I’ve spent this month watching kid movies. As much as I had fun with it, I also just wanted it to end. Kid movies are fun, light-hearted, and quirky, and sometimes that’s just what you need in life. There are some amazing kid movies out there, and then you have the generic ones. I think near the end of the month it got very generic and boring. I still want to watch Monster’s University since I never got the chance to watch it this month… for a kid movie it’s two hours, and I just haven’t found time to sit and watch that.

So here it comes, some films you should watch, and some films you can skip.

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The Lorax: Ted wants to impress this girl Audrey when she says the man who finds her a tree she’ll marry. This gives Ted an incentive to go looking for a real tree. Where they live, trees are non-living electrical things. It’s Ted’s grandma who tells him about the once-ler, a man who cut down the last of the trees, but he entrusts Ted to plant the last seed. Of course there’s an evil villain who is against these trees, a guy who sells air. He’s threatened because trees produce air for free. It’s a cute plot, showing the moral that not only do we need to preserve trees because they’re good for us, but it shows that anyone can step up and do their part. Just because one person didn’t do it, doesn’t mean another can’t. The film was very colourful, and the dialogue was hilarious. They made grandma’s character, who is played by Betty White, after her and how badass she is. It’s almost a musical with all the singing that happens. Overall, it’s a very cute, very happy film that will warm your heart.

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Paddington: Based off the children’s books comes the film version of Paddington Bear. Paddington has suffered after the loss of his uncle. An explorer has told the bears that they would be welcomed warmly to London if they ever visit so his aunt sends him there, only he finds the complete opposite. No one wants him so he has to try to find a family. The Browns have agreed to take him in and slowly one by one each family member starts to warm up to him. But someone is after Paddington. The explorer’s daughter wants to stuff him and put him in a museum. It’s up to the Browns to save him. It’s a cute family move filled with perseverance, showing right from wrong, and unprejudiced against races and beings. There was lots of laughter and good fun, but the plot was just stale and boring. A lot of it was predictable, and quite frankly not worthy of a second watch. Overall, it was an okay film with funny dialogue, but a bland plotline.

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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: Flint just wants to be the one to invent the next best thing. When every invention of his fails, he doesn’t give up, instead he invents a machine that makes it rain food by accident. It becomes a sensation across every nation until it causes a spaghetti tornado. The food starts to attack everyone and it’s up to Flint to save everyone. It’s a cute, and original film on perseverance. The plot is funny and a little strange with it raining food, but it’s different and fresh to watch. It’s never boring because something new is always happening. The film also teaches on being different and being creative and thinking outside the box. The characters are sweet and of course the directors and writers had to add in a heartfelt plotline with Flint and his father to appeal to the audience. Overall, it was a well-done film filled with great actors, and a great plotline.

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How to Train Your Dragon 2: Hiccup is off discovering new lands when one day he runs into an ice cave where inside lives his mother, a mother he’s never known, a mother who he’s thought was dead his entire life. Someone is after the dragons, wanting to take them down. Just as Hiccup’s family becomes a family again, trouble and devastation strike. It is up to Hiccup to save their kingdom, and save the dragons. It’s a film of heroism, and a story of the underdog fighting for what he believes in. The plot moved along beautifully with never a dull second. The dialogue in this film was great and filled with witty remarks. It didn’t feel forced at all making the film that much more enjoyable. The film plays with the viewer’s heartstrings throughout the plot, and the fact that all the dragons were cute added to this. Overall, it’s a great film filled with fun and adventure and great plotlines!

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Brave: Merida wants nothing to do with being a princess, but her mother persists that she should be ladylike. Annoyed at her mother, Merida travels and meets a witch who gives her a curse to change her mother… into a bear. Now Merida must try to change her mother back before the second sunrise or else her mother will stay a bear. Throughout the film, mother and daughter become closer as they go through their trials. It’s a film about bravery, fighting odds, and understanding that you can learn from anyone either it is your daughter or your mother. The plot was cute, funny and definitely an adventure. There’s a good reason why there was so much hype when this film came out, it’s a really good and touching film. The viewer feels with the characters and they are relatable. Overall, it’s definitely a Disney film worth watching.

Skip

The Princess and the Frog: Growing up Tiana heard the story of the Frog Princess when one day she is faced with a frog; a voodoo magician has turned Prince Naveen into a frog. He convinces Tiana to kiss him to turn him back into a human, only that doesn’t work and they both end up frogs. Now they need to figure out how to turn themselves back into humans. The film is one adventure after another, with a romance plotline thrown in between. The film plays off the story of the Frog Princess, yet the plotline is predictable and the viewer knows it’s going to be a happily ever after. It’s very cheesy with the romance as well. This film isn’t one of Disney’s best; it could have been better. The characters were stale and boring. It didn’t feel original. Overall, an unoriginal film that isn’t worth watching again.

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Ramona and Beezus: Ramona is an eight-year-old who is very mischievous. Beezus, or Beatrice is her older sister. One thing after another Ramona just seems to get in everybody’s way. She tries hard to be grown up so that everyone will like her better, but all her attempts fail. She’s constantly compared to Beezus so when it gets out of control she feels the need to run away only to find that her family can’t live without her. It’s a cute film. Based off the books by Beverley Cleary Ramona is an extraordinary kid who is always getting into trouble, but it’s fun. It’s fun to watch no matter what age you are. The plot is great; it goes on for a little while, and the viewer wonders where the film is going, but it’s enjoyable to watch so it’s not a complaint when silly things keep happening. The film is definitely touching. You get to see the dynamic relationship between sisters and how deep their love runs. The actors in this film do a great job of portraying the character they are playing. Overall, it’s a fun filled film with an extraordinary story.

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The Smurfs 2: Smurfette thinks everyone forgot her birthday and so she goes to hide out by the water, only Gargamel’s Smurf-like creatures kidnap her. Gargamel wants to steal the formula to make Smurfs so he can rule the world. When Smurfette thinks her Papa won’t come to save her she’s conflicted about giving the formula over to save the Smurf creatures she’s come to love. While Papa Smurf has his human friends, Patrick, Grace and Victor, help him save Smurfette. Chasing Gargamel all throughout Paris it’s one adventure after another. Everyone learns the true meaning of what it is to be a family in this action-packed rescue mission. The plot was fun and entertaining. The fact that the villain was made an ugly henchman made it easier to hate him. It’s a funny, and it’s a sweet film. There are a lot of goofy moments to keep the viewer laughing. Overall, it was a good way to spend two hours.

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Horton Hears a Who: Horton is just your average elephant in the jungle. He can’t harm a fly, so when he hears noise coming from a spec, he feels it is his job to rescue whoever is on the spec. Everyone thinks he’s crazy talking to this spec. Kangaroo wants to put an end to it, she thinks it’s ruining the children’s minds and making them question authority. She sends Vlad, an evil vulture, after Horton to get rid of the spec. What everyone doesn’t realize is that the town of Whos live on the spec. It’s up to the Whos to make as much noise to let everyone know they exist. It’s a funny movie filled with lots of funny dialogue. There are also many comedians that put the film’s hilarious plotline into motion, and giving the characters life. Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Seth Rogan, and Amy Poehler are just a few of the comedians. The film is all about acknowledging that everyone is a person no matter how small they may be. Overall, it was a cute film that kept you laughing.

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Turbo: Theo is just an average garden snail with dreams to race in the Indy 500. His brother Chet is getting tired of his brother’s crazy antics. Theo runs away only to end up at a drag race where he falls into a car. When he wakes up he finds he’s not a normal snail anymore. He’s a fast snail, and when he saves his brother from a crow attack, the two end up in the clutches of snail racing group. This leads to Theo’s dream; the Indy 500. The movie is filled with quick wits, and humorous lines. The film is done so well that the viewer is in suspense as Theo, or as his new racing name Turbo, is out on the track. The outcome of the film is predictable, but how the film gets there isn’t, and it’s a fun film to watch. Overall, it was a cute film with great messages of perseverance and will, that anyone can do anything if they set their mind to it.

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Megamind: All his life Megamind just wanted to fit in, but he was never good at anything, until he realizes he is good at being bad. Fighting against Metro Man his entire life until Megamind finally destroys him. But this just makes him bored so he makes a new hero, Tighten, only things don’t go the way Megamind would have liked. Tighten turns evil, causing Megamind to find out who he truly is, and possibly save the city and get the girl. The film was an animated romantic comedy filled with good verses evil, and figuring out the person you are meant to be. The film had it’s funny moments and moments of true seriousness. You can tell from the beginning that Megamind isn’t a true villain, he loves too much, but it was still fun to watch him be tormented by trying to turn into a good guy. Overall, it was a sub satisfactory film. It’s predictable where the film will go, but can still be considered entertaining to watch.