Tag Archives: Family film

2026

Murder, Ewe Wrote!  “The Sheep Detectives” Is Shear Delight 

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An unexpected new film wins the prize for outstanding farm to fable fiction with a tender tale of belonging and destiny, a corker of a mystery and overall impeccable filmmaking craft, wrapped in an enchanting package. Set in a bucolic English village, Kyle Balda’s exceedingly clever The Sheep Detectives (A-) features wonderfully rendered talking animals inspired by mystery novels read to them by their shepherd (Hugh Jackman) to solve a murder in their own barnyard. During the course of this “hoof done it,” the flock learns valuable lessons about the complexity of both the human and animal worlds. Balda treats all members of his film’s family audience with dignity and respect as he tells his buoyant story, choosing observational humor and sharp writing filled with insights at every stage of the journey. The film features a wooly-loaded voice cast, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Bryan Cranston as standouts in their field, exploring and explaining why the world works the way it does. The humans in the movie are literally a murderers row of talent as well, with Emma Thompson, Hong Chou and Nicholas Galitzine among the fetching ensemble; if anything, it would have been great to know any of them as well as viewers get to know the sheep.  The movie’s craft work across the board is impeccable, from effects to production design to music. It’s more than just Babe meets Knives Out, with nods to both landmark films; Balda’s work in this movie is a triumph of tone with something topical to say while being quite entertaining.

2026

Hot Dam! “Hoppers” Places Nature’s Engineers at Center of Habitat Showdown

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The Avatar movies aren’t the only cautionary tales to swoop into “save the whales” territory, with a new full-length animated feature film showcasing eco-warriors eager to pounce on a beaver protection bandwagon. It’s not as full-on funny or immediately memorable as some of the top-shelf Disney-Pixar films, but Daniel Chong’s Hoppers (B) centers a creative story on a young female activist infiltrating an animal habitat to save it from developers, resulting in quite an animal kingdom rally. Suffice it to say our protagonist inhabits the body of a semiaquatic rodent and learns a good bit about the sound and, well, furry of living with the land, the pecking order keeping creatures in harmony and the bipartisanship required with humans and animal counterparts to increase the peace. Chong tells a solid story with winning animation and most of all an agenda of urgency and education eclipsing some of the sly delights, even though there are many in the midst. Voice actors Meryl Streep and Dave Franco are a hoot as mercurial monarchs of the insect world, while Piper Kurda and Bobby Moynihan keep things fetching in the freshwater. Make sure the young scientists in your family check this film out, as its insights are far deeper in the pond than the kiddie fare previews may promise.

2025

“Zootopia 2” Pushes City Limits of Adequate Anthropomorphic Comedy 

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There goes Disney again with the preposterous notion that all should be equal; that’s right, follow-up features generally aren’t. Jared Bush and Byron Howard’s Zootopia 2 (B-) poses the premise that second-class citizen reptiles should be regarded equally in the pantheon of all-animal new urbanism. The spry duo of Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman returns as undercover cops in bunny and fox form, respectively, joined in the fun and puns by the amusing voice talents of Quinta Brunson, Fortune Feimster and Ke Huy Quan. The fast-paced action is fairly nonstop with few amazing animations or detours to distinguish the sequel from the original. Still, as global blockbusters go, this proves pretty entertaining for both kids and adults (including the overall Chinatown vibe and The Shining references) and gets a marginal recommendation as a family outing.

2025

It’s Deja Vu in the Dojo with “Karate Kid: Legends” 

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Brand new moviegoers and stalwarts nostalgists will get a kick

This requel is no equal to 40 years of predecessors in the triumphant underdog series, but the good-natured, proven crowd-pleasing formula will still likely delight young viewers and families. Jonathan Entwistle’s Karate Kid: Legends (C+) places casually charismatic young actor Ben Wang at its center, transplanted from Beijing to NYC with a non-emotive mother (Ming-Na Wen) who doesn’t support his kung fu fighting hobby. His character befriends a pizza parlor purveyor and former boxer played by Joshua Jackson and his teen daughter and love interest (Sadie Stanley); and when wronged by an underdeveloped neighborhood bully, feisty fighter and romantic rival character (Aramis Knight), our hero turns to two mentors in the lineage of the “Mr. Miyagi” school of karate – Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio – to prepare him for an avenging “Five Boroughs” showdown. This merging of martial arts multiverses prompts some head-scratching force-fits, and the color-by-numbers story line fails in delivering even the smallest morsels of surprise. Still, the movie is upbeat, with some fun, fast-paced fighting stunts and joy in the relaxed depictions of found family especially – and surprisingly – between Wang and Jackson, who’s particularly good in this role. The obligatory presence of Chan and Macchio yields distracting and perfunctory doses of fan service rather than consequential plot advancement.  It’s all more pretty than gritty and looks largely filmed on sound stages. Video gamified graphics, comic book dissolves and animated explainers dumb down the drama even further for those with zero attention span. It’s all perfectly serviceable fare and doesn’t wax all that poetic as it strikes its predetermined poses.

My video review: FilmThirst – Karate Kid Legends

2024

Crass Menagerie of “Mufasa” Leaves This Viewer Scarred

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Talk about a circle of lifeless! It’s tough to detect evidence of the artisan touch of acclaimed director Barry Jenkins in a CGI animated prequel that could have actually been improved with AI. Mufasa: The Lion King (C-) tells some backstory of the Simba-verse with an extraneous framing device to ensure all members of the intellectual property can participate, including Timon and Pumbaa. The story follows young Mufasa (voice of Aaron Pierre) who is displaced by flood from his family and adopted into a rival pride with a surrogate brother (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) taking him under his mane. The only improvement on the film’s all-CGI predecessor is more expressive faces on the animals as brotherly rivalry ensues. The production patches together some rousing elements of past Lion King scores and doesn’t showcase Lin-Manuel Miranda’s new songs very well except one romantic ballad. Most of the movie is a tedious and far-fetched adventure including into inexplicably snow-capped parts of the African setting versus a villainous white lion (Mads Mikkelsen). This origin story doesn’t successfully open up or illuminate any special elements of the legend. Some of the nature settings are pretty. Mostly this installment is forgettable. 

My “FilmThirst” TikTok review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTY3wxFYa/

2024

“Flow” is a “Cat”-ivating Animated Spectacular

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The Latvian movie Flow (A) aka Straume) is an animated antidote and companion piece to Mad Max: Fury Road featuring assorted characters with survival on the mind careening on caravans toward a shared destiny. The characters in this human- and dialogue-free family adventure are all animals on a journey escaping an overpowering flood, and Gints Zilbalodis — director, co-writer, co-producer and co-musician — commandeers a master-class menagerie about navigating a world in crisis and the power of found family. The film follows a solitary animal named Cat who must find refuge and collaborate with other species on a boat after the deluge devastates their forest home. As the animals sail, often by boat, through mystical, overflowed landscapes, they overcome dangers while adapting to a transformed ecosystem. The beauty, scope and expression in this indie represent some of the most lovely animated work to ever reach the screen. The central feline is an utterly engaging protagonist, with each curious glance, curled nap, arched back, meow, yawn, hiss, leap or lurch amazingly authentic. Despite cats not loving water, this one becomes an avid fisherman to feed friends. The lavish world-building and thoughtfulness in rendering the ragtag ruffians including the resilient black cat, an organized ring-tailed lemur, a majestic secretarybird, a curious capybara and a spunky yellow Labrador demonstrate bountiful talent. Zilbalodis and team have crafted forces of nature including rushing torrents of water and flourishes of beauty including nature and man-made environments such as submerged cities with exquisite attention to detail. The filmmakers blend techniques of traditional cinema and open-world video games to create an immersive and dreamlike story. This gorgeous allegory takes viewers to a literal and metaphorical higher ground for greater empathy with lessons to impart for all ages. With a very quick running time of 85 minutes, be sure to stay for the brief post-credit sequence.

2024

Critical Dud “Despicable Me 4” Still a Box Office Blockbuster

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Discerning adult viewers may find themselves waiting all too often for a once-in-a-Minion moment of inspiration in this summer’s barely passable kid-friendly animated sequel. Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage’s Despicable Me 4 (D+) finds reformed supervillain Gru (voice of Steve Carrell) on the run with his family from revenge-seeking criminal mastermind Maxime Le Mal (voiced by Will Ferrell). The film is basically a patchwork of vignettes involving shape-shifting cockroaches, a surly baby, witness protection hijinks and a fleet of silly yellow henchmen gone wild in new and exotic shapes. Without a through-line of compelling story or a major comic touchstone, the film basically limps along to minimum babysitting length. The animation is fine but not particularly distinctive. It’s noisy and largely unfunny and will make buckets of money. 

2023, Rent It Tonight

Chalamet is “Wonka” in Charming Candy-Colored Prequel

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Expect an everlasting gobstopper of a smile on your face as the greatest showman of the chocolate-loving world headlines a delightful new origin story. Paul King’s musical fantasy family feature Wonka (B+) stars Timothee Chalamet as the titular confectioner who arrives in Europe to realize his dream of opening a candy shop but finds himself choc-blocked by a series of rivals. Chalamet is absolutely enchanting, summoning his theatre kid charms to embody a crooning, inventive optimist, not yet cynical to the ways of the world or banishing anyone to the fudge room. Partnered with the fabulous young actress Calah Lane in a series of adventures, they gracefully spark imagination and engage in deft wordplay. The whole ensemble is a hoot, including Olivia Colman as a wicked innkeeper, Rowan Atkinson as a priest with a sweet tooth and Hugh Grant as a surly Oompa-Loompa. King’s whimsical palette and maximalist production design sets the stage for fabulous surprises and sly humor around every corner; and Jody Talbot and Neil Hannon (frontman of Irish band Divine Comedy) bring uplift in the form of old-fashioned Broadway-style songs. When the plot shifts into all-out heist mode for a while, it’s a little less interesting; but like a string of taffy, Timmy springs it right back into sentimental health. This is definitely the non-ironic family feature of the year with just enough bite to keep everybody satisfied.

2023

Even a Fairy Godmother Couldn’t Save Disney’s Wobbly “Wish”

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Disney’s centennial emerges as its animation division experiences an awkward crossroads. Do animators lean into princesses, swashbucklers or steampunk? Do they focus on hand-drawn or computer generated animation? Tried and true Menkens and Mirandas or other new voices? Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn’s Wish (C+) is evidence of creative inertia, compromise and the wrong kind of recycling as its makers craft measures of vintage atmosphere but draw too heavily on fan service origin stories over forging interesting new paths. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you: that’s actually a mixture of watercolor and CG, a literal tug-of-war for tone in cartoon compositions before you even fixate on the film’s undercooked but byzantine story. It’s all a mallet to the palette. The plot focuses on Asha (voiced by a spirited Ariana DeBose), who makes a passionate plea to the stars after sensing a darkness in her kingdom led by Magnifico (Chris Pine, all snark and bark). The so-so music by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice (frequent Selena Gomez collaborators) is a nod to contemporary sensibilities but feels overwrought against the frilly imagery; they feel like stand-ins for something more hummable. There are indeed some creative flourishes: the notion that the deepest wishes of a country’s citizenry live inside precious bubbles within a royal repository and must be rescued and returned to their rightful owners feels like the stuff of Pixar pop psychology fusing into Disney proper. Buck and Veerasunthorn have delivered a pleasant enough fairy tale with heart, but it’s not quite emotional or funny enough to score classic status. They don’t even score with funny sidekicks. For all the building blocks assembled in the service of a Disney formula, it rarely reaches its higher yearning.

2023, Rent It Tonight

“The Little Mermaid” 2023 Remake Features Iconic Ariel and Eric Awash in Gloomy CGI

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Who would have guessed the mystifying problem with Rob Marshall’s live action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (B-) would be subpar animated visual content? Seemingly rendered in a murky millpond leagues away from where James Cameron toiled twelve years on his recent underwater opus, Marshall’s nautical nightmare of unsure blue hues and realistic looking talking sea creatures threatens to sink this ship before it even starts. Parting the waters of this production design debacle is a stunningly watchable fresh-faced pair in the lead performances as star-crossed lovers: the instantly endearing Halle Bailey in gorgeous voice as spirited mermaid Ariel and Jonah Hauer-King as earnest intrepid explorer Prince Eric. Together this dreamy duo could enchant viewers with a charm offensive against a blank backdrop and frankly probably should have. Sequences set in the ocean left much of the cast, including a cerebral Javier Bardem as King Triton, floundering. The story feels oddly like a submerged Bachelorette season: Thirst trap induced longing for life on land prompts the titular heroine to make a Faustian deal with villainous sea witch Ursula (a committed but CGI compromised Melissa McCarthy) to sprout human gams, and fortunately the sequences set on land are the sweet fantasia here. The musical numbers are a mixed bag with “Part of Your World,” “Kiss the Girl” and the new “Wild Unchartered Waters” as standouts, but Oscar winner “Under the Sea” feels like a throwaway, and the less said of a final act sing-speak by a squawking Awkwafina the better. Sure the kitchen scene antics of “Les Poissons” have been excised, but a house of horrors embodied by uncanny valley crab Sebastian, fish Flounder and seagull Scuttle is an omnipresent trilogy of terror. When the movie does more than skim the surface and anchors its fortunes to the central romance with some modern-day thematic resonance, the film featuring curious choices and excellent voices finally begins to stand on its own two feet.

Click here for Stephen’s review of the 1989 animated movie.

2022, Rent It Tonight

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” Makes a Case for Animation in the Pantheon of Serious Cinema

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The stop-motion animated musical fantasy Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (B+) co-directed by the titular moviemaking wunderkind and Mark Gustafson is not only a gorgeous creation to behold but deepens a timeless tale’s themes about the father-son bond. Set in 1930s Fascist Italy, the film’s every frame reflects meticulous craft and intrigue; and the sentimental story comes to life in unexpected and lyrical ways. The directors start pulling the heartstrings immediately in the prologue by depicting time spent between lonely woodcarver Gepetto and the son he lost before willing a merry marionette to life. David Bradley and Gregory Mann are solid in the father-son voiceover roles, and Ewan McGregor as a charming cricket is a spry standout in an ensemble including Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett and Christoph Waltz. The movie takes viewers to some familiar and exotic locations, with just enough change of venue to keep an oft-told story fresh. Alexander Desplat’s score is quite lovely too except his full-out songs which are more wooden than the protagonist puppet. The fable outstays its welcome a bit, and the title character could have used a central nervous system stimulant; but it’s largely a technical marvel with solid heart.

2022, Rent It Tonight

Despite Some Creative Moments, Disney’s “Strange World” Has Trouble Connecting

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Disney’s latest animated adventure is a triumph of representation and style, but the film’s storytelling barely scratches the surface. Don Hall’s Strange World (B-) follows a legendary explorer family who must set aside their differences as they embark on a journey to the center of the earth filled with surreal creatures to protect an agricultural power source. Clearly an homage to pulpy serialized sci-fi magazines, this tale examines a spectrum of masculinity as hunters and gatherers unite for common good. The land under Avalonia feels like Pandora Jr., and the rules of this subterranean world don’t reveal themselves soon enough. The bumper crop of voice talent – Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union and Jaboukie Young-White – add wonder and whimsy to the lush landscape and painterly palette seemingly inspired by popping boba pearls and squishy slime toys. The shape shifting sidekick Splat is fun and Henry Jackman’s music soaring, plus if Epcot’s Land Pavilion needs a fantastical farming voyage, it’s all right here. The movie is saved by some tender moments even though the action only dazzles in spurts. A film with characters devoted to their fortune seems destined for the animation studio’s second-tier shelf.