Because trouble comes in all sizes.
The quest to find quality children’s movies can be harrowing. Yet the price of admission continues to rise. Factor in the exorbitant cost of snacks and you have quite the conundrum as a parent. Oddly enough, movie studios only release a relatively paltry amount of new kid’s films a year. The quality can run the gamut from transcendent to trash. As the year comes to a close, we’re looking back at the top 5 Children’s Movies of 2016.
I’ve been watching Disney-Pixar movies since the release of Toy Story in 1996. It would be a decade later that my own parenting journey would begin. The depth of emotion invested in each subsequent movie such as Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 became more apparent as my life as a Dad evolved. As many parents would attest, Moms and Dads find themselves growing up along with their children. Disney-Pixar’s latest movie, Inside Out, explores the powerful emotions of change experienced by an 11 year old girl as well as the profound effect on the lives of her family.
The animated feature “Hotel Transylvania” from Sony Pictures Animation and director Genndy Tartakovsky, injects the classic horror monsters world with a fresh comedic take on the creatures of the night. Audiences have responded favorably to the movie resulting in a top position for weeks at the box office. Based on anticipated enthusiasm for the movie, Titan Books released “The Art and Making of Hotel Transylvania” by Tracey Miller-Zarneke. An inside look featuring concept art, character sketches, storyboards, digital art, interviews and more.
When you’re a parent of young children, going to the movies doesn’t necessarily include seeking out quality stories. On the contrary, the experience often entails going to see whatever age appropriate movie is playing on a given day. Such was the case when choosing to see the animated feature “Ice Age: Continental Drift”, the 4th installment of the ongoing adventures of Manny the Mammoth, Diego the Sabretooth Tiger, and Sid the Sloth. Surprisingly, a comically fiendish band of pirates breathes new life into the series offering up a pleasant diversion much like an ice cream sundae.
Being the 3rd movie of the series, I had low expectations for the latest installment of “Madagascar”. Yet it was an unusually hot Saturday for June, and the kids were in dire need of a diversion. I opted to skip the 3D version and use the savings to buy an overpriced medium sized popcorn instead. After a seemingly infinite amount of movie trailers, the lights mercifully dimmed and “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” started. Ten minutes into the movie, the unexpected happened. I was actually enjoying it…a lot.