Kids and Family — Reviews

'Soul'

Pixar reminds us all of the possibilities of animation as a medium.

Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonJanuary 1, 2021Pete Docter, Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Phylicia Rashad, Kemp Powers, Tina Fey, Graham Norton

'Frozen II'

Disney by and large dodges sequelitis with the crowd-pleasing follow-up to Frozen.

Reviews, Kids and FamilyAndrew JohnsonJanuary 1, 2020Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, josh gad, Idina Menzel

'Toy Story 4'-Ever

Toy Story 4 cements that Pixar’s tentpole series has no equal in the era of franchise films.

Essays and Analysis, Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonJune 27, 2019

'Dr. Seuss' The Grinch'

It could have been oh-so-much worse. In the end, the 2018 iteration of The Grinch is a pleasant if wholly unnecessary re-imagining of the tale done best by Boris Karloff and company in 1966.

Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonNovember 13, 2018Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Angela Lansbury, Kenan Thompson, Pharrell Williams

'Beauty and the Beast'

A charming enough remake of an animated classic just throws the original in to starker relief as one of the genre's greatest films.

Reviews, Kids and FamilyAndrew JohnsonMarch 17, 2017Bill Condon, Josh Gad, Emma Watson, Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans

'The Lego Batman Movie'

Though not as surprisingly adorable as The Lego Movie, this Will Arnett-led follow-up still manages to be pretty darn heartfelt and fun.

Kids and Family, Comedy, ReviewsSteve CiminoMarch 16, 2017Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Jenny Slate, Michael Cera, Ralph Fiennes, Rosario Dawson

'My Life as a Zucchini'

This Oscar-nominated, stop-motion animated gem packs more emotion into 70 minutes than most movies can dream of.

Kids and Family, Foreign, ReviewsSteve CiminoMarch 4, 2017Claude Barras

'Kubo and the Two Strings'

Laika Studios' latest visual stunner might be their best effort to date.

Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonOctober 10, 2016Art Parkinson, charlize theron, Chris Butler, Marc Haimes, Matthew McCounaghey, ralph fiennes, rooney mara, Travis Knight

'The Jungle Book'

Director Jon Favreau brings the love to a live-action remake of a classic Disney animated film.

Action and Adventure, Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonApril 29, 2016ben kingsley, bill murray, christopher walken, idris elba, jon favreau, Lupita Nyong'o, Neel Sethi, Scarlett Johannson

'Zootopia'

Disney's latest animated feature is a little bit on the, ahem, snout.

Action and Adventure, Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonMarch 19, 2016Byron Howard, Ginnifer Goodwin, idris elba, J-K- Simmons, Jared Bush, jason bateman, Jenny Slate, Rich Moore, Shakira

'Shaun the Sheep Movie'

It's a tough sell if you have a short attention span, but the Wallace and Gromit spinoff is worth the effort.

Kids and Family, Reviews, UncategorizedAndrew JohnsonDecember 19, 2015John Sparkes, Justin Fletcher, Mark Burton, Omid Djalili, Richard Starzak

'Monkey Kingdom'

Disneynature's latest documentary is a frustrating one if you pay attention too closely.

Documentary, Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonDecember 9, 2015Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield, tina fey

'Cinderella'

Kenneth Branagh succeeds where many others have failed

Fantasy, Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonApril 11, 2015cate blanchett, Derek Jacobi, helena bonham carter, Holliday Grainger, Kenneth Branagh, Lily James, Richard Madden, Sophie McShera, stellan skarsgard

'Maleficent'

Maleficent is not evil in Disney's reimagining of The Sleeping Beauty, but she isn't particularly memorable either.

Fantasy, Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonNovember 22, 2014angelina jolie, Elle Fanning, Robert Stromberg, sharlto copley

'The Boxtrolls'

Laika Studios establishes itself as the best family film studio around.

Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonSeptember 28, 2014ben kingsley, Elle Fanning, Isaac Hempstead Wright, jared harris, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, tracy morgan

'Muppets Most Wanted'

The momentum of a 2011 reboot is squandered in this cameo-heavy sequel.

Comedy, Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonAugust 23, 2014Bill Baretta, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, james bobin, ricky gervais, Steve Whitmire, tina fey, ty burrell

Review: 'The Lego Movie'

Far from a lazy cash-in, The Lego Movie might end up being the most entertaining film of 2014.

Comedy, Kids and Family, ReviewsSteve CiminoFebruary 17, 2014chris pratt, Christopher Miller, elizabeth banks, Phil Lord, The Lego Movie, Will Arnett

'Monsters University'

Here lies proof that Pixar is a victim of its own success.

Comedy, Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonJanuary 22, 2014Billy Crystal, charlie day, Dave Foley, Helen Mirren, john goodman, Sean Hayes, steve buscemi

'Frozen'

Disney finds its sweet spot in the computer-animated world.

Kids and Family, Musicals, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonDecember 15, 2013alan tudyk, ciaran hinds, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, josh gad, kristen bell, Santino Fontana

'Oz the Great and Powerful'

Venturing back to Oz is a huge gamble -- one that doesn't pay off for director Sam Raimi.

Fantasy, Kids and Family, ReviewsAndrew JohnsonMarch 10, 2013james franco, joey king, michelle williams, mila kunis, oz the great and powerful, rachel weisz, sam raimi