Barbie and the Diamond Castle
Barbie TM and Teresa TM star in their first best-friends movie! Once upon a time, in a humble cottage deep in the woods lived two girls named Liana TM (BarbieTM) and Alexa TM (Teresa TM ), best friends who shared everything including their love of singing. One day their simple lives change when they are given an enchanted mirror and befriend the girl trapped inside. To save their new friend, Liana and Alexa embark on a dangerous journey to the hidden Diamond Castle that will put their friendship to the test. But through the power of song and with the companionship of two adorable puppies, the girls face their challenges together and learn that friendship is the true treasure.
Age: 2-8
90 min.
Feature Film from Universal Studios Home Video.
Barbie in a Christmas Carol
A heart-warming adaptation of the classic Dickens story filled with cherished Christmas carols, fabulous fashions and lots of laughs! The tale stars Barbie TM and Eden, TM the glamorous singing diva of a theatre in Victorian London. Along with her snooty cat, Chuzzlewit, Eden selfishly plans to make all the theatre performers stay and rehearse on Christmas Day. Not even Eden's costume designer and childhood friend, Catherine can talk Eden out of her self-centered tantrum. It's up to three very unusual Christmas Spirits to take Eden on a fantastical holiday journey that will open her heart to the spirit of the season and the joy of giving.
Age: 2-8
90 min.
Feature Film from Universal Studios Home Video.
Captain Jon Adventure - Sharks: Knights of the Sea
In his most incredible adventure yet, Captain Jon takes us around the world to meet three sharks: the Lemon Shark, the Tiger Shark and the Great White Shark. Find out why these creatures are called the "Knights of the Sea." Adult Juror Comments: Like Captain Jon's other videos, this one is excellent. Great visuals, great audio, great pace. It is an exciting presentation to watch and learn from. "I would love to watch this with a child because of the information presented." "I like how the three sharks are contrasted and how they named the sharks they were studying. It makes it more personal." The information concerning the behaviors of the different sharks is very suitable for the target age group. The background music is impressive and very suitable to the show, it adds to the action and suspense. This show definitely adds to your awareness level about sharks and why it's important to protect them. Superb explanations. Sharks are animals that children seldom see and when they do, the sharks are in an aquarium someplace. The real footage is excellent and shows the sharks in their natural habitat. One great thing about this show is how it gives dispels some of the fearful sensationalism that some media has used to portray sharks. Kid Juror Comments: Kids loved it! "It has my favorite animal in it and had lots of scientific facts." For some reason, kids seem to have an insatiable hunger for information about sharks. "I liked seeing and learning about the sharks." "I liked seeing the people swim with the sharks." They all said they would watch it again. One kid said, "Everyone likes sharks even though they are bad." But their ideas changed after they watched the show and they all commented about how they learned about why we need to protect sharks. They loved the underwater scenes of the sharks, especially the night shots. One group said, "We didn't relate to the Captain and his helpers because we are not old enough to do that stuff. They reminded us of Indiana Jones or other adventure people." "We loved it. We loved seeing real sharks."
Age: 5-13
34 min.
Independent Feature from Status Productions.
Diary of a Fly
The day-to-day existence of a little fly who wants to be a superhero and who is not afraid to dream big, really big! Narrated by Abigail Breslin. Directed by Gene Deitch. Includes a bonus interview with illustrator Harry Bliss.
Age: 4-8
9 min.
Short from Weston Woods Studios/Scholastic.
Eon Kid: Season One, Volume One
In a future world, Marty, an enterprising 11-year-old who deals in scrap robot parts, stumbles upon an ancient iron Fist. Unexpectedly, the Fist comes to life and attaches itself to Marty's arm, endowing him with unknown fighting powers and, at the same time, putting him at the heart of a centuries-old struggle between good and evil.
Age: 5-12
110 min.
Series from Anchor Bay Home Entertainment. Garfield's Fun Fest
Garfield celebrates his 30th Anniversary with the 2nd ALL NEW CGI feature film, "Garfield's Fun Fest." Garfield quickly learns that in order to make people smile, you don't need to make them laugh. Ladies and gentlemen, step right up for Fun Fest - the annual talent competition that determines the funniest comic strip in Cartoon World. And, as you can probably guess, a certain lasagna-loving, tubby tabby wins it every year. So why should this year be any different? Well, there's a new competitor, that's why. His name is Ramone, and he's tall, he's handsome and he just might unseat Garfield as the king of the comic strip! You'll want to watch every hilarious, suspenseful moment as the world's most comic cat competes - and eats - in Garfield's latest adventure. Let the games begin! DVD INCLUDES: Exclusive Comic Book In-Pack; 2 DVD ROM Games.
Age: 5-12
79 min.
Feature from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins
As prequel to the Meerkat Manor television series, this feature film traces the rise of Flower from a young meerkat pup to leader of the pack. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins will warm your heart and leave you awed by the magic of Flower's journey.
Age: 5-12
76 min.
Documentary from Genius Products.
Mist: The Story of a Sheepdog Puppy
Mist is one of three pups born at Borough Farm. From the moment she opens her eyes, she knows that she wants to be a real sheepdog. But things are not as straightforward as she would have hoped.
Age: 5-12
75 min.
Feature Film from Allumination Film Works.
Nim's Island
Nim Rusoe (Abigail Breslin) lives on a deserted island with her scientist father Jack (Gerald Butler) and her best friends: Selkie, a sea lion; Fred, a bearded dragon lizard and Galileo, a plucky pelican. But when Jack goes missing at sea and the island is "invaded," Nim reaches out via e-mail to the adventurous author of her favorite books (Jodie Foster), and together, each discovers what it takes to truly become the hero of your own life story. Directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin. Starring Academy Award® winner Jodie Foster, Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin and Gerard Butler. Produced by Paula Mazur. ADULT JUROR COMMENTS: Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine") and her adventures in the tropics as a precocious yet self-sufficient 11-year-old, will have every kid wanting a zip line installed in the backyard. Nim and her dad (Gerard Butler), a famous scientist live an idyllic life on a secluded island somewhere in the South Pacific that they refer to as "our own perfect secret world." Clearly, that's the way they want to keep it. Nim's best friends are a lizard and a sea lion named Selkie. She pores over books about her favorite literary hero/adventurer - Alex Rover. The scene shifts when Nim utters the words, "when my dad gets back" as he takes off for a four day trip on his sailboat in search of protozoan. A terrific storm blows in unexpectedly and when her father doesn't return, Nim's life goes topsy-turvy as she ponders her fate and that of her missing dad. She reaches out to her hero for help, unaware that the author of her favorite adventures books is Alexandra Rover (Jodi Foster). While her fans think she's the swashbuckling hero of her adventure novels, the truth is Alexandra is a wuss with a crippling fear of leaving her own house - if even to go to the mailbox. All that changes with an email exchange with Nim and her fictional character, Alex Rover eggs her on and go to Nim's rescue. She somehow rises to the challenge but not easily. What I enjoyed about this film is how the action/adventure/fantasy/Indiana Jones theme has a girl hero. One of the current favorite TV shows for our KIDS FIRST! jurors is "Flight 29 Down." I believe the same audience will love this. Directed by Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett who also brought us "Little Manhattan," it brings out the best of young actress, Abigail Breslin. Miss Breslin's portrayal of Nim is charming, captivating and fun. Jodi Foster's performance captures her comedic qualities but doesn't have the same stickiness as her co-star. Gerard Butler's ("P.S. I Love You") performance as both Dad and Alex Rover demands little of the actor beyond his eminent good looks. This is a great film for tweens who will resonate with an adventure of their peers. There are two issues that make me not give this the highest scores for KIDS FIRST! First is the scenes of Dad and Alexandria in the ocean without life vests. In real life, neither of these characters would have survived their ordeals in the turbulent seas without life vests, and it's inappropriate to even suggest that they would not be wearing them at the first hint of bad weather. The other objection is inappropriate treatment of animals. When Nim is protecting her island from an onslaught of dim-witted tourists, she catapults reptiles onto the beach. Ugh. I can hear the animal activist scream in the back of my head. It's not a big enough deal to diss the movie but enough to mention. My summary: A perfect action fantasy for tweens, where young Abigail Breslin captures your heart along with your imagination.
KID JUROR COMMENTS: Kids enjoy the scenes of Nim and her dad on their magical island. A bunch of kids wanted to put a zip line into their own backyard. They could sympathize with Nim when her dad doesn't return home and the storm hits. "That would have been really scary. I don't know what I would have done." Nim's resourcefulness does not go unnoticed. "She was pretty smart when she attacked the tourists who came to take over her island." In the end, the love story didn't escape the attention of the girls, who loved the ending.
Age: 5-12
Feature Film from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Orangutan Island
A desperate struggle for survival is raging deep in the heart of Borneo's forests. Illegal logging is rapidly destroying the Bornean orangutans' last stronghold in the wild -- leaving hundreds of orangutan babies orphaned and homeless. Their future seems bleak but a ground-breaking project provides real hope for ensuring the survival of the species. Meet the 35 classmates of Forest School 103 at the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. These precocious red-haired "children of the forest" will get the opportunity, through this innovative project led by Lone Droscher-Nielsen and her team, to live wild on a protected island. Orangutan Island is the foundation for the largest primate rescue project in the world. Go with them on their journey to adulthood as they struggle to form their own society and learn how to live free on Orangutan Island.
Age: 5-8
272 min.
Series from Genius Products.
Travel with Kids: Paris
Discover Paris with the Roberts family. Climb the Eiffel Tower, soak in art at the Louvre, try a chocolate crepe, learn some French, ride the subways and more. Includes crafts and recipes to try at home. Adult Juror Comments: Well done. Great travelogue that shows Paris can be a great place for families to visit and offers helpful hints about how to see the city. If offers a kids' point of view with charming visuals, an incredible range of activity suggestions and great music accompaniment. It is well synthesized, covering everything from practical elements such as their recommendation to fly into London and take the Eurostar Chunnel train. It's filled with historical facts, maps and stories, which add educational value. Focuses on things that kids would enjoy such as food, fun places to tour and pony rides. The pace is very quick, way too fast for younger viewers but just right for older family members. The people filmed interacting with the family responded very positively to those efforts. The mom taking time to try to learn a bit of French and teaching her children to respect the country and the people by trying to speak their language helps dispel the Ugly American stereotype. One of the things that they took advantage of was the Hop On Hop Off bus which is a great way to get around many cities around the world. Says one adult juror, "I've watched other travelogues for kids and personally found this to be the best I've seen." "After watching this, I'm motivated to visit Paris and France." "Loved the bakery shots." "Loved the shots from the Eiffel Tower." Kid Juror Comments: Our older kids loved it, found the scenes fascinating, loved the beheaded king, the towering stairs, the music - many commented on the music. One 9-year-old asked to keep the DVD as his own. They liked seeing the family on vacation and hearing what they had to say about their vacation. "The mom and dad did fun things like creating a scavenger hunt to help the kids enjoy the museums." "The family was really nice to each other and did stuff that everyone liked." One of the older kids asked to watch it again because he felt he missed some. "It moves a bit too fast." Favorite parts: Trying out the recipes and exploring the extra sections gave kids ideas they wanted to try.
Age: 7-12
DVD. 52 min.; $14.95
Independent Short from Equator Creator Media LLC.
Veggie Tales: Tomato Sawyer and Hucklebarry Larry's Big River Rescue
Meet Tomato Sawyer & Huckleberry Larry - two friends homesteading along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. Tom & Huck look forward to owning their own land, building a home and opening Huck's Jerkey Land and Tom's Tax Service. But everything changes when they meet a mysterious stranger who is on the run and trying to find his mama. Will Huck & Tom risk losing all they've worked for in order to help someone they hardly know? Find out in this all-new adventure!
Age: 5-8
45 min.
Short from Genius Products. |
