KIDS FIRST! News

“This movie is out of this world literally, because it takes place on Mars,” says KIDS FIRST! film critic Ny’Asia Bell (eight years old), talking about what happens after the hero’s mom is “Martian-napped” away from him. With its theatrical run only a few months ago, the Disney movie hits shelves (and online catalogs) on Aug. 9 in DVD and Blu-ray formats – standard and 3-D – enabling you to follow the earnest recommendation of KF film critic Anthony Aranda (in his full review below). The animated film’s action and storyline earned it high marks from Ny’Asia and an “awesome” from Anthony, who adds the insightful observation that different ages may enjoy the film on different levels. For instance, he says, “I am 8 and I found the movie to be a little scary because it made me think about how sad I would be if I lost my own mother.”

Mars Needs Moms
Reviewed by Ny’Asia Bell
(and see her review on video)

This movie is out of this world literally, because it takes place on Mars, AKA The Red Planet. The movie is about a little boy named Milo, voiced by Seth Dusky, who says some pretty mean things to his mom. Before he has a chance to apologize, she is Martian-napped and taken to Mars. He has 6.93 earth hours until sun rise to save her. Does he make it in time?!
 
My favorite part is when Gribble, voiced by Dan Fogler, saves Milo’s mom with the helmet that was meant for his mom. I thought that was very thoughtful.
 
My favorite characters are Gribble, because he’s just simply Gribbletastic; Ki, because she helps Milo, and she does something that no other Martian has ever done — she stands up to the supervisor, head of all Martians; and Milo, because he realizes that he needs his mom and is determined to do whatever he needs to save her.
 
I rate this movie 4 out of 5 stars because the Martians are a little scary, especially the supervisor. So for this reason, I recommend this movie to kids ages 7 and up.
 

Mars Needs Moms
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(and see his review on video) 

Hello everyone. My name is Anthony Aranda from KIDSFIRST! I just got finished watching an excellent movie called Mars Needs Moms. The movie is about a boy named Milo who goes on a big adventure to help save his mom from aliens. The aliens that live on Mars are not very good mothers so they look to Earth to find good mothers to steal.

My favorite characters are Milo, Milo’s mom, and Gribble. I liked Gribble because he helped Milo get his mother back and he helps Milo to see how important his mother truly is. My favorite part of the movie is when Milo has to save his new friend Gribble from the aliens. Gribble gets captured and the aliens are going to shoot him. Milo swings in to save the day and it is awesome.

This movie does have some characters that are bad and try to stop Milo from saving his mom. The aliens in the uniforms are bad because they listen to the Supervisor. The Supervisor controls everyone and wants everyone to do what she says.

I would recommend this movie for ages three and up. I think depending on what age you are is how you will see this movie. For example, my brother is 5 and he didn’t think the movie was scary at all. I am 8 and I found the movie to be a little scary because it made me think about how sad I would be if I lost my own mother. But don’t worry, everything turns out OK in the end! Go out and buy this movie when it comes out on Disney DVD and Blu-ray.

Photos: Mars Needs Moms (top), Ny’Asia Bell (middle), Anthony Aranda (bottom)

Recent theatrical release Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is available today from Fox on Blu-ray and DVD for home viewing. The Wimpy series continues to connect with kdis, and KIDS FIRST! film critic Raven Devanney (age 13) – who recently interviewed the movie’s star Zachary Godeon – shares why:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Reviewed by Raven Devanney
(and see her review on video)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a fantastic sequel in the Wimpy series. This film is a super fun adaptation from the popular book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I really enjoy that it shows the relationship between Greg and Rodrick, because it shows the ups and downs of being siblings.

I especially like the fact that I related to this movie so much. I have a brother, like Greg, and I’m also a middle-schooler. I feel that this film truly captures a lot of the real struggles of middle school life.

My favorite character is Greg Heffley, played by Zachary Gordon, because he gets into so many funny embarrassing situations. I had the privilege to talk with him in a recent interview. His favorite scene is when he and Rodrick run from their coach over the dumpster, because it was so fun to do. This is also my favorite scene because when Rodrick and Greg are pranking all the people and running from their coach at the gas station, they really bond.

This wonderful movie is for everyone because it is funny for an audience of many different age groups.

Overall I give Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules two thumbs up.

Photos: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules poster (top), Raven Devanney (bottom)

An Australian high schooler dreams of making his life in music. In fact, Tommy daydreams in music, mentally creating orchestral performances out of the sounds that surround him – such unlikely noises as post-hole diggers in the rugged Outback and construction site clamor. As Broken Hill enacts these imaginings, we experience the artistic beauty that inspires Tommy.

Reviews by KIDS FIRST! film critics Gabriella Chu (age 14) and Raven Sky Devanney (age 13) share how well Broken Hill connects with its audience. “I love this movie because it is very creative. I never heard someone play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” so authentically until I heard Tommy and the inmates improvise with the song and make it sound so awesome by using all kinds of instruments – from buckets to violins. The final piece Tommy’s band plays is also excellent,” says Gabriella. Below are the full reviews from both teens. 

‘Broken Hill’
by Gabriella Chu

Broken Hill is a wonderful movie. The first few minutes of the movie instantly capture my attention! It tells the story of a teenage boy named Tommy (played by Luke Arnold) who dreams of starting a band to get into music school but is distracted from his goal because he likes a girl in his class named Kat (played by Alexa Vega), and he is also discouraged by his father. Tommy and Kat end up doing community service at a jail after they pull a juvenile prank and get caught by the police. The two do not get along initially, but they gradually become friends and form an original band with the prison inmates. Is Tommy’s band good enough to get him into the Sydney Conservatory music school? You have to watch this movie for yourself!

I love this movie because it is very creative. I never heard someone play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” so authentically until I heard Tommy and the inmates improvise with the song and make it sound so awesome by using all kinds of instruments — from buckets to violins. The final piece Tommy’s band plays is also excellent. I think the original music by Christopher Brady and the orchestrator David Long are fantastic! I also like how director Dagen Merrill shows how Tommy hears music everywhere. Just by listening to things in nature such as grasshoppers, the wind, and rivers, in the middle of the Australian desert, Tommy can replace these normal noises with the sounds of instruments to compose a beautiful symphony in his mind. I am impressed at the way the director made this comparison.
 
It is difficult for me to hear everything the actors are saying because most of them have an Australian accent. Other than that, I think this is a great movie. I would recommend it to children ages 11 and up because the movie contains some deep messages that may be hard for younger kids to understand, such as music can be found everywhere and music can lift anyone’s spirits. This movie will suit most viewers, especially those who are interested in music. 

For Tommy, the prison band seems his last chance to put together the audition performance he needs to get into the prestigious music conservatory, though he keeps his goal a secret from everyone but his private music maestro. The prisoners are not so enthusiastic at first about the band, but are persuaded to participate by another inmate, Kalai, who seemingly feels he owes Tommy for an earlier act of kindness. There are many strands of relationships that develop around Tommy, as KIDS FIRST! film critic Raven Sky Devanney shares:

‘Broken Hill’
By Raven Sky Devanney

Broken Hill is an amazing movie about a boy from Australia who wants to become a composer but his father disapproves, so he makes a band with local prisoners.

I really really like this film. It is funny and touching and super great! The cinematography was nice and it is pretty funny in the beginning when Tommy is imagining the orchestra.

I really enjoyed watching the relationship grow between Kat and Tommy throughout the film. My favorite character is the drumming prisoner because he was clueless and hilarious.

I was really shocked, in the end, after Kalai escaped and there was no closure between him and Tommy. It left me wanting more.

This film is for ages 12 and up because it is a little mature for younger kids. Broken Hill is a great movie for teens. I give this film a thumbs up!

Released for home viewing by E One Entertainment, Broken Hill is available on DVD May 17.

Photos, from top to bottom: Broken Hill, Gabriella Chu, Raven Sky Devanney

If your kids are into rubber band bracelets, it’s no stretch to imagine they’ll be into Bands on the Run: The Rubber Band Movie, a DVD release from E One Entertainment scheduled for May 31 (with 10 limited-edition bands as a bonus feature!). Five specialty shaped rubber bands are carelessly left behind on a deserted stretch of desert highway after the box they’re in is jostled off the delivery truck. Attempting to “follow that truck” and get back on track to the toy store that’s expecting them, they get run over by a speeding car – which turns out to be a good thing, as they happily roll along, stuck to the spinning tire as it unknowingly carries them where they wanted to go.

Shapes and dialog coordinate perfectly in this 50-minute animation, rendered in very elementary form that the youngest of ages can easily follow, although some of the dialog hits a little above that level in wordplay and message. Each of the novelty bands has a unique talent they are proud to show off (“I sparkle,” flower-shaped Daisy repeatedly reminds the others), but it’s an ordinary rubber band they meet after a second mishap sends them to a recycling center in a garbage truck who really snaps them into focus. “We all have different talents, but we’re all made from the same stuff,” Stretch tells the novelty bands. “We’re a team.”

As a team, now, all six continue on their journey to the toy store – and, they hope, the wrist of a novelty-rubber-band-loving child.

White Lion is a magnificently lensed coming-of-age film that follows the titular white lion from cub to king. A 25-year labor of love from producer Kevin Richardson, who was also the lead animal wrangler, and director Michael Swan, the Screen Media Films release features cinematography that ranges from awe-inspiring panoramas of flat-topped mountains rising out of densely verdant valleys to closer shots of dew-dropped flowers glistening in the moonlight.

The lion’s saga is related as a narration by an African storyteller (veteran actor John Kani) holding his audience of children in thrall around a campfire. While we return to the campfire from time to time to connect with the children and their reactions, the camera cuts away to what is essentially a nature film of the unfolding story: A white cub, Letsatsi, is born into a lion pride. Playful as any kitten, he has some close calls with hyenas and venomous snakes as romps in the tall grass. And just being different from a lion’s usual tawny color causes challenges for him with the other lions in his pride. He slowly learns the skills he needs to survive the natural perils of the wilderness – lightning-sparked fires, hidden dangers such as alligators in the river from which he must get water to drink – as well as meeting the basic need to find food. Humans pose yet another danger.

Giving a framework for the story of Letsatsi’s life is a secondary story of Gisani, a native villager who has been raised with the traditional legends that revere the rare white lion as a messenger of the gods that brings peace and prosperity. Gisani is little more than a child when he first sees Letsatsi, and he takes on himself the responsibility for watching over the lion through the years, to be his storyteller. This culminates in a showdown with hunters who see value in Letsatsi only as a trophy.

As a nature film, White Lion is true to the genre in its honest depiction of the animals’ lives. Kills are acknowledged, although the camera takes a respectful view and avoids grisly sensationalism. Nor are there groomed manes or other attempts to prettify the animals. Life includes moments of heart-pounding adventure punctuating long days of quieter existence, and the film’s slow pace – with music as a low-key accompaniment – seems to capture life in real time.

The DVD’s bonus feature on how the wranglers worked with the lions to capture authentic actions is a livelier piece, and the behind-the-scenes views add to rather than detract from an appreciation of the feature film.