KIDS FIRST! News

Summer programming at the University of Hawaii at Manoa includes what Ann Brandman, who is in charge of the university’s community programming, calls “a rare treat”: a film festival for kids. (Screening this year on Sundays, June 3, 10 and 24 and July 8 and 15 at 3 p.m. in the UH Manoa Art Auditorium.) And Brandman credits KIDS FIRST! for bringing it together.

It was an Internet search that first introduced her to KIDS FIRST! Looking specifically for children’s programming, she says she came upon KIDS FIRST! in 2007 and thought, “This looks great. Could it really be this great?” 

The thrill of that discovery is still evident as she enthusiastically describes, “It was all there – the media literacy; broad participation [that includes] filmmakers, distributors, juries, films, the kids themselves and child advocates; and the notion of having criteria so the materials are appropriate [for kids of given age groups]. It was all there in one great package.”

Each year, Brandman develops a program balanced among age groups; animation and live action; features, shorts and foreign films. “Kids don’t get much of a chance to experience foreign films,” she says, noting that “we’re an island in the middle of the Pacific” and that she feels it’s important to expose kids to other cultures and see how the lives of kids in other countries are similar and different from their own.

Brandman is particularly excited about two feature films screening at this year’s festival: Miss Minoes, which she describes as an adorable film from a great distributor (Music Box Films), and Quill: The Life of A Guide Dog, shown in Japanese with subtitles. “In Hawaii, we have a lot of Japanese visitors and [a large] Japanese community, so I’m really pleased to be able to show such a heartwarming Japanese film.”

KIDS FIRST! has also been a marketer’s dream come true, Brandman has found, as we provide images and film clips for use in putting together the media releases. “It makes all the difference in the world when you supply [the media] with the material,” she explains. High-resolution images accompany the press releases she sends; select clips accompany her pitches to TV. Brandman gets the word out also by sending flyers to schools as well as notifying those on the University’s mailing list and getting the KIDS FIRST! film festival listed in the local events calendars.

And kids, she points out, always make for a good story – so this year, she has been making sure the local media know that one of Hawaii’s own, 15-year-old Blake Hawes, is a KIDS FIRST! youth film critic. Brandman’s appreciation of the KIDS FIRST! youth film critic program also reflects her background as a museum curator and her interest in improving kids’ media literacy. “Kids are so in the thick of [media onslaught], anything that can help them be critical consumers of information [is valuable]. That’s another part of KIDS FIRST! that’s so important.”

Walt Disney’s beloved fairy Tinker Bell flits off to a new adventure in Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue. Streeting on DVD next month, September 21, the movie will have a special advance screening on the big screen this weekend, August 21 and 22. KIDS FIRST! and Walt Disney Home Entertainment are bringing Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue to theaters in select cities across the United States. Visit kidsfirst.org/filmfestival/TinkerBellScreening for a list of locations and to print the KIDS FIRST! passes. Screenings are free, but please plan to be early as seating is strictly first come, first served.

Cooperation is key as Tinker Bell must team up with a rival fairy to keep humans from finding out they exist. Mae Whitman as the voice of Tinker Bell reprises her role from last year’s Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure and the previous year’s Tinker Bell, along with Kristin Chenoweth and Lucy Liu as Rosetta and Silvermist, respectively. Michael Sheen (who voiced the White Rabbit in Disney’s recent theatrical release Alice in Wonderland) adds a new voice to the animated cast as Dr. Griffith.

And the wait is over for Furry Vengeance — the DVD streets today. Especially appropriate for kids aged five to 12, Furry Vengeance is one of the seven titles in the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ Search competition. The fur flies in this film as the forest creatures prove more than a match for a real estate developer (Brendan Fraser) looking to turn their habitat into a housing development.

We’ll soon be adding the discussion guide for Furry Vengeance to our website, to enhance your after-viewing discussions and to help your child prepare his or her entry for the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ Search. Five fortunate film-loving kids (age six to 15) will ultimately be chosen a KIDS FIRST! film critic for one year, to attend previews and red carpet events and write reviews for KIDS FIRST! and our media partners. The first step is to submit a written review (of Furry Vengeance or one of the other six titles) by October 10. Entrants will then be invited to submit a videotaped review by October 20 – and we’ll send you instructions on how to create the video.

Winners will be announced the weekend of Nov. 12 – 14, as the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ Search culminates with a unique event: We will attempt to set a world’s record of one million kids “viewing and reviewing” the same movie (The Velveteen Rabbit) at the same time. Mark your calendar now to take part in this special occasion. And watch the WonderWorld website, where you and your friends can view the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ Search video entries and cast your vote for the winner.

If The Secret of Moonacre is the film you’ve chosen to review for the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ Search competition – or if you just want to enjoy it on the big screen before buying the DVD for your home collection – you may be in luck. On Aug. 12, Screenvision is presenting it in select theaters throughout the United States. The special screening is currently planned for 150 markets, with more possibly coming online.

For a complete list of locations and to order tickets, please visit www.screenvision.com/s/showing/SecretOfMoonacre.

The film, adapted from Elizabeth Goudge’s novel The Little White Horse, follows the fantastical adventures of a newly orphaned 13-year-old who discovers a magical, moonlit world when she goes to live with her eccentric uncle at his aptly named Moonacre Manor. The mysterious environs are a huge change from the luxury she’d known in London, but Maria Merryweather (played by Dakota Blue Richards, The Golden Compass) suffers a bigger shock when she learns that the task of saving Moonacre Manor from an ancient curse rests on her young shoulders.

The story offers a safe context for parents to discuss with their children (8-12 is the ideal age for this film) several topics that may otherwise be too hard or scary to express: Who would take care of you if something happened to your parents? What would you do if, instead of your family taking care of you, you found it was you who had to save your family? And in the story, Maria’s uncle (played by the wonderful Ioan Gruffudd, whose film credits include Fantastic Four) treats her dreadfully – opening up the question of why a tragedy can affect someone’s behavior. These are among the talking points developed in the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Discussion Guide.

KIDS FIRST! has developed a specific discussion guide for each of the seven films that are part of the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ Search for kids aged six to 15. The first step to enter is to send in a written review by October 10, and KIDS FIRST! will send the applicants instructions for creating a videotaped review that will then be posted on WonderWorldTV.com for public vote. We encourage everyone to vote!

Winners of the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics’ Search will be announced the weekend of Nov. 12 – 14, with festivities that will include the excitement of KIDS FIRST!’s attempt to set a world’s record of one million kids “viewing and reviewing” a single film (The Velveteen Rabbit) with a caring adult.

Charlie St. Cloud (rated PG-13) is a sweet story about love – familial and romantic – and commitment. Charlie is a champion sailor whose prowess has won him a scholarship to Stanford. He shares a loving relationship with his kid brother, Sam, and his single-parent mom, and seems to have the respect of his teachers and fellow students when we see him at his high school graduation early in the movie. Charlie’s future seems rosy until he and Sam die in a car accident, Charlie promises Sam he will never leave him, and then an EMT brings Charlie back to life. Charlie gives up all other plans in order to meet his dead brother every evening in a nearby mountain clearing to play baseball, which had been Sam’s passion in life. Conflict enters the story when Tess, a former classmate and aspiring globe-circumnavigating sailor, pierces Charlie’s shell.

Although no one but Charlie can see Sam, there is internal evidence in the movie to suggest his visions are more supernatural than psychological. Whichever way the viewer chooses to interpret it, however, Sam serves as the foil against which Charlie must test his strength to move beyond the protected familiar of life and risk a relationship with another person.

The movie features mild language (“He’s a dick,” Charlie says to Tess about another young man in their small Northwestern seacoast town) and one satisfying fight scene in which Charlie asks his tormentor if he has dental insurance before punching his lights out. In spite of lingering kisses and a scene suggestive of Charlie and Tess having spent the night together, romance stays on a fairy-tale level.

Zac Efron is the teen heartthrob around which this movie is built; indeed, the film seems to be primarily a vehicle to show off his handsome visage and buff physique, from facial close-ups with his eyes in deep introspection to long shots of him standing, engagingly forlorn, in a forest clearing. Kudos also to the cinematography, capturing emotion from the sense of small-town quietude of streets and hillsides to the excitement of storm-tossed seas.

KIDS FIRST! flipped over Oscar®-nominee Rob Reiner’s new movie, “Flipped” from Castle Rock Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures. So much so that we’re working with two of our film festival partners to host special preview screenings and inviting you to see the movie for FREE. Be sure to RSVP early — advance reservation is required, and it’s first come, first served — but we expect more people than there will be seats for, so please plan to arrive early.

While the movie will hit theaters in two weeks on Aug. 6, you can see it prior to the release date in Austin, Texas, or Newport Beach, Calif. KIDS FIRST! and the Austin Film Festival will screen “Flipped” on Sunday, July 25, at noon at the Regal Arbor 8 Theater; KIDS FIRST! and the Newport Beach Film Festival/Orange County Film Society will screen the movie on Wednesday, July 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Regency Lido Theater. To register for reservations at either city, go to http://kidsfirstjuly.ennectSweeps.com/FlippedReservations or http://www.kidsfirst.org/ and click on the banner for “Flipped” reservations.

The 90-minute coming-of-age film, rated PG by the MPAA for language and some thematic material, follows Bryce and Juli from second grade — he, girl-shy; she, sure that it’s love — to junior high. We share their triumphs and disasters as they navigate family drama and first love, making the discoveries that will define not only who they are, but who they are to each other.

“Flipped” stars Madeline Carroll as Juli, and Callan McAuliffe as Bryce. Rebecca De Mornay and Anthony Edwards star as Bryce’s parents, Patsy and Steven Loski; and Emmy®-nominee John Mahoney as his grandfather, Chet Duncan. Penelope Ann Miller and Emmy®-nominee Aidan Quinn star as Juli’s parents, Trina and Richard Baker; and Kevin Weisman as her Uncle Daniel.
 
“Flipped” is directed by Oscar®-nominee Rob Reiner and produced by Reiner and Alan Greisman, who most recently collaborated on “The Bucket List.” The screenplay is by Rob Reiner & Andrew Scheinman, based on the novel by renowned author Wendelin Van Draanen. Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer and David Siegel serve as executive producers. The creative team includes Emmy®-winning director of photography Thomas Del Ruth, production designer Bill Brzeski and Oscar®-nominated editor Robert. The music is by five-time Oscar®-nominee Marc Shaiman. The costumes are designed by Durinda Wood.

KIDS FIRST! juror Lauren Boxer (age 12) has this to say about “Flipped”:
“Flipped” is a movie showing how, when you like a guy (or girl), make sure you see them as the whole self. A quote I loved from the movie is, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” I do not know exactly what it means, but it touched my heart. Rob Reiner (director) really showed the viewers what “flipped” means — showing the same situation from both the girl’s side and the boy’s side. I would recommend it to everyone that has ever had a crush. Hold on tight because “Flipped” is coming soon to theaters.”