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.”
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”. 
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.
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
It’s been fourteen years since we first met Pixar’s family of superheroes, yet their story picks up from the moment the first film ended. It opens with the Parr family springing into action to stop The Underminer, while they juggle babysitting Jack Jack, and it ensures us that this film will be full of fun, family focused, fast paced action. 
However, the day does does not end well for the Parrs, as superheroes are still illegal. The agent who has been helping them stay undercover for years can only offer them two weeks in a motel before they’re on their own. So when a wealthy, nostalgic benefactor hoping to make supers legal again offers Elastigirl a job, complete with a swanky high tech house for the family, the Parrs take it. Soon a new villain rises, targeting Elastigirl and could jeopardize the plan to legalize supers. 
One of the funniest scenes shows Jack-Jack fighting his first enemy: a raccoon in the yard. Many of his powers are revealed as Jack-Jack moves through the glass door, morphs into his monster-baby form, bursts into flames throwing lawn chairs and splits into multiple clones, chasing off the hilariously bewildered raccoon. And when Bob finds him, the excitement about his baby’s new powers is soon met with the insurmountable task of keeping him safe. Thankfully, Edna is willing to help, in her own fabulous way. 
One thing I want to warn viewers about is the fact that the film uses a visual effect similar to a strobe light in multiple parts of the film. For those sensitive to such visuals, beware or wait to watch the film at home. It was pretty intense in a dark, crowded theater. 
Once the Oscar nominations were announced, there was a sudden backlash against The Boss Baby. How could such tripe be nominated for Best Animated Feature over popular franchise gems like The Lego Batman Movie or Cars 3? In my opinion, easily, like taking candy from a baby.
You see, Dreamworks’ The Boss Baby isn’t about a baby in a suit hungry for power. Not really anyway. The real story is about an imaginative seven-year-old named Tim and how he processes the news that he is going to be a big brother. As soon as his parents gently ask him if he’d like to have a baby brother, we are launched into Tim’s fantasy about where babies come from, how his new brother would arrive and how it would take over and change his family and his life. And the whole thing would be because of a big conspiracy, where a corporation of babies are competing for love against their rival: puppies.
For my growing family, The Boss Baby has become a favorite lately. It came on Netflix not long after my husband and I told our three-year-old that he’s going to be a big brother. While he has his own questions and worries, watching a story about a kid learning to love and accept the new baby, and his new role as a big brother is helpful. Sure, they have a rocky start, as I expect my son and his future sibling will, but my son always ends the movie with his hand on my belly, asking if the baby can feel him yet. It’s helping him bond already and the film’s message about love is strong enough that a three-year-old gets it.
Pixar’s latest addition to their lineup of amazing animation is Coco, a colorful, vibrant film about remembering the importance of family while following your dreams. 
The story centers on the Rivera family celebrating Dia de los Muertos. Young Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) wants to be a musician, but his family forbids music since his great-great grandfather left his family to pursue his musical ambitions. The rift caused by this patriarch’s absence has been upheld through the generations. The family offering does not even feature him, his head has been ripped out of the family picture. When Miguel discovers that the picture has also been folded to crop out his great-great grandfather’s guitar, he realizes that the guitar belonged to a famous musician, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice by Benjamin Bratt), who happens to be Miguel’s idol. When Miguel is accidentally transported to the land of the dead, he meets his ancestors and tries to find his great-great grandfather, so he can get his blessing to pursue music.
The writers at Pixar have done it again crafting a smart story that entertains and compels their wide audience. My husband and I took our three year old son to see Coco and all three of us loved it. My husband said it reminded him of Up, from the poignant family story and all the color. Our son loved all the skeletons and thinks Coco is a Halloween movie, even though I’ve explained the differences between that and Dia de los Muertos. I spent much of the movie with tears in my eyes, I found the themes and characters so moving. I think a good portion of the audience was wiping tears away as the film ended. 
Visually, Coco is another beautiful step forward for animation and reminds us of the importance of color. In depicting a Dia de los Muertos celebration, color is so important and juxtaposed against the white skeletons and brings both the characters and the celebration to life. The Land of the Dead is an amazing feat of animation, depicting a huge city with a wide variety of buildings stacked and layered. The scenes in the Land of the Dead have a lot of depth and character. The animation of the skeleton characters is a great blend of accurate and imaginative. It takes a bit of creativity to give skeletons so many facial expressions, yet seeing one play a guitar so accurately is a delight. And the art nerd in me loved the comic use of Frida Kahlo.
One of my favorite scenes is when Miguel auditions to perform at Ernesto de la Cruz’s party. It’s his first musical performance, ever. Thankfully, he’s met Hector (voice by Gael García Bernal) who helps him stay calm and confident and becomes a wonderful addition to his performance as they sing Un Poco Loco and steal the show. It’s a wonderful mix of energetic animation and catchy music where we start to realize there is more to Hector than he seems. While I would not call Coco a musical, this scene gives me confidence that Pixar could make musicals just as well as Disney.
