Onward

While Pixar’s newest film had a sadly short run in theaters, its appearance on Disney+ is nothing short of legendary. After it was released on April 3rd, I let my older son stay up late to watch it with me and my husband. Family movie nights and a bit of magic are just what the world needs right now, and Pixar knows how to deliver.

On Ian’s 16th birthday, his mother gives him and his brother, Barley a special gift from their father, who died before Ian was born. It’s a wizard staff, equipped with a phoenix gem and a spell that can bring their father back for one day. But the spell goes wrong, leaving the brothers with only the lower half of their father. Off in Barley’s hunk of junk van, the brothers must go on an epic quest to find another phoenix gem and finish the spell before the next sunset if they want to meet their father. 

Onward takes place in a modern fantasy world where magic has faded with the convenience of technology. Pixies form a motorcycle gang rather than use their wings. The legendary Manticore’s Tavern operates more like a TGIFridays. And fantastic pieces of ancient history are being torn down, with only Barley fighting for their significance. But as Ian and Barley go on their quest, more and more of this old magic is rekindled. I love how The Manticore decides to suddenly remodel, and all the Dungeons and Dragons references! But the best magic is the kind Ian and Barley discover in themselves.

Some of the funniest moments in the movie come from the father’s lower half and fake upper half getting the boys into trouble. Ian gives his father a fake upper half made of old clothes and sunglasses that flops around like the running gag in Weekend at Bernie’s. The moment with the dad and the cops cracked me up. And somehow, with only the lower half, the team at Pixar gives the father life, character and connection to his sons. Their rest stop dance party is a wonderful, sweet bit of family magic. 

Tom Holland and Chris Pratt’s characters play homage to some of their previous performances. Holland’s Ian is a socially awkward teen who needs to get over his meekness and harness some magic. Pratt’s Barley is a vest wearing, loud, fearless, kinda goofy and weirdly driven guy obsessed with his Dungeons and Dragons/Magic: the Gathering style game, Quests of Lore. While Ian is a bit embarrassed by his older brother and his lack of focus on the real world, I love how the film doesn’t try to fix Barley. In fact, the quest would have never gotten rolling without him.

Ian’s whole life he has been yearning for the father he never got to meet. It’s another one of Pixar’s signature heart tugging motifs that helps us sympathize with Ian and his family. But it’s one thing to long for something you never had, it’s another thing to lose it. His realization and sacrifice for Barley is so sweet and not something I expected to happen. It left me teary-eyed next to my son on the couch.

After the movie was over, I talked by my son about how he’s doing such a great job as a big brother. Siblings often don’t realize the impact they have on each other throughout their lives, but movies like Onward show the importance of that sibling bond and your journeys together. The song in the credits, Carried Me With You, puts it in better words than I can. 

“You’re the soul who understands, the scars that made me who I am. Through the drifting sands of time, I got your back and you got mine”

Frozen II

It has been six years since Frozen blasted into theaters and blew audiences away with a new look at Disney princesses and fairy tales. Since then, fans have been eagerly waiting and forming their own theories on what might come next for Elsa, Anna and their friends. While the filmmakers can’t fulfill our every hope and fantasy, Frozen II is a great next chapter for our beloved characters, full of laughter, tears, growth and more unforgettable songs.

This sequel takes place in autumn and despite a song titled Some Things Never Change, we can tell that big changes are coming for Elsa, Anna and all of Arandelle. It starts as Elsa hears a mysterious singing voice only she can hear. Is it calling for her? She, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf venture out to a fabled forest for answers. There they meet indigenous people of the land and characters from stories their parents told. Secrets of Arandelle’s history and the royal family will be revealed as Elsa journeys into the unknown, taming the elements and searching for the source of that voice calling to her. 

While Elsa and Anna are focused on the adventure at hand, Kristoff is busy worrying about how to propose to Anna. After one attempt goes wrong, he even sings a power ballad about his feelings for her. Lost in the Woods is easily my favorite song in this movie! It’s so refreshing to see a young male character like Kristoff so open about his feelings and romance, which is something we usually only see female characters do. Even better are little moments where Kristoff shows that he is an equal and supportive partner to Anna. When the couple meet up again in a moment of action and peril he doesn’t try to fight for her, but with her and says, “I’m here. What do you need?” I love that my young son gets to grow up with a role model like Kristoff. 

As much as I love these new songs, I am so glad I resisted the urge to listen to any of them before the film. None of them contain any huge lyrical spoilers, but you may connect some dots. And with any animated film, it’s just so fun to discover these songs visually. I especially enjoyed the gags and references in Lost in the Woods. And if you listen to Olaf’s solo tune, you have no idea what is going on. The Next Right Thing had me in tears, and Show Yourself is the new Let It Go. If you really need to get a taste of the music before seeing the movie, Into the Unknown is a safe track. 

There are so many wonderful things going on in this movie. There are themes of love, loss and grief that are so important for children to see in a way they can understand. But it’s so hard to talk about these in more detail without spoilers. I will say that while I understand some people are a little disappointed in this film when compared to the perfection of the original, I fully love and appreciate it and the effort that everyone behind it put in.  Frozen was lightning caught in a bottle. Something that amazing rarely happens twice. But Frozen II is a wonderful, warm, pure attempt to do it again. Some might focus on the imperfections or simply want what they’ve been hoping for, but I see some major sparks within this beautiful film. 

“I can’t freeze this moment but I can still go out and seize this day!”

Toy Story 4

Nine years after giving us a perfect ending to the Toy Story trilogy, the creators at Pixar have decided the story is not over. Toy Story 3 did not end with the cliche, And they lived happily ever after, though we could have believed that. Instead, in Toy Story 4, we see that while Bonnie promised Andy she would take good care of Woody, he often is not picked for playtime. She simply plucks his sheriff badge off his chest and gives it to Jessie, leaving Woody feeling rejected with the old toys in the closet.

With little playtime and no longer the leader (that’s Dolly’s role in Bonnie’s room) Woody is struggling with his purpose. Then he has a hand in Bonnie creating Forky, a spork figurine, so Woody feels responsible for him. Especially when Forky keeps throwing himself in the trash. When Forky gets lost, Woody takes it upon himself to find him and ends up meeting new adversaries and old friends in an antique shop and a traveling carnival.

From the promos, we all know Woody finds his old flame, Bo Peep, and I love how her story has turned. The beginning of the film, shows us how she left Andy’s house on a sad rainy night. We find out that years later she decided that instead of wasting away in the antique shop for someone to take her home, she became a lost toy, traveling around the park and sandbox in an RC car disguised as a skunk. She’s come a long way from her bonnet wearing days playing the damsel in distress in Andy’s room.

While there’s a lot to think about in this film, one of the best things about it is how comical it is. Forky flinging himself into the trash never gets old. Buzz’s way of discovering his inner voice is perfect for his character. Duke Kaboom’s backstory and posing is hilarious. Ducky and Bunny (voiced by Key and Peele) are wonderful new characters that add some seriously silly moments (especially in the credits). And my favorite laughs came from how the toys left in the RV keep stalling for time and eventually try to navigate the car, without Bonnie’s parents figuring them out.

To be really honest, I thought there was too much Forky and not enough of our old favorite characters. I mean what’s going on with Buzz and Jessie these days? There was so much with them in 3. But this isn’t their story, it’s Woody’s journey, and Forky is a big part of helping Woody get there. I get it, sorry, but I felt like we were left hanging, like that Combat Carl looking for a high five.

There’s a lot of meandering around with Forky to get to the heart of the matter in this story. It’s all about dealing with rejection and finding purpose in your life, even if it’s not quite how you imagined it. Forky wasn’t on board to be a toy at first, but with Woody’s help comes around to the idea. Accepting new roles will come for other key characters as well. And while the ending is not quite the amazing tear jerker 3 gave us, it’s still wonderfully bittersweet.

“I can’t let you throw yourself away.”

Missing Link

In Laika’s newest animated film, a British adventurer, Lionel (Hugh Jackman), seeks out the elusive sasquatch. He does this not for research or sport, but to secure a place in some high society club. You see, his peers look down Lionel. They don’t consider his work worthy and they just plain don’t like him or want him around. Nonetheless, Lionel is determined to prove the small-minded men wrong.

After a long journey, Lionel finds the sasquatch (Zach Galifianakis) and to his surprise, he’s a delightful and gentle creature. He’s sweet, polite, speaks perfect English and all around his cave are books he stole from the village to teach himself to read and write. Lionel dubs the creature, Mr. Link (though he later names himself Susan). Susan tells Lionel that he’s lonely and wants to live where other creatures like him are. Together, and picking up Lionel’s old colleague, Adelina (Zoe Saldana) they journey across the world to the Himalayas to find Shangri La, a fabled city of yetis.

As with all of Laika’s previous films, the stop-motion animation here is a sight to behold. Every movement is so fluid and every character’s expressions are so rich it’s easy to forget we’re watching photographed puppets. Susan especially feels so authentic and unique, from his shape and size to the way his arms swing. The team at Laika are masters of their craft and it shines in every frame. Stay during the credits for an amazing behind-the-scenes look at that beautiful scene with the elephant. My son saw it and literally said, “Wow!”

There are two main lessons in Missing Link that I rarely see in movies aimed at children. First, is the sad realization that not everyone is going to like you/want to be your friend/want you around. This comes up right away with Lionel, and sadly later with Susan. In real life, it can be a difficult pill for a kid to swallow, and like Lionel, kids might go about trying to win the haters over. However the second lesson helps deter from that: You don’t need to seek out validation. Simply knowing your own worth is gratifying and no one else needs to tell you so. I love the way Susan,  Lionel and Adelina come to terms with themselves and allow themselves to be happy and free.

“You are a great man, but I deserve greater.”

Ralph Breaks the Internet

These days, most people with access to a movie theater use, rely and basically live on the internet. I know I do. And you wouldn’t be reading this without it. However, a lot of children have a much more limited access to all that is out there on the internet and you may be wondering how in the world could Disney make a film that engages kids when it is about and takes place in the internet. But, come on, it’s Disney. They figured that out.

In this sequel, Vanellope (voice by Sarah Silverman) has lost interest in her game world, so like a good friend, Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) tries to help by making her a new track. But like everything Ralph does, it’s a wreck that ends with the arcade game’s steering wheel broken. With no wheel, the game gets unplugged and all the characters from Sugar Rush are homeless. To try to save Sugar Rush, Ralph and Vanellope venture into the newly plugged in wi-fi and venture across the internet in search of a replacement steering wheel on Ebay. After winning the auction, they hit a snag realizing they need money (not just the big number they shouted out). They embark on a quest trying to earn money playing video games in racing game spliced with Grand Theft Auto, Slaughter Race, where they make a strong ally and decide to make money by getting likes on the Disney fictional brand of YouTube. Along the way, Ralph and Vanellope question their friendship and… you guess it, Ralph breaks the whole internet.

I took my four year old son to see the movie and was curious how he would react to it. His knowledge of the internet is limited to the few cute videos and Facebook posts I show him, so basically nothing. Yes, many jokes sailed over his head. But when I asked him about the story, he understood it as well as a kid his age could. He described YouTube-land as “the place where people give hearts to videos” and OhMyDisney as “Disney World”.

And that’s what I think makes this film work so well. The creatives at Disney took the vast, complicated, completely 2D idea of the internet and turned it into a tangible world that kids can watch their favorite characters interact with in a way we cannot. Every user has a little square headed avatar running around and they can travel to different sites, view Instagram posts or Pinterest boards like an art gallery and even be distracted by pop-ups. The top layer looks like a vast, bright city with towering skyscrapers for the big sites like Google. Best of all, there’s the seedy lower level of the internet, full of spam, the dark web to buy viruses and crumbling buildings boasting dial up connection. The creative team here has thought of it all and kept it delightfully PG.

Since the trailer dropped, everyone has been waiting for the big princesses scene. Vanellope, unaware that she herself is a technically a Disney princess, glitches her way into where they all hang out. It’s fun to see so many classic and loved characters all together and their individual personalities shine in this little bit. Best of all, meeting the princesses helps propel Vanellope on her character arc. It’s not just a cute gimmick for little girls, it actually moves the story forward, and I expect nothing less from Disney these days.

Overall, Ralph Breaks the Internet is a fun, fast paced, visually inspired family film. It’s story about evolving friendship is unique and sweet, just like the characters it revolves around. Now give this post a few likes, shares and get breaking the internet. And I suggest staying after the credits for a good laugh.

“That looks so fun! Can I be a popup? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?…”

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Never have I seen a film like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The animation style is like nothing I had ever seen before. It’s so exciting and refreshing, yet hard to describe. It looks a little like the creators took inspiration from the style in A Scanner Darkly, made it a whole lot better and then gave it some comic book and graffiti art embellishments. I didn’t see the film in 3D, it’s not my preference, but I bet it would work great, especially how some images that are supposed to be out of focus have a 3D style on them. Like I said, it’s so hard to describe the visual brilliance of this film, so I highly suggest you run out to the theaters and see it.

This fun, kid friendly Spider-Man movie focuses on a young teen from Brooklyn, Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore). Though he’s a bright kid at a new fancy school, he focuses on his graffiti style art, slapping stickers where he thinks his dad, a cop, won’t notice. His uncle is more encouraging of his art. After Miles is bitten by a strange spider and given super powers he freaks out and runs into Spiderman who is trying to shut down this crazy, huge inter dimensional portal blaster collider thingy. Before he can, Spider-Man DIES! (I know, right?) And leaves Miles with the task to shut the portal collider down for good. But Miles is just a kid who doesn’t know how to use his powers yet. Thankfully, that portal gun opened up a few other dimensions and brought other Spider-people into his universe. They’ll have to work together to destroy the portal collider.

Of all the Spider-Man movies I’ve seen (which is all in the past 20 years except the Andrew Garfield one), this is the most fun, charismatic and visually striking. Miles is such a relatable kid that we love him throughout his whole origin story. I think the older-sadder-sweatpants wearing Spider-Man is a great addition for laughs and keeps adults more invested. Spider-Gwen adds some girl power. And when dark and angsty Spider Noir (Nicholas Cage),  Looney Tunes inspired Spider-Ham and anime style Peni Parker come in, they work together to well for being so hilariously different. I loved the running rubix cube joke.

I took my four year old son to see Spider-Man around Christmas and realized during the film that I had taught him nothing about Spider-Man. Just another one of my many parental shortcomings. However, my kid was not lost, in fact he came home excited to tell his father all about Spider-Man. (“Did you know Spider-Man got super ‘cause a rainbow spider bited him?!”) Though I think some of the story was over his head, he enjoyed it, wasn’t afraid of anything and it kept his attention. And can I say it is so refreshing to take my little kid to a superhero movie that isn’t Disney? Thank you Marvel!

But the thing that makes Spider-Verse so great is the way it shows us that anyone can be behind the mask. With infinite spider-verses, there are so many chances to be the hero. The fact that this story focuses on an African-American Puerto Rican kid from Brooklyn is wonderful and I’m so happy that my little boy gets to see so much diversity in film at an early age.

The Oscar nominations are mere weeks away from being announced and I can feel my spidey senses tingling for this film, especially after the Golden Globes win. The animation here is so unique, cool, colorful and fun for all ages I can feel myself taking a leap of faith and saying this film will absolutely be nominated for best animated feature. Will it win animated feature? Honestly, I hope so.

“That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero.”

Monster House

As a parent, I understand how hard it can be to find an appropriate Halloween movie that can interest adults and give kids a mild scare. Monster House is a rare gem that delivers on just that. Back when the film was in theaters in 2006 I was still in the movie business (selling popcorn) and took my little brother to see it. We both thought it was great, him in his early teens and I in my early 20s. This Halloween season, it has become a favorite of my four year old son and I’m so happy to see him enjoy it.

In Monster House, DJ lives across the street from Mr. Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi), the creepy old man on the block, and his equally creepy house. Whenever a ball lands on his lawn or a little girl veers her tricycle off the sidewalk, Nebbercracker runs out yelling, “Get off my lawn!” and takes the toy, scaring the kids away. Lately, DJ has been watching his every move.

While DJ’s parents are away, just days before Halloween, his friend, Chowder, comes over and his new basketball lands on the forbidden lawn. As DJ darts across the lawn to retrieve the ball, Nebbercracker is on him, physically shaking the kid and suddenly collapses on top of him. After the ambulance leaves, the kids think Nebbercracker is dead and DJ is riddled with guilt. All night, it seems like the house is watching him. He even gets a call from across the street, knowing no one is home. And soon, the house is outright attacking people and snatching them up, throwing them inside. Could it be Nebbercracker from beyond the grave? Or could the house hold a mystery even more macabre?

The unique design used in Monster House sets it apart from most other animated films. The characters are a slightly stylized out of reality but not created to be overly cute, like in so many other animated films. Nebbercracker and Bones are both wonderfully creepy characters in very different ways while DJ and his friends are lovably dorky kids. Even better, the imagination and style used to turn a creepy house into an all out monster works great here. Little details go a long way, from the way shingles ruffle and the porch contorts to teeth to the interior’s dark and cavernous appearance.

Monster House is a lovably creepy film perfect for Halloween that will engage the whole family. Some themes might be a bit much for very young kids, but the older ones will appriciate a cartoon that isn’t watered down too muh. And while you may think you know how this story is going to go (duh, the house is a monster) there is more here than you would have expected. Way back when I first saw this film, my brother and I really enjoyed the major revelation and how it became a very redeeming factor. That and the high caliber animation helped seal the film’s Oscar nomination for best animated feature. I suggest enjoying this film as a family before trick-or-treating.

“Chowder, your ball just landed on Nebbercracker’s lawn. It doesn’t exist anymore…”