KIDS FIRST! News

This adorable new show certainly charmed our KIDS FIRST! reporters. It follows the life of the adorable Lily, a five-year-old who lives with her dad and she creates a cast of characters in her imagination that live in Driftwood Bay. Lily’s imagination is quite the thing. Every day, she finds a new treasure on the beach which sparks her to create interesting things. Accompanied by Gull, the clever seagull, a new adventure begins as they go across the way to Driftwood Bay. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Morgan B. comments, “Ah, to sit and look out over the sandy beach at the ocean every day, then your pet gull cries out, “Look, look!” and you spot something buried in the sand.” Jasmyn D. adds, “Lily’s Driftwood Bay is a cute and adorable show that all children will love! The animated characters are so cute because they look like a child colored them. Lily’s character is very dainty and her personality is as bright as the sun.” See their full reviews below.

Lily’s Driftwood Bay: Meet Lily
By Morgan Bertsch, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 11

Ah, to sit and look out over the sandy beach at the ocean every day, then your pet gull cries out, “Look, look!” and you spot something buried in the sand. Every day is a new find and a new adventure for Lily who leaves the world and goes off into her imagination to Driftwood Bay, an adorable little place for her to play and discover a use for her new treasure.

The cast of characters are unique, cute and quirky, looking just like something a child would dream up. It includes Captain Salty, the dog with a sailing ship.  Bull who is made from messy balls of string and squeaky mice.  Lord Stag is a puffin. Hatsie is the train conductor and we meet lots of whales. Lily, with her red hair and a cute Irish accent looks like a paper doll and is my favorite character.  I love how she can take a small found object from the beach and think of so many different uses for it. Then, it is turns into a grand adventure.

I laughed so hard while watching the episode Bulls Might Fly. Lord Stag and Bull actually try to hang guild. Everyone has doubts, but you are in for grand and shocking surprise. It shows that even though you might be afraid to do something, it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.

The lessons learned in these fun stories are easy for young kids to understand. Lessons such as, you should tell the truth. Even if you break something, you can get help in fixing it. A boat is too big to fix by yourself. When you lose something, it is easier to find with help from others, especially if you can’t sleep without it. You should always apologize if you are wrong.  Friendship is important. Be creative and use your imagination. Always put things back where they belong, so you can find them later.

This collection of short episodes is perfect for children as young as two. They are only ten minutes long and are quite easy to follow. I enjoyed watching all ten episodes, but I was just getting into them when they ended. For older kids, they may be too repetitive because the beginning and the end are the same in every episode. I recommend this DVD for ages 2 to 7 and give it 4 out of 5 shining starfish!

Lily’s Driftwood Bay: Meet Lily
By Jasmyn D., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 15

Lily’s Driftwood Bay: Meet Lily is a cute and adorable show that all children will love! The animated characters are so cute because they look like a child colored them. Lily’s character is very dainty and her personality is as bright as the sun. She seems so outgoing and loves an adventure. The opening captures your attention immediately where you see Lily making things out of objects she finds at the beach.

This season contains ten episodes and runs approximately 75 minutes long. Lily’s Driftwood Bay is a Northern Irish children’s television series that premiered on Nick Jr. in the UK and Ireland in 2014. Creator Colin Williams really has made something special that I truly believe children will love as they follow Lily on her fun adventures with her friends Gull, Salty, Hatsie and more. Every day the sea washes up a new treasure which sparks Lily’s imagination about what might be happening on Driftwood Bay. The voice talent also excels. Orlagh O’Keefe is the voice of Lily. Peter Mullan voices Salty the dog. Paul Currie is the voice of Gull. Tameka Empson voices Hatsie the Hen. Many  of these voice over actors have been in major movies or TV shows. Peter Mullan appeared in Hercules, The Jungle Book, Harry Potter and War Horse. Paul Currie is best known for Big City Park and Big and Small.

The show is very interactive and well suited for its audience. My favorite scenes in the show are when Lily comes back with new things. It’s not a show I would watch and I’m a teenager and it’s more suited for kids ages 4 to 7. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars and think that  girls will like it more than boys since it is a bit girly. The DVD is available now so, go check it out.

For bickering siblings Ryan and Emma, it was going to be a fun weekend visit with their dad at his job in Africa. But when their small plane crash-lands in the Serengeti, they have only each other along with their fellow passenger, a Malamute named Chinook to rely on. The rescue teams are searching and brother, sister and one courageous dog have to learn how to conquer their fears and trust each other in the most beautiful yet untamed wilderness of all. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Morgan B. comments, “There are tons of animals and it was really fun to see them in their natural habitats. We see lions, elephants, snakes, monkeys, giraffes and so many more. I learned a lot too.” See her full review below.

Against The Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti
By Morgan Bertsch, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 11

I really enjoyed this film. At first, I was a little worried that there would be no animals. I hate when movies advertise animals and there aren’t any in the film. I was wrong! There are tons of animals and it was really fun to see them in their natural habitats. We see lions, elephants, snakes, monkeys, giraffes and so many more. I learned a lot too. I actually had no idea that lions and hyenas are afraid of fire. All of these majestic, friendly and not so friendly animals were my favorite part of this film.

I really enjoyed this film. At first, I was a little worried that there would be no animals. I hate when movies advertise animals and there aren’t any in the film. I was wrong! There are tons of animals and it was really fun to see them in their natural habitats. We see lions, elephants, snakes, monkeys, giraffes and so many more. I learned a lot too. I actually had no idea that lions and hyenas are afraid of fire. All of these majestic, friendly and not so friendly animals were my favorite part of this film.

This film revolves about a brother and sister, Ryan (John Paul Ruttan) and Emma (Ella Ballentine). They take an airplane to see their father and their plane gets shot down over the Serengeti. With the pilot injured and no one else to help them except a Malamute dog called Chinook, they have to rely on each other for survival.

My favorite character in this film is Emma because she is upbeat and tries her hardest to be positive, even though it is difficult. She is also a little scared and I could definitely relate to that.  Emma and Ryan desperately want to go home to mom and dad. She portrays the character well and shows a bit of girl power, humor, wit and courage.

My favorite scene is when we see an aerial view of zebras, wildebeest and giraffes from the plane. This was an incredible scene because we got to learn more about the animals.

Some things about this movie bothered me. Emma had a cut on her face which moved from scene to scene. In one shot, it was on her left cheek and then, it was on the right. Continuity is a big deal on a film and this was a goof. Also, I found some of the fire scenes and, there are many, a little worrisome. I kept thinking, “Please, stop and clear all the grass away so you do not start a brush fire.” I thought more could have been done with content of the kids’ backpacks and what could help them. It lacked teaching and educational moments, to me. But, overall, I loved the film and seeing the cool animals.
This film is suitable for ages 6 to 18. My mom and dad liked it so, I think other adults would enjoy it as well. Younger children might find the lions, crocodiles and hyenas frightening because they all are all real and scary looking. I rate this film 4.5 out of 5 stars as it felt as if I was on a safari in the Serengeti in Africa.

On the DVD, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Rock It to the Moon, the Secret Lab Kids are ready to demo their new science song for web entrepreneur Mook Zookerboom when he learns that a satellite is coming down out of orbit, panics and heads for the airport. So the team must gather some data on gravity to convince him to return.  Then, when Von Bolt accidentally destroys the museum’s new moon rock, the Secret Lab Kids must find a way to replace it.  Enjoy these adventures and more with the Secret Lab Kids. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Benjamin P. comments, “Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Rock It to the Moon is a fun, educational series that made me laugh while I was learning. This show teaches new cool stuff about gravity, nanobots and the birth of the remote control.” Giselle T. adds, “It truly makes education fun. Its language is easy to understand, giving young viewers the ability to process the information presented. This is an excellent educational series with each episode containing a different message.” See their full reviews below.

Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Rock It to the Moon
By Benjamin P., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 10
Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Rock It to the Moon is a fun, educational series that made me laugh while I was learning. This show teaches new cool stuff about gravity, nanobots and the birth of the remote control.

Angie, Kent, JD and Nicky are back with Thomas Edison and Von Bolt the robot to solve all kinds of problems by going back in time to learn from pioneers in science throughout history.

In the first episode, Dancing Machine, Von Bolt is invited to try out for a dance competition. The gang and Thomas Edison realize that he’s not such a good dancer and decide to build a remote-controlled suit so Von Bolt can make it to the show. They use the virtual reality room to travel back to Spain in 1903 and discover how to use radio and remote control from Leonardo Torres y Quevedo, an engineer and mathematician who created one of the first designs for a remote-controlled device.My favorite episode is Murphy’s Law of Gravity. The kids are trying to impress web celebrity Mark Zoomerboom with their song about science. Instead he discovers a satellite is falling out of the sky and he panics. The kids must find a way to keep him calm to get their song to go viral. This episode was laugh-out-loud funny and there’s a cool gag with penguins to watch out for.

My favorite character in the series is Thomas Edison (Livingston Taylor) because whenever the kids are under pressure or doubting themselves, he comforts them and gives them good advice. I really hoped there would be an episode in this volume that showed how the kids found the lab but that is a loose end for me in the story line and I hope they work it in on a later volume.

Some of the other episodes I liked are Rock It to the Moon because they talk about gravity. Another episode I enjoyed is Nanobots Byte because I didn’t know what nanobots were. They are really, really tiny robots – and the episode helped me understand how they work.

I like the music videos in this volume even more than the first DVD, Secret Lab Meeting. Some of them are really catchy and some of them are just kind of weird. I recommend Thomas Edison Secret Lab: Rock It to the Moon to ages 5 to 12. Kids will fall in love with this show pretty easily and I think there are some pretty advanced subjects that older kids might want to learn about.

I give Rock It to the Moon 3 out of 5 stars. I recommend you science fans watch this show that presents high-level science with high amounts of fun. Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Rock It to the Moon is in stores April 26th so, go check it out.

Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab Rock It To The Moon
By Giselle Tellechea, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 16

Very entertaining and informative, the animation is filled with vivid color which draws your attention. It truly makes education fun. Its language is easy to understand, giving young viewers the ability to process the information presented. This is an excellent educational series with each episode containing a different message. In the first episode, the robot teaches the viewers to never not do something because they are told not to and to just be happy doing what you love.

The series teaches various things  from human anatomy to space science. For instance, they explain gravitational pull and how it differs from in space versus on Earth. I learned that the quantity of atoms doesn’t change but gravitational pull makes you weigh less on the moon and the closer the object, the greater the gravitational pull.  Jupiter has more mass than Earth which means it has more gravity and,  according to the show, it would be less fun there due to the fact that you couldn’t float around. The show uses comedy as well to get its point across.

Every episode has an adventure or a problem to solve. Writers Steven Banks, Steven Darancette and Brian Stampnitsky excelled at creating such a cute show that inspires its audience. In fact, it encourages kids to be scientists. Angie, played by Phillipa Alexander who has a lot of experience doing voice-overs for animated films and, it’s great to see her here. I like how they have included text when songs come up. It’s a small detail that helps you grasp the significance of the words in the songs.

My favorite scene is in the first episode. When learning about space, the characters portray what is being taught by some green aliens and one of them gets attached to the moon due to the fact the gravitational pull has increased as a result of the mass of the moon.  This part was just very funny. I recommend this animated film for ages 2 to 6 and give it 4 out of 5 stars. It is available on DVD now so, go check it out.

Ratchet & Clank tells the story of two unlikely heroes as they struggle to stop a vile alien named Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy. When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called The Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy. Along the way they’ll learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one’s own identity. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Abigail Zoe L. comments, “From the beginning to the end, the film kept me on the edge of my seat, as it is an adventurous, funny, heartwarming and witty story.” Ryan R. adds, “From the beginning to the end, the film kept me on the edge of my seat, as it is an adventurous, funny, heartwarming and witty story.” See their full reviews below.
Ratchet & Clank
By Abigail Zoe L., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 8

I love the animated movie Ratchet & Clank which is based on the popular Play Station video game. From the beginning to the end, the film kept me on the edge of my seat, as it is an adventurous, funny, heartwarming and witty story. One of the funniest scenes is when Dr. Nefarious shoots Chairman Drek with a laser gun and turns him into a sheep.

The story follows the main character, Ratchet who wants to be a member of the famously respected Galactic Rangers team but unfortunately, is told he doesn’t have the right “stuff.” According to Captian Qwark, Ratchet may have heart but physically just doesn’t measure up as he is too small. However, Ratchet meets and names a robot Clank who is similarly small and both human and robot not only become the best of friends but a powerful duo. Together they make it their mission to try to save the Solana Galaxy from the evil Chairman Drek.

My favorite part of the story is when we learn the robot doesn’t measure up to his own kind. In fact, he is considered a “defect” to be terminated because he’s small, thinks for himself and doesn’t want to hurt humans but wants to help them.

I particularly enjoyed all the various voices talent for the animated characters. My favorite is that of Ratchet’s and I was fortunate enough to personally meet and interview both James Arnold Taylor and Bella Thorne (the voices of Ratchet and Cora) immediately following the movie screening. I loved seeing how their actual facial characteristics and physical mannerisms are incorporated into their animated on-screen film characters.

There’s not just one moral to this movie but three stand out in my mind.  First, is to always believe in yourself and never give up. Second, as told to Ratchet, “To be a hero you don’t have to do big things just right things.” Third, if the right thing requires you to do the wrong thing then probably the right thing is the wrong thing to do. I love these golden nuggets that make the characters seem very real as cleverly penned by the director, Kevin Munroe.

All ages will like Ratchet &Clank and it’s particularly well suited for ages 5 to 12. There’s no bad language that make it appropriate for young audiences. The sophisticated storyline, fun adventure, basic struggle of good vs. evil and plenty of twists and turns will appeal to more mature audience, as well. It’s also a story about two underdogs who together try to rise to the challenge. Do they succeed? Well, you’ll have to see the movie to find out!

Finally and on a personal note, I just love the relationship between Ratchet and Clank – two orphans in the universe finding each other and creating a lasting bond. Together the dynamic human and robot duo try to do the right thing in the right way.

I can’t wait until the sequel or maybe even a TV series.  I give this film 5 out of 5 galactic stars. Go see this movie. You’re going to love it!

Ratchet and Clank
Reviewed by Ryan R., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

I was very entertained watching Ratchet and Clank, which is a CG animated movie based on the iconic PlayStation video game.  Its animations are delightful and it has a great plot. Ratchet and Clank prove that, if you want to do something, it is not the size of the individual that matters it’s the heart!

In this movie, we meet Ratchet (James Arnold Taylor) who is the last of his kind, a foolhardy “lombax” who has grown up alone and dreams of being a Galactic Ranger, a well known hero. When he meets Clank (David Kaye), a small-sized robot who helps him accomplish his dream. Together they join forces with a team of interesting heroes called The Galactic Rangers in order to save every planet in the Solana Galaxy from being destroyed by the alien, Chairman Drek. I enjoyed this movie and I think other kids will enjoy this film.

I loved watching this movie because the CG animation is amazing and the colors are very vivid and rich. The characters look great.  It looks very child-friendly for younger audiences. I was satisfied with the comedy, because the jokes are funny and some of them are related to technology in our everyday lives. I enjoyed the plot of the movie because it tells a wonderful story of Ratchet and Clank without doing a disservice to the franchise. I also loved the voice acting performances of Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Bella Thorne, Rosario Dawson, Jim Ward, James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye, Armin Shimerman and Sylvester Stallone.  They all give stellar performances suitable for their characters. This movie also has a nice pace. It’s not rushed and doesn’t drag either. I can’t say anything negative I have to say about this film.

This movie has messages about friendship, heroism, discovering one’s identity and the importance of listening to each other.  It also shows that you should think before you act.  These lessons can help kids learn about the importance of listening and understanding.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for kids ages 4 to 18. I think adults might like this as well. I also recommend it to people who like family, action, adventure, movies based on video games and comedy movies. It’s in theaters April 29, so make sure you go see it with your kids.

This is a good film. The animation is well done but I found myself comparing it to other animated and it scores about average. I liked it although the storyline was too predictable for me, and the pace a bit slow. It is definitely better suited for a much younger audience. I recommend it for ages 3 to 7. It has good, clean humor and lots of action scenes, which younger kids would enjoy.

The menu offers scene selection, trailers and setup. Or you can just play the film.  I enjoyed the scene selection feature because it makes it easy to return to where you left off. I enjoyed the trailer because it filled me in on what the movie looks like and gave me the general idea about the film before I started watching it.

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it to people who like action, adventure and children films. It is now available now on DVD so, so go check it out.

Albert Up, Up And Away!
By Morgan B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 11

I found this movie to be very cute, quirky and funny. At first this movie reminded me of Dennis the Menace as it starts off in super hyper mood, but as the movie moves forward Albert calms down. I found this movie to be very cute, quirky and funny.

I loved the graphics and all the detail that went into creating the village scenes. It is crisp and clear and has incredible dimension to it. I re-watched the scene when Albert flies down a hillside in a barrel several times because it is so amazing and laughable.

The characters are like most kids their age. You can see yourself hanging out with them. Albert is my favorite because of his great heart and his willingness to tackle anything, to do the right thing and make people happy. He is very trusting which gets him into all kinds of trouble. This makes him a believable kid because, really we all want to trust people and believe that they are all good at heart. Unfortunately, there are bad people in the world that muck it all up.

When they set out to find another statue for the town, their adventure begins and we meet new characters and find Albert getting into the middle of a diamond heist with pirates. The pirates amused me with their comedic lines. They reminded me of vaudeville comedy. You wanted to shout “boo” whenever you saw them. They are the villains you love to hate. You can tell what they are planning and I found myself yelling at the screen, “Albert don’t do it!”

The street market is full of rides, food and games. It made me think of summer and I wanted to join in on the fun. One of the many lessons learned here is “do not steal.” It’s a great lesson everyone should learn. Also, I know that it is hard for children to know who to trust and who not to. Another less is “you can’t trust everyone you meet.” Friendship is very valuable as friends can help you out. Last lesson: If you make a mistake, just admit it and have an adult help you figure out a solution.

This was a very funny film with lots of lessons and laughs. I love that this was released in countries other than the United States such as Denmark. They use words which are not in our everyday vocabulary such as cheeky, which is my new favorite word. I recommend this film for ages 5 to 18 and give it 4.5 out of 5 hot air balloon stars. It is quirky and funny and a cute comedy – sure to make you laugh out loud!