

The animated DVD, Guess How Much I Love You: The Song of Spring is really wonderful. It is super cute and has lots of life lessons to learn. I especially like the main character, Little Nutbrown Hare because he is always so curious. If there is a problem he tries to figure it out.

There are seven different stories on this DVD based on the classic books by Sam McBratney. In each of the stories there is a mystery to solve and important lessons to learn. Every episode is about growing up and learning life lessons by friends helping each other. One of the episodes I especially like is the Busy as a Bee story. In this fun episode Little Nutbrown Hare makes a promise to help his father but really wants to play with his friend, Little Field Mouse. Little Nutbrown Hare learns a valuable life lesson; in this case, even when you may want to do something else like play with your friends, if you have already made a promise it is important to keep that promise. Another episode I really like is Little Green Worm. Here we learn some science facts such as discovering how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. We also learn some cool science vocabulary like chrysalis, which means cocoon.

The message of this film is to feel free to explore, don’t be scared and how having a friend at your side helps you get through anything. I love that this message is told through heartwarming stories about friendship, family science and more.
I think the character voices are amazing and fit the characters just perfectly. The animation is simple, but very believable. The animated characters are adorable and all the stories take place in an animated forest and meadow that are beautifully colorful.

I think viewers will love this DVD released by N Circle Entertainment because, overall there is a lot of heart, great messages and lots of educational lessons. It is a fun and an entertaining DVD. N Circle offers a nicely package product and they even include a fun craft activity. The animation and stories are simple enough for little ones to understand and, at the same time, offer good learning lessons for older kids. I give Guess How Much I Love You DVD 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 4 to 8. Check it out!

Guess How Much I Love You: The Song of Spring
Morgan B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 11

This collection of TV episodes is adorable. The hand drawn features are exquisitely detailed. It looks like just what I pictured it would in my head when I read the stories on my Leapster when I was younger. It has a quaint fairy tale feel to it with huggable characters. It is a fun collection to watch. The DVD comes with seven episodes that flow flawlessly together and it is easy to sit and watch the whole collection although your face might hurt from smiling and giggling too long. It was refreshing to sit back, chill and watch a DVD that was easy to watch and made me smile.

The Little Green Worn is my favorite episode because I laughed out loud while watching the animals investigating their newfound insect.

My favorite character is Little Nutbrown Hare. I like seeing how he interacts with all the different animals. His relationship with his father is adorable. He spends his days playing in the meadow and discovering mysteries and, with the assistance of his father and the other animals, they learn many new things and solve mysteries. They think up different ways to express their love for each other – “as much as all the insects in the meadow,” “bigger then the moon,” and things like that. I find this to be a cute game that all parents should play with their children. This game applies to any relationship. It is a fun way to express our feelings towards others and is very fun and loveable.

One of my favorite things about this series are the voiceover talent. They are perfect. They matched the characters wonderfully. For example, the tiny characters have small, squeaky and adorable voices. All the animals are cute, huggable and each one has a different personality that makes you love them and smile each time you meet another one. It makes you want to jump through the TV and play in the meadow. This is a perfect way to get into the spirit of the spring season after a long winter. Easter is on its way and these hare-based stories are perfect for the holiday. They offer a good refresher course on basic science and have many learning lessons. The best lesson is that things change.

I recommend these stories for kids age 3 to 9. Older kids might like it as well because, although they already know the lessons this DVD teaches, many kids might enjoy remembering what life was like when they were younger and seeing how much they have learned. I give this movie 5 out of 5 sparkling carrots. It is available now on DVD so, go check it out.

The Adventures of Gumby, the 60s Series is perfect fun for young children. With over 40 episodes in this collection, its cute lessons and humor bring enjoyment through short adventures of its fun characters. Gumby, Pokey and their friends embark on fun adventures taking place at various times in history, learning lessons along the way. This series will appeal to the oldest, die-hard fans as well as new kids who will find joy in these classic stories.  KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Samantha A. comments, “This is a very enjoyable and fun claymation series that is about a green humanoid character named Gumby and his side-kick and best friend Pokey. They go on wacky adventures throughout all the episodes.” See her full review below.

The Adventures of Gumby, the 60s series
Samantha A., 12 years old

This is a very enjoyable and fun claymation series that is about a green humanoid character named Gumby and his side-kick and best friend Pokey. They go on wacky adventures throughout all the episodes. Some of my favorite episodes are “The Zoops,” “The Glob,” “Santa Witch,” and “Hidden Valley.” There are lots of other great episodes in this series as well, but these really stand out.

This is a very enjoyable and fun claymation series that is about a green humanoid character named Gumby and his side-kick and best friend Pokey. They go on wacky adventures throughout all the episodes. Some of my favorite episodes are “The Zoops,” “The Glob,” “Santa Witch,” and “Hidden Valley.” There are lots of other great episodes in this series as well, but these really stand out.

Something I immediately noticed about this series is that the animation isn’t like any film series you see made today. It is a clay animated show. This type of animation is particularly interesting because, they photograph each movement the characters make. The animation process is described in the bonus features. This show is also very creative. I watched the episodes and was amazed. I often wondered how they came up with these ideas. From the punch lines to the plot lines of each and every episode, it is fun and unusual.

The bonus features on this DVD disc are something special. They included behind the scene footage, a photo gallery from making the series, the first aired pilot episode with sound and a very rare episode called “space ball.” I love that they includes photos because it gives you an inside look at what was happening when they animated and it makes you feel connected to the show even more. Also, getting an exclusive look at never before seen special episodes is very cool because, while watching them, I kept thinking about how rare they are.

I recommend this series for ages 5 to 18 because they are classic films that anyone can enjoy and they first aired over 60 years ago so this disc is perfect for anyone who grew up with Gumby and would like to see him in action again. I give this series 5 out of 5 stars because they are fun episodes that anyone can enjoy and the animation is interesting. Also, seeing the bonus features on the disc make a it much more enjoyable because I knew what went into making this classic show.

This DVD is available in stores now so, go check it out.

This 3D, computer-animated, adventure, dramatic comedy is very emotional and funny, a perfect movie for the family. The story is about what would happen if an asteroid missed the Earth and never killed the dinosaurs. In the movie you meet Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) who is a very insecure, scared dinosaur until he is able to find his roar! He meets a human kid named Spot. Something happens.  Arlo chases Spot and falls into the water taking Arlo very far away from his family. Will Arlo make it back to his family or will he be lost?

I enjoyed this movie. I like how it touches our emotions and admit that it made me cry in some parts. I also liked the jokes because they are really funny. I love the action scenes that involve the water. It kept me on the edge of my seat.

My favorite character is Arlo. He is a very ecstatic, extremely compassionate dinosaur who learns to face his fears. Arlo is very relatable because everyone has fears and people think it is silly but it isn’t. I love that he is very motivated. I love how he changes throughout the story.

The moral lesson in this movie is you can discover what you’re truly capable of if you are willing to face your fears.  Arlo proves that in this movie as he “finds his roar.” On the Blu-ray, there are bonus features, deleted scenes and shorts. The shorts include Sanjay Super Team, Dino Bites and Hide and Seek.  It also tells you facts about dinosaurs and many more. Another feature are trailers of the movie. My favorite short would be Sanjay’s Super Team, because this short told its story without any dialogue and delivered an important message about dealing with old family traditions and the modern world.

I give this film 5 out of 5 amazing stars and recommend it for kids ages 5 to 18. Adults might like this as well. I also recommend this to kids who like family, action, adventure, drama, comedies, dinosaurs and Disney movies. Check out the Blu-ray when it comes out on February 23.

The Good Dinosaur
By Gerry Orz, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 13

What if? That’s the beginning of this film with its spectacular scenery, a beautiful soundtrack, an exciting story and so much more. What I really love about this film is the animation. A good 20 minutes of the film is dedicated to looking at the scenery, which is incredible. The design of the landscape, with its hills, valleys, mountains and rivers is truly breathtaking.

This movie is not all comedy, there is quite a bit of drama. In many scenes you feel touched by the characters and even pity them. The whole plot is a large and exciting adventure which allows for some mild action. There is a bigger moral to the story which is “discover your voice.”  Disney has focused on that in its “Find Your Roar” campaign, encouraging kids everywhere to “find your own voice or ‘your roar!’”
The story starts when an infamous meteor hits the Earth. Millions of years later, a dinosaur named Arlo is separated from his family and home. He goes on a huge adventure to get back home, which involves enemies, friends and more.

The story is dramatic and takes turns that surprise the audience multiple times. The voice acting is excellent in every role, making characters sound alive, personable and full of energy. One of my favorites is Butch (Sam Elliot). Butch is a T-Rex and a pretty cool one too. Sam makes him seem menacing and dramatic, but still friendly, even a bit funny at times.

In the Blu-ray version, there are a dozen special features, including an option to listen to commentary throughout the film from some of the creators, including storyboard artists and editors talking about the process they used to make the film. A perfect example of this is when they discuss how they based the terrain on the western United States. The special features also include deleted scenes and some cool interviews.

My favorite scene is when Arlo meets the T-Rexes. He and his companion, Spot, are running away from scavenger birds. They see a dinosaur in the distance and plea for help. It turns out they find two powerful T-Rexes and the T-Rexes assist Arlo and Spot to get to safety and on with their journey. The staging in this scene is intense and dramatic, especially when you don’t know if these giant carnivores will be more dangerous than the birds.

This film is most suitable for ages 6 to 18. Younger kids may find the more intense and dramatic scenes way too frightening. I give it five out of five stars for its beautiful animation, emotional voice acting, an intense story and smooth editing. The Good Dinosaur is being released on Blu-ray and Digital HD February 23 so, keep a lookout for it.

More reviews by

Benjamin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0YvOYUeAiw
Samantha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS9FRu50XVU
Nathaniel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxjUEU6H09o
Kayla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA-vkaUd0Po
Willie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA-vkaUd0Po
Kayla, interviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Weq4EpzsiQ
Nathaniel, interviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4giz2mEq4Gk

From the Walt Disney Signature Collection comes the enchanting and inspiring classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In this epic animated story of love and friendship, the kind and beautiful princess Snow White wins the hearts of the Seven Dwarfs and triumphs over the evil plans of a wicked Queen. Called “The Greatest Animated Film Of All Time,” it is available now on High Definition Blu-ray and for the first time ever on Digital HD, with special features the entire family will enjoy. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Gerry O. comments, “Before Cinderella lost her slipper and before Aladdin met the Genie, Walt Disney did his most crazy and insane project ever – a feature animated movie, the first of its kind… This film was designed for all ages and I still agree.” See his full review below.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Blu-ray, Digital HD)
By Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 13

Before Cinderella lost her slipper and before Aladdin met the Genie, Walt Disney did his most crazy and insane project ever – a feature animated movie, the first of its kind. The title of the film is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Parents and kids loved this film decades ago and, a generation later, families can now enjoy this beautiful classic in Blu-Ray.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a musical with catchy, and beautiful singing done by Adriana Caselotti, (Snow White), Lucille La Verne (Queen) and others. There is also a sense of adventure, and a magical romance, between Snow White and the Prince.

The story begins when the Queen discovers that she is not the fairest of them all, and that Snow White is. Out of jealousy, she orders the death of Snow White. However, Snow White gets away. She comes upon 7 dwarfs which she befriends. The Queen angrily learns about her failed death, and decides to poison the young princess!

Since this is the Blu-Ray/Digital HD Edition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it is packed with extra features including a tour of the animation studios in the 1930s, actual interviews with Walt Disney, cool facts, (Did you know Snow White was originally designed to have gold hair? Who knew!) and so much more. My favorite part concentrates on how Walt Disney hired over 300 artists, how he spent so much money on making it perfect, and just how much speculation and hate he got for attempting to make (and being very successful as a result) a 90 minute animated film.

Even though this film was made almost a century ago, the quality of the animation is as good as films made today. Hand-drawn animation has a quality of from the human touch that CGI can never achieve. In terms of the soundtrack, Walt Disney had a knack for making his animated films not only have background music, but he created it in such as way that the music becomes an integral part of the story. For example, when Snow White and the Prince first meet, they sing a song together and it represents almost, “Instant love,” better than words ever could. This story is based on a classic European fairy tale, and Walt Disney hired a few people who specifically made European-styled drawings, to make the film feel like the original fairy tale, which was perfect for the film. The voice-over sound quality is also top notch, amazingly so since again, it was made almost 100 years ago. I would easily compare it to the voice over acting and quality of the late 90s. This film was ambitious in terms of being the first animated feature film, but also was first feature film to have a female lead.

My favorite scene is the meeting of The Prince and Snow White. In the scene, Snow White is cleaning outside and she explains to her bird friends what a wishing well is. A prince overhears her fantastic singing and is love-struck when he meets her. This scene is one of my favorites because the music is beautiful, the animation is spectacular and this scene specifically illustrates my point about European artists designing the backgrounds. It really looks like a European castle of some sort.

This film was designed for all ages and I still agree. I recommend it for ages 6 to 13 specifically. Younger kids will enjoy the bright colors, dancing and singing. Older kids can appreciate how difficult it was to make this film and the storyline itself. Adults who have happy memories of seeing this film years ago will also enjoy it. Overall, it’s a great film for the family. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars because of the spectacular animation, exciting story (typical of films made by Walt Disney) and clear voice acting. This film is available online on January 19 and in stores on Blu-ray on February 2, 2016. Don’t miss the change to add it to your family film collection.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
By Willie Jones, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 16

One of the hardships I encounter as a KIDS FIRST! Film Critic is trying to objectively review older films. The difficulty is mostly because they are often better than many films today. Even more difficult is reviewing a film objectively that was a part of my childhood. It’s so easy for nostalgia to cloud my view. So, before I watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I told myself to review it without passion or prejudice, and tackle it like I would any other film. Then I started watching it and everything I had prepped myself for went out the window. I got caught up in the songs, the vintage style of animated filmmaking and the general feeling of classic, feel-good Disney. Then I realized that the nostalgia that befell me WAS the appeal of the movie. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is timeless because it transcends generations. Watching it now as I did ten years ago, took me back 10 years. It felt nice to return to an innocent state for 80 minutes.

The film hasn’t lost anything. The songs are still just as catchy, the story is still just as cute and the animation still puts a smile on your face. It’s interesting watching the first Disney animated feature today, because we’re all so taken with the animation and maturity of Pixar. Even the Disney Renaissance films which are now 20 years old aren’t as cute or innocent as Snow White is. Fortunately, that’s not a bad thing; it’s actually quite refreshing. It’s feel-good and puts a smile on your face. The simplicity of it all is a great contrast to the complex animated features of today and it’s quite affecting. It transports you to a different state of mind that allows you to let go and enjoy.

So many times parodied and adapted, watching where it all started gives you a great appreciation for all the other adaptations, and reminds you of which is best. I actually contend that Snow White is the best of the classic Disney princesses. It has the best collection of songs with “Heigh-Ho,” “Some Day My Prince Will Come,” and “I’m Wishing/One Song.” The band of dwarfs are still an entertaining, eclectic group of characters than compliment the more one-dimensional princess. I watched it with my younger sister and she was in love with it from start to finish. I was in love with it, all over again, from start to finish. I recommend this classic film for ages 3 to 18 as well as adults and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

The universe is in grave danger of extinction! The evil Snake extinguishes the stars as he passes through the galaxy, causing chaos and plunging the planets into darkness. The Little Prince must leave his Asteroid home and beloved friend, Rose, in his quest to outsmart the Snake and save the universe from doom.  KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Mia A. comments, “The Little Prince: The Planet of Bubble Gob, is a fun and creative movie that I enjoyed, especially because of the animation.” Benjamin P. adds, “I really like the modern characters the show adds because they have a lot of perseverance and they always want to create something new to help their planet.” See their full reviews below.

The Little Prince: The Planet of the Bubble Gob
By Benjamin P, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 10

The Little Prince: The Planet of the Bubble Gob is an imaginative, colorful film with great animation and takes some of my favorite characters from a classic story on a new exciting journey. I really like the modern characters the show adds because they have a lot of perseverance and they always want to create something new to help their planet.

The Little Prince: The Planet of the Bubble Gob is based on the characters from a famous French story by Antoine de St. Exupery published in 1943. Here, the Little Prince, alongside his best friend Fox, are sent around a futuristic universe saving planets from the evil clutches of the malevolent Snake. One day, the Little Prince and Fox discover a mysterious new planet and find out it is inhabited by a species called the Creatall who are always inventing new things to help their people and their planet, like a kooky machine that shoots toast. Soon, the Creatalls’ technology senses a wave coming to destroy their planet. The Little Prince finds out that a giant recycling machine called the Bubble Gob is causing these massive and dangerous waves. The Little Prince must find the Great Inventor who made the Bubble Gob to fix the glitch but he has gone into hiding and no one knows why. The Little Prince must find the inventor before the entire planet is wiped out so the Little Prince, some brave Creatalls and the goofy but loyal Fox set off to save it.

My favorite character is Oddzn’end, the first Creatall the Little Prince meets, because no matter what others think of him, he always tries to come up with inventions to help them.

The Little Prince: The Planet of Bubble Gob made me think about what to do to help the environment and be more aware of how to help the planet. It also showed me how important it is to help others even if you won’t benefit yourself. The Little Prince helps people even when he knows he could get hurt and it’s not his planet that’s in trouble.

I really enjoyed the animation because it takes the story to a magical level with the creation of the planet and its oceans. It is rich and lush and made me wish the planet was real so I could go visit it.

I recommend The Little Prince: The Planet of Bubble Gob for ages 6 to 12. The Snake and the Bubble Gob are a little scary and may be alarming to younger children. I give The Little Prince: The Planet of Bubble Gob 4 out of 5 stars.

The Little Prince: The Planet of Bubble Gob
By Mia A, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 11

The Little Prince: The Planet of Bubble Gob, directed by Pierre-Alain Chartier, is a fun and creative movie that I enjoyed, especially because of the animation.

This version of The Little Prince is about the Little Prince going to The Planet of the Bubble Gob, a planet where the people are called Creatall’s because they create a lot of things.  Sadly, their ocean is completely full of the useless inventions.  The Master Creator creates a big trash collector (the Bubble Gob) to fix the problem, but it actually causes big waves.  The Little Prince has to help to fix the problem.

The characters, the Rose, Fox and Little Prince, are from the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. In this movie, the plot is different than the original book, but his friends the Rose and the Fox are included.  My favorite character is the Fox because he is the only animal.  He is a cute talking animal who is very feisty and just wants to get the job done so he can go eat a snack.

The animation brings a new twist and is as entertaining as the plot of the movie.  The colors are especially vibrant and repeatedly draw my attention to the Fox and the settings.  I found myself really wanting to look at each of the different inventions the Creatall’s have made.

The animation brings the settings in the movie to life!  The buildings are very unusual and are made with a lot of cool items that otherwise would have been junk.  The houses are very unique because they are on poles that rise up and down to avoid the dangerously high waves of the littered ocean. Even the litter in the ocean is interesting to look at as you can see all the different colors even though you are looking down on it from the sky.

Young girls will like the character of Ilmus. She is a strong female character who is smart, works hard and doesn’t give up on people. The moral behind The Little Prince is that even if you make a mistake, people will forgive you.

I rank The Little Prince: The Planet of Bubble Gob 4.5 out 5 stars.  I recommend the ages 5 to 12 because there are fights in the dark with an evil snake and ghouls, which might be frightening to younger kids.