Children’s Movie Reviews

Puss in Boots 3D

An orange tabby cat wakes in a prison cell. The camera pans the room as he notes his surroundings: an empty milk bottle, a lovely girl kitty on a pillow (with whom, you guess, he’s spent a rapturous previous evening), and a fellow prisoner (hairy, human, and shackled). The cat pulls on his boots, steals a ring from the sleeping man’s finger, and makes his way to the windowsill. Ducking as the man heaves his own boot at his head, the cat scampers away to freedom as his cellmate yells after him, “You can’t run forever, Puss in Boots!”
Real Steel

Eleven-year-old Max (Dakota Goyo) is a quiet, independent-minded kid who’s never met his dad, Charlie (Hugh Jackman). Not only has father never been around; he doesn’t even know Max exists until Max’s mom and Charlie’s onetime girlfriend dies. This boys-world set-up is familiar for Disney movies, and as usual, it sets up an irresistible bond at the start of Real Steel.
Dolphin Tale

Sawyer (Nathan Gamble) is dreading summer as Dolphin Tale begins. He’s 11 years old and facing summer school and, worse, the departure of his beloved cousin Kyle (Austin Stowell), who’s heading to Iraq for a tour of duty. For Sawyer, this calls up some bad memories of abandonment, as his dad left years ago and hasn’t been heard from since.
The Lion King 3D

The Lion King offers all of Disney’s usual tricks: songs and sidekicks, romance and redemption, a noble hero and a wicked villain, and ... a dead parent. Yes, there is that.
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D

The stars of the old Spy Kids movies are no longer kids, of course. Spy Kids 3D: Game Over was released way back in 2003. But the new generation — another brother and sister, Cecil (Mason Cook) and Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) Wilson — are just as rambunctious and fearless as the previous kids. And indeed, when Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) show up partway through Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D, they can’t help but see themselves mirrored in the Wilsons.
Glee 3D Concert Movie

The kids from Glee take to the concert stage in Glee 3D Concert Movie, singing and dancing and smiling to beat the band. A few shots of eager crowds — both still photos and very mobile video — reveal how thrilled they are to see favorite characters: “I love Blaine!” reads one of many assorted homemade signs, while someone else admires that Rachel’s so “Streisand-esque.” Intercut with these testimonials are shots of the players backstage, being made up or preparing to sing: Lea Michele, who plays Rachel, sips hot water with lemon and honey, and Mark Salling, who plays Puck,…
Cowboys & Aliens

When Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) comes to at the start of Cowboys & Aliens, he’s gasping for air. Behind him stretches a New Mexican landscape, with wind blowing and dust slowly swirling. He checks himself: he’s got a bloody gash in his side and an odd dark-metal-and-lights bracelet on his arm. It’s not long before he’s also got an opportunity: three rough-hewn men ride up on him, believing he’s a wanted man and imagining they’ll trade him in for a bounty. Jake has other ideas: in a moment, he’s taken out all three, outfitted himself with their weapons and boots, and…
The Smurfs

Everyone knows the Smurfs sing all day — and also that their song is repetitive and annoying. And indeed, when they first appear in Raja Gosnell’s movie, they’re la-la-la-ing in their magical village in their enchanted woods, preparing for the festival of the blue moon. It’s not long before the idyll is upset, and they’ve zapped through a portal created by the blue moon into New York City.
Captain America: The First Avenger

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to go to war. It’s 1942, and he’s a scrawny kid from Brooklyn, too scrawny, according to army doctors, to join up. And indeed, the early images of Steve in Captain America: The First Avenger, emphasize his slender build and visible ribs, as he’s standing shirtless before a doctor, who marks his form “4F.”
Winnie The Pooh

For Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings), the most important thing is always honey. No matter what time of day or what else might distract him, he comes back to the fact that his tummy is rumbling and he must fill it. Just so, Winnie The Pooh begins as he wakes one fine morning in the Hundred Acre Wood and, on hearing the usual noises from within his pudgy belly and sets out in search of sustenance.