HOTEL FOR DOGS
LOOKING AFTER A dog is notoriously hard work with all the feeding, walking and poop-scooping, so imagine having an entire hotel full of demanding pooches to pander to. For Andi (Emma Roberts) and her little brother Bruce (Jake T Austin), it’s a labour of love. As foster children, they know what it’s like not to be wanted, forever being passed from one home to the next. They’ve kept their dog, Friday, under wraps for three years and now they’ve got room to look after all the city’s strays.
Bruce has a host of ingenious gadgets to help things run smoothly with a doggy gym, a special toilet that bags up poop and a car simulator so dogs can experience the windows down and the breeze in their fur. The hotel is also a welcome escape from the ordeal of staying with Andi and Bruce’s ghastly foster-parents (Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Dillon) and their ear-splitting rock music.
But not everyone is so dog crazy. A band of dog catchers is determined to put every dog in
the pound. Thankfully, there’s a brave, puppy-faced hero in Andi’s life who will do whatever it takes to secure the dogs’ freedom.
Hotel For Dogs is Cert U.
Visit www.hotelfordogsmovie.com
THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX
AFTER WINNING AMERICA’S top award for children’s fiction, the prestigious John Newbery Medal for Literature, Kate DiCamillo’s novel has now been animated for the silver screen.
A young mouse, Despereaux, is different from his fellows. It’s not just that he’s very small and has very large ears. He refuses to scurry and cower with fear and instead follows his instinct for adventure, snatching cheese from the jaws of mousetraps and even courting a princess. It’s not long before his heroism lands him in trouble but, thanks to his pluck, he rises to the challenge.
“We tried to create a timeless fairytale world, far removed from the craziness of modern life,” says director Sam Fell. “We wanted it to feel like
a big warm hug.” With Matthew Broderick as the voice of the eponymous hero, Emma Watson as Princess Pea and Dustin Hoffman as Roscuro, a rat with a shady past, this splendid animation makes
a perfect heart-warming tale for winter.
The Tale of Despereaux is Cert PG. Visit www.thetaleofdespereauxmovie.com
MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA
IT’S BEEN THREE years since Madagascar burst onto the screen for the first time to the delight of children all over the world. Now, Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and their friends are back for another great adventure.
This time, the gang find themselves marooned on an island. The enterprising penguins soon set about repairing an old aeroplane wreck that they find on the island, and throwing caution to the wind, the team splutter across the Indian Ocean, only to crash-land on the African plains.
It isn’t long before Alex is reunited with his father, the alpha male of the pride, and his mother, who is delighted at the return of her prodigal son. While Alex adjusts to life living on his wits in the wild, Gloria faces a challenge of a different kind: her good looks and exuberant personality attract the attention of fellow hippo Moto Moto (Will I Am). Is it time for Gloria to have a little romance?
Children will love the humour, colourful characters and sun-drenched scenery.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is Cert U. For details, visit www.madagascar-themovie.com
IGOR
IT’S A GRIM existence for a hunchback like Igor (John Cusack) when you live in the dismal land of Malaria, where the sun never shines, storms perpetually rage and everyone is out to be as villainous and dastardly as they possibly can.
Like all the other hunchbacks, Igor is destined to be the assistant of an evil scientist. Igor’s master, Dr Glickenstein (John Cleese), is not only evil, he’s also hopeless at science. Igor, however, is something of a whizz, inventing an indestructible rabbit called Scamper (Steve Buscemi), and Brain, otherwise known as Brian (Sean Hayes), thanks to a spelling mistake on the jar he floats around in.
When Dr Glickenstein accidently blasts himself into space in a rocketship, Igor gets the chance to enter the Evil Science Fair in his place. He hopes to scoop the big prize with his latest invention, an evil monster, Eva (Molly Shannon). The trouble is his creation is anything but evil. In fact, she’s rather sweet, giving blind orphans rides in her gigantic hands. Igor sets off on a mission
to make her evil but Eva has other aspirations, deciding to pursue a career on the stage. However, her foray into showbiz doesn’t run smoothly and Eva soon faces a tough decision.
Igor is Cert PG7. For details, see www.igormovie.co.uk
FLY ME TO THE MOON
NAT IS A tiny fly with a big dream – to go into space. So dragging along best friends IQ and Scooter, he hops aboard the Apollo 11 as it prepares for 1969’s historical moon landing.
Of course he flies into obstacles – the ever-present danger of getting swatted, wiring mishaps aboard the rocket and tangles with Russian flies who can’t bear the thought of those darn American flies making it into space first.
The pie-eyed characters are voiced by a host of well-known names – Christopher Lloyd is Nat’s adventuring grandfather, Nicollette Sheridan, the Russian lover and Kelly Ripa voices Nat’s mother.
This definitely isn’t one of those pseudo-kiddie flicks with adult in-jokes – its tone is clean cut and gentle with the entertainment strictly aimed at an audience aged 8 and under. It’s also the first animated feature shot in 3D and the camera positively luxuriates in it, with the pockmarked landscapes of Earth’s sleeping satellite most impressive in the format. Also children will love donning the cool 3D glasses.
Fly Me To The Moon is Cert PG. For further details, see www.momentumpictures.co.uk
WALL-E
HUMAN BEINGS CAN be a mean old bunch. Having cluttered up the planet with all their junk, they’ve escaped on an enormous spaceship. Meanwhile, poor little WALL-E has to clean up the mess, crunching the junk in his tummy and popping it back out in neat cubes. But this little chap’s no mindless automaton. He lovingly sorts the treasure from the trash, stowing gems, such as a Rubik’s Cube, in his own hidey-hole. Then one day, another robot, EVE, is beamed down from above. She’s swish, she’s cool and she has an impressive ability to blow stuff up. WALL-E is in love. But, like all great romances, this one doesn’t run smoothly. First EVE tries to blitz him with her powerful beams and then she’s swept away to the far reaches of the universe. Will WALL-E be able to get his girl?
WALL-E is Cert U. See www2.disney.co.uk/DisneyMovies/Walle
THE FOX AND THE CHILD
ONE DAY, WHILE walking in the forest, a little French girl catches sight of a fox. Captivated, she ventures nearer for a closer look. The fox raises his head, their eyes meet and she feels an instant connection to the furry little creature.
Setting out to win his companionship, the little girl is drawn deeper into the hidden corners of the forest as both fox and child discover the natural world at its finest and fiercest.
The makers of March Of The Penguins and Arctic Tale have created another wonderful ode to the beauty of Mother Nature. Being a live-action movie, the array of woodland creatures overflow with charm and character precisely because they are real animals, not CGI creations.
But it is the forest that is the real star of the show, resplendent in her wonderful colours as she parades through all four seasons. From the call of the cuckoo to the howl of the wolf, the many sounds of the wild are also in full cry and the whole experience will awaken the eco-warrior in even the most hardened city-dwelling infant.
The Fox And The Child, Cert U, is out nationwide on August 8. For further information, see
www.thefoxandthechildmovie.co.uk
KUNG-FU PANDA
WITH HIS TUBBY belly and love of napping, Po the panda (Jack Black) seems unlikely to fulfil his dream of becoming a kung fu artist. However, when the return of the evil snow leopard, Tai Lung, threatens the Valley of Peace, Po is flung centre stage.
The wise tortoise Oogway identifies Po as the Dragon Warrior, the only one capable of defeating Tai Lung. Po suddenly finds himself on a gruelling training programme, under the inspiring guidance of Master Shifu, a midget kung fu warrior.
As well as the vocal talents of Jack Black, a whole host of A-list movie stars are on hand to lend their voices to the colourful characters, including Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman and Jackie Chan. Get ready for slick kung fu action and lots of laughs in this fun family film.
Kung Fu Panda is Cert PG. For further information, see www.kungfupanda.com
NIM’S ISLAND
LIFE’S PRETTY SWEET for Nim (Abigail Breslin), growing up on a tropical island with her plankton-loving scientist father (Gerard Butler) and a collection of animal chums. But when her father fails to return from a field trip following a violent storm, all Nim’s resourcefulness is put to the test. She receives a chance e-mail from author and adventurer Alex Rover, and decides to ask him for help. The trouble is, the real Alex Rover is a jittery, agoraphobic writer called Alexandra (Jodie Foster).
Plucking up all her courage, Alex Rover resolves to answer Nim’s plea
and makes the gruelling journey over land, air and sea. Needless to say, when she pitches up looking like a drowned rat, Nim is none too impressed.Fortunately, a romantic ending is not far from the horizon...
Nim’s Island is Cert U. For further information, see www.nimsisland.com
HORTON HEARS A WHO
AS HORTON THE elephant frolics in the pool in the jungle of Nool, he hears a tiny noise emanating from a speck of dust nestling on a head of clover. Rather than dismissing it, Horton considers that this tiny speck could be host to a tiny universe. Which, in turn, leads to the question: “What if our world is just a tiny speck to some other great universe?” Big thoughts for preschoolers, but this tale, from the makers of Ice Age, is delivered with charm and humour as doubters brand Horton crazy for talking to invisible beings and the fate of the Who’s of Whoville lies in his hands.
A delightful retelling of one of the less familiar Dr Seuss stories with a powerful moral playfully delivered. The Whovilles are classic creations, while gentle giant Horton is a true crusader for the underdog with his humanitarian outlook: “A person’s a person, no matter how small.” Horton Hears a Who is Cert U. For details, visit www.hortonmovie.co.uk
THE GAME PLAN
DWAYNE “THE ROCK” Johnson is Joe Kingman, quarterback for the Boston Reds. He has everything: the fame, the car and dates by the dozen. His agent is on the point of capturing a $25 million contract if the Reds take the championship and then… disaster.
The eight-year-old daughter he never knew he had comes to stay and now Joe has to juggle training and celebrity appearances with ballet classes and bedtime stories. All the while, a judgemental media are scrutinising his every move, watching for any slip-ups.
The real joy of this film is seeing The Rock and his testosterone-fuelled buddies totally outsmarted by a feisty little miss in a tutu. There are some great set pieces with a team of truck-sized super-athletes reduced to blubbing softies by a troupe of girls dancing a woodland tale. There’s also sentiment aplenty as Joe discovers there are more important things in life than “Being Number One”.
The Game Plan is Cert U.
ARCTIC TALE
LIFE IN THE Arctic is undeniably tough, what with icy gales blowing in your face all day long and mean male polar bears trying
to gobble you up. But now the animals of the North have an extra hardship to deal with – the rise in global temperatures means their frozen world is fast turning to slush.
This documentary-style film, from the makers of March Of The Penguins, follows Nanu, a newborn polar-bear cub, and Seela,
a baby walrus, as they struggle to survive.
The stars of the show are actually composites of several individuals, but it’s all edited together so seamlessly you’d never be able to tell. Watch as they learn to hunt down their dinner, fend off predators and find suitable mates. You’re even treated to a voluble episode of walrus farting, set to the tune of We Are Family. A sweet coming-of-age film that highlights the serious issue of climate change.
Arctic Tale is Cert U.
