Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

Disney-Pixar’s feature film Finding Nemo in 3D opens nationwide in theaters today. Running in front of the movie is the new Toy Story Toon titled Partysaurus Rex. Directed by Mark Walsh, the short features Rex, the insecure and kind of neurotic T-Rex toy voiced by Wallace Shawn, as finds his inner soapy strength and new persona when Bonnie, his new owner, takes him into a bubble bath with some of her other toys.

Our youth critics reviewed Finding Meno 3D earlier this week and here are are the comments from Cheyenne Nguyen, age 8. Watch the video review by both Cheyenne and Morgan Bertsch here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRhQ87qMeh0

Watching Finding Nemo 3D is like you are snorkeling and looking through your goggles and enjoy the colorful fish and sea life. This story is about Marlin (voice by Albert Brooks), an overprotective father of Nemo (voice by Alexander Gould), as a clown fish with a defective fin.

It all started with Nemo’s mom and dad looking at all 400 eggs and try to determine names for each of the egg.  Suddenly, a barracuda came to the coral and knock Marlin unconscious.  When Marlin wakes up, the reef is empty; with no fish around, the only egg left under the coral was Nemo.  Marlin became very protective dad and will not let Nemo out of his sight.  However, Nemo is the opposite of his dad.  He always wants to swim into the unknown.
On the first day of school, Nemo wander off outside the reef and was captured by a dentist.  This started Marlin’s journey to find his son.  He swims as fast as he can and asks for help finding Nemo.  The only fish stopped to help Marlin is Dory (voice by Ellen DeGeneres).  Dory has a big heart and always positive.  The only problem is she has short term memory loss.
The story line is the father and son love, unpredictable, and very funny.  There are so many punch lines in this movie that will keep you laughing throughout the movie. The clear and crisp color with 3D is magical.  It feels like I am snorkeling and ready to touch these sea creatures.  I can see the layers of rainbow coral reef, several rows of teeth in Bruce the shark mouth, the pelican beak and jelly fish seem so soft and real.  The best 3D part is with the whale and the krill swimming toward the audience.

I love how production and design makes Dory velvety, Marlin and Nemo soft and gummy.  The rest of the fish are metallic, typical scaly fish.  This makes Dory, Marlin and Nemo more lovable. The sound effects of water sloshing and crashing are very realistic.

The only part I did not like is what happens to Nemo mom.  Will Disney come back with Nemo reunited with his mom? The lessons in this movie are Marlin deal with his fear and swims all the way to Australia to find his son Nemo and he learn to have faith.

My favorite character is Dory with her big heart and Crush the laid back father turtle and his children. The message of this movie is listens to your parents, they only try to protect you and give you good advice.  Parents are alive longer so they know a lot more than their children.

I rank this movie 5 out of 5 stars. I give this age ranged 3 and up.

Three of our youth film critics reviewed this film, which releases this week at WalMart and Sam’s Club. All loved it, particularly the horse lovers. Casey Chandler (age 10), one of our KIDS FIRST! film critics is also a horse owner. Here’s what she has to say about this film:

Flicka, Country Pride, is a heartwarming story about a girl who finds courage and determination to make her dreams come true.  This inspiring story is sure to touch the hearts of all you horse lovers out there!

The third in the series of Flicka movies, originally inspired by the classic novel by Mary O’hara, Flicka is based upon a beautiful mustang horse said to have a heart so bold, she can win a restless spirit.  In this movie, the “restless spirit”  is a girl named Kelly, played by KaceyRohl.

As a horse lover and owner, I have to admit that horse movies usually win me over.  There is such an amazing connection between riders and horses and I think that the Director, Michael Damien, once again, succeeds in showing us how truly magical that connection is between Flicka and Kelly.

The story begins when Toby (Clint Black) takes a temporary job at the Cherry Creek Stable with several horses, including Flicka in tow.  Lindy’s teenage daughter, Kelly, instantly connects with Flicka.  The spirited black mare helps Kelly get through her day of chores, school and thinking about her deceased father.  She no longer competes as a three day eventer and to make matters worse, she is pushed aside by her snobby ex-best friend.  Life is complicated for Kelly and she cannot seem to stand up for herself until Flicka comes along.  Flicka not only inspires Kelly to compete but also helps her find new and old relationships.

The movie was filmed in Kelowna, British Columbia with a storybook farm setting and countryside.   One of my favorite characters is Toby.  He became a strong link between the family’s tragic past and future filled with possibilities. Although the story was very predictable, it is hard to not enjoy the classic theme based on working hard and achieving your dreams!

I enjoyed this movie for its great cinematography and main characters.  Although the story could have been a bit stronger, I give it a 3 ½ out of 5 stars.  The movie is best enjoyed by pre teen and early teens

This is Casey Chandler reporting for KIDS FIRST!

“Growing Up with Hello Kitty” was released by AnimEigo last week and is available at Walmart, Target, CVS, Amazon and many grocery stores. Our seven- and eight-year-old film critics gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up! Take a look at their reviews:

Growing Up with Hello Kitty 1
Reviewed by Camille Bajema
(See her full review on video.)

I’m reviewing the movie Growing Up with Hello Kitty 1. This movie is about two sisters, Mimi and Hello Kitty, growing up. Throughout these six seven-minute episodes, Mimi and Hello Kitty learn how to answer the telephone, eat their vegetables, clean up their messes, change their clothes, sleep by themselves and help their mother with chores around the house.

I like this movie because Mimi and Hello Kitty learn to have a positive attitude toward doing things that their parents want them to. They also learn how to be more independent. Parents will like these movies for their kids because it teaches basic skills and to respect and listen to their parents.

These episodes are short, so they hold a young child’s attention.

I recommend this movie for girls aged 4 through 7. I give this movie four out of five stars.