KidCrunch

Some of the best kids movies of all time were made by Pixar Animation Studios (now owned by Disney.)  On the next rainy weekend, set the kids up with some popcorn and work your way through this list of Pixar’s first 10 feature films:

1. Toy Story (1995|Rated G)  Fantastic kids movie about the life of a boy’s favorite toys, Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
2. A Bug’s Life (1998|Rated G)  Pixar takes us to the miniature world of bugs.
3. Toy Story 2 (1999|Rated G)  The gang saves Woody from the toy museum in this best-ever kids movie sequel.
4. Monsters, Inc. (2001|Rated G) Charming peek into the hidden world of Monstropolis.
5. Finding Nemo (2003|Rated G) Underwater adventures of a young clownfish captured by a scuba-diver.
6. The Incredibles (2004|Rated PG) The incredible (and almost normal) lives of funny superheroes in suburbia.
7. Cars (2006|Rated G) Rookie race car Lightning McQueen on his way to the big race.
8. Ratatouille (2007|Rated G) A young French rat becomes head chef at a Paris restaurant.
9. WALL-E (2008|Rated G) Lonely robot Wall-E finds love and his purpose in life.
10. Up (2009|Rated PG) 78-year-old Carl and young stowaway Russell on an uplifting trip of a lifetime.

Remarkably, there is not a “dud” on the list - Pixar is a perfect 10 for 10.  Next up, Toy Story 3 in 3-D, to be released in June 2010.  If the trailer is any indication, the hit streak is likely to continue.

What are your family’s favorite Pixar movies?  Ask your kids and leave a comment.

Related Posts:

• Kids Movie List: Best G-Rated Movies Since 2000
• Kids Movie List: Best G-Rated Movies of the 1990s
• Best Sports Movies for Kids

Shop for these Pixar movies and other great kids movies in the KidCrunch Store.

Disney’s Ponyo, a G-rated kids movie created by Japan’s animated film master Hayao Miyazaki, opens today in theatres nationwide.  American audiences may remember Mayazaki’s Spirited Away, an Oscar-winning animated film.  Ponyo, already a huge success in Japan, is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale The Little Mermaid.

After seeing the Ponyo movie trailer, I decided to take my daughter to see the movie this weekend.  I like to take my kids on movie dates one at a time.  It gives me some quality time with each of my kids and, truth be told, it is easier and less expensive than taking all of the kids to see every new movie.  This will be a great movie for my youngest because it shows what little siblings can do - the voice of Ponyo is Noah Lindsey Cyrus (Miley’s little sister) and the voice of her pal Sosuke is Frankie Jonas (little brother to the Jonas trio.)

The reviews have been excellent so far.

There is a word to describe Ponyo, and that word is magical. This poetic, visually breathtaking work by the greatest of all animators has such deep charm that adults and children will both be touched.  Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

With its ever-shifting world and palpable sense of magic, Ponyo captures the wonder of being a child.  It also presents an impassioned environmental message without lessening the entertainment value of the visually dazzling animated tale created by Hayao Miyazaki. USA Today | Claudia Puig 

To watch the image of a young girl burbling with laughter as she runs atop cresting waves in Ponyo is to be reminded of how infrequently the movies seem to express joy now, how rarely they sweep us up in ecstatic reverie. The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

Take your kids to see Ponyo and let us know what you think.

Related posts

• Best G-Rated Movies Since 2000
• Best G-Rated Movies of the 1990s

My kids are bugging me to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PG, 93 minutes) which opened today.  I did a little legwork so I could share a sampling of the reviews from my favorite movie critics:

The best of the three Ice Age films, involving the best use of 3-D I’ve seen in an animated feature.  Roger Ebert 

What? Dawn of the dinosaurs? In the Ice Age? You’ve got to be kidding.  New York Times

With appreciably greater emphasis on action than its predecessors, and clever use of 3-D trickery to enhance storytelling as well as offer spectacle, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs could prove the third time really is the charm…  Variety

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs seems to be suffering from freezer burn.  Once fresh, the story is now buried under a hoary coating.  USA Today

For your little ones, a couple of high quality kids DVDs were released today:

• Bob the Builder:  Truck Teamwork  Bob the Builder and his Can-Do Crew work together to get the job done.  Includes five episodes of the popular TV series.
• Shaun the Sheep:  Sheep on the Loose  Six new adventures of fun-loving Shaun the Sheep and the rest of the flock from Aardman Animation, the Oscar-winning creators of Wallace and Gromit.

Shop for these new DVD releases and other great kids movies in the KidCrunch Store.

For animation fans, a few kids DVDs were released today.

• Tiny Toon Adventures: Season 1, Volume 2  30 episodes from the first season of Steven Spielberg’s cartoon series - one of the best animated shows of the 1990s.
• Stuart Little: The Animated Series - A Little Family Fun  Three episodes from the popular animated series based on the hit movie and book by E.B. White.
• Stuart Little: The Animated Series - Going for the Gold  Four more adventures from the Stuart Little animated series.

Shop for these new DVD releases and other great kids movies in the KidCrunch Store.