Certificate:

Directors: Ron Clements & John Musker

Release Date: 10 October 1997

Tagline: A comedy of epic proportions.

Main Cast: (voice)

Tate Donovan … Hercules

Josh Keaton … Young Hercules

Danny DeVito … Philoctetes

James Woods … Hades

Surprisingly, I didn’t really enjoy this. It lacks the usual touch of disney magic and charm. The songs are not of the usual quality (I didn’t find any of them catchy or memorable) so perhaps that is the reason why. They’ve also made Hercules a bit of a whiney brat too.

Younger children will be fairly bored by it, so whilst it is a U certificate, I would think that the target age is around seven year olds. I also think that, unlike many other Disney films, there is no repeated viewing value.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Certificate:

Directors: Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino

Release Date: 21 March 2008

Tagline: After all, a person is a person, no matter how small.

Main Cast: (voice)

Jim Carrey … Horton

Steve Carell … Mayor

Carol Burnett … Kangaroo

I always liked Dr. Suess’s books but have remained doubtful if any of them could really be converted to a film. After the utterly dreadful The Cat in the Hat (2003), I understand that his widow decided to no longer give permission for live action adaptations of the books.

So, is HHAW! any good? I’m pleased to say that yes, it is. It’s made by the studio responsible for the Ice Age films, which are very good, and is very charming and engaging from the start. Obviously, the target audience is for younger children, but any fan of Dr. Suess (such as myself) would find this entertaining.

Pure, simple and innocent fun. Fantastic!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Certificate:

Director: Hoyt Yeatman

Release Date: 31 July 2009

Tagline: The world needs bigger heroes.

Main Cast:

Bill Nighy … Leonard Saber

Zach Galifianakis … Ben

Sam Rockwell … Darwin (voice)

Jon Favreau … Hurley (voice)

Nicolas Cage … Speckles (voice)

G-Force has guinea pigs in it. Talking guinea pigs. That’s two stars already! I actually really liked this, and don’t know why it has such a poor rating on the IMDB. It’s fast and funny, and although the plot is slightly bizarre and formulaic, it kept me entertained. Basically, a group of guinea pig special agents discover a plot to take over the world through household appliances (I told you it was bizarre), and they have to save the day. There are some really good gadgets, and I especially liked the exercise ball cars.

Whilst not in the same league as Pixar films, G-Force is still very worth watching both for children and adults.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Certificate:

Directors: Pete Docter & Bob Peterson (co-director)

Release Date: 9 October 2009

Main Cast: (Voice)

Ed Asner … Carl Fredricksen

Jordan Nagai … Russell

Christopher Plummer … Charles Muntz

I don’t know how Pixar do it, but they have raised the bar again with this glorious film.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried. Three times, in fact (and twice during the first twenty minutes or so!) Watching Carl’s life unfold is both joyous and heartbreaking. And then, along comes Russell to cheer us all up!

I could write for hours about what makes Up such a work of pure genius, but I won’t. You need to discover it for yourself.

Please, please do not miss this film!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Certificate:

Director: Henry Selick

Release Date: 8 May 2009

Tagline: Be careful what you wish for.

Main Cast: (voice)

Dakota Fanning … Coraline Jones

Teri Hatcher … Mel Jones / Other Mother / Beldam

Jennifer Saunders … Miss April Spink / Other Spink

Dawn French … Miss Miriam Forcible / Other Forcible

I really liked this. A beautifully crafted stop-motion animated tale about a bored girl whose explorations give her more than she bargained for. This is the first 3D stop-motion film to be made, although I can’t comment on if was a success or not as I watched the 2D version.

Coraline is rather an unlikeable character. Her family have just moved in to a rather peculiar house that has been divided in to apartments, and the other residents are all oddballs. Neither of her parents have much time for her so she’s left to find her own entertainment. She’s sullen and rude, and I kind of liked it when she realised how much trouble she’d got herself in.

She comes across a small door which leads her to a parallel universe where her parents are attentive and her every whim is catered for. She is offered a chance to stay with these ‘other parents’, but she must first replace her eyes with black buttons (all of the characters in the other world beyond the door have buttons for eyes). This doesn’t appeal to Coraline, and the true nature of her predicament becomes evident.

Coraline is a dark fairytale like story with some really creepy moments and a sinister undertone and is definitely not for small children. In fact, I can see this giving more than one or two a few nightmares.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Certificate:

Directors: Carlos Saldanha and Mike Thurmeier (co-director)

Release Date: 1 July 2009

Tagline: The sub-zero heroes are back, on an incredible adventure… for the ages.

Main Cast: (Voice)

John Leguizamo … Sid

Ray Romano … Manny

Denis Leary … Diego

If you liked the previous Ice Age films, then you’ll like this. There is quite a lot of character building in this one, which is quite unusual in animated films. Manny now has a family, and both Diego and Sid are feeling like their paths are beginning to lead them elsewhere. Sid especially is finding himself at a crossroads, and when he stumbles across three eggs he decides to pretend that they’re his family. However, when they hatch he gets more than he bargained for!

Scrat has a slightly larger role, and I did find the screaming a bit annoying in the end, but that’s just a small thing.

Another solid addition to the Ice Age films. Great animation and as funny as its previous instalments.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Certificate:

Directors: Matthew O’Callaghan and Todd Wilderman (co-director)

Release Date: 27 January 2009

Tagline: This time it’s pets against wilds. Weiner takes all!

Main Cast: (voice)

Joel McHale … Elliot

Mike Epps … Boog

If you haven’t seen the original you might wonder what on earth is going on, so I recommend you watch Open Season first.  You’ll get more out of it if you do. Of course, being a kid’s film it’s not essential, but I like to watch films in the correct order and you’ll get a better feel for the main characters if you do.

Whilst not in the same league as Pixar (but then again, who is?) I found this to be a really funny sequel and not in the least bit disappointing. There is plenty to amuse kids and adults alike (it had my husband laughing out loud!)

The poor old bunnies get a bit of a raw deal, but they are scene stealers! Their expressions are priceless!

Good, solid entertainment and I would happily watch it again.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Certificate:

Directors: John Lasseter and Joe Ranft (co-director)

Release Date: 28 July 2006

Tagline: Ahhh… It’s got that new movie smell.

Main Cast: (voice)

Owen Wilson … Lightning McQueen

Paul Newman … Doc Hudson

Bonnie Hunt … Sally Carrera

Larry The Cable Guy … Mater

I have no clue why this received lukewarm reviews on release as it’s a very charming, funny and engaging film. How the animators managed to get so much character into cars I’ll never know. Humans and animals are easy to inject with emotion, but Pixar are proving to be exceptional at showing emotions on just about anything that they can put eyes on!

The film opens with a thundering race scene and the high octane thrills are fantastic, but its real joy is in the gentle and close knit town in which Lightning McQueen finds himself.

My favourite character has to be Mater, and my favourite scene is when he takes Lightning ‘cow’ tipping. Pure genius!

Cars is a visually stunning gem of a film. What more could you ask for?

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Certificate:

Directors: Chris Miller & Raman Hui (co-director)

Release Date: 29 June 2007

Tagline: Who’s ready for Thirds?

Main Cast: (voice)

Mike Myers … Shrek

Eddie Murphy … Donkey

Cameron Diaz … Princess Fiona

Antonio Banders … Puss in Boots

After reading reviews of this I wasn’t expecting too much. However, I thought it was much better than reported. I would have liked to have seen more of Donkey though, as I think he’s by far the best character. I do like the fact that Puss has now joined as a second sidekick to Shrek. As usual, there are plenty of little jokes in the background to amuse us adults.

Shrek the Third is not in the same league as the original, but I’d put it on a par with the second one.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Certificate:

Directors: Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath

Release Date: 15 July 2005

Tagline: Ton on the run.

Main Cast: (voice)

Ben Stiller … Alex

Chris Rock … Marty

David Schwimmer … Melman

Jada Pinkett Smith … Gloria

Sacha Baron Cohen … Julien

Madagascar follows a group of four friends from New York’s Central Park Zoo. One of them has a mural of a lush, green landscape opposite him, and this inspires him to leave New York for the ‘wild’. It’s not done in a schmaltzy and sentimental way (thankfully), and when he leaves the unexciting but safe zoo, the other characters go off to find him and bring him back. Which they do. However, they find themselves being taken from the zoo and put on a ship bound for Africa. And so the adventure begins.

This is another good animation that will be enjoyed by both children and adults. It’s very charming and engaging with several laugh out loud moments. The actors fit their characters very well; I especially liked Sacha Baron Cohen as Julien.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars