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The Sony Pictures animated 3-D movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs opens today.  Rated PG for brief mild language, the movie is based on the 1978 children’s book of the same name written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. 

In this action-filled comedy, young scientist Flint Lockwood (voiced by SNL’s Bill Hader) invents a machine that turns water into food - that rains down to earth in dangerous proportions.  This phenomenon attracts coverage from perky TV weathergirl Sam Sparks (Anna Faris of the Scary Movie series.)  Other famous voices include James Caan (as Flint’s father, Tim), Andy Samberg (as bully “Baby” Brent), Mr. T (as local cop Earl Devereaux) and Neil Patrick Harris (as Flint’s scene-stealing monkey.)

The critics seem to like it:

Eye-popping and mouth-watering in one, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs spins a 30-page children’s book into a 90-minute all-you-can-laugh buffet, expanding the premise of a town where it rains ketchup and hot dogs to disaster-movie proportions.  Variety|Peter Debruge

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is a surprisingly savory treat, though it doesn’t bear much resemblance to the charming classic children’s book on which it’s based. USA Today|Claudia Puig

I’ve seen a lot of 3-D recently, and in terms of technical quality, this is the best.  Chicago Sun-Times|Roger Ebert 

The movie’s humor targets both kids and grown-ups with equal success, but, even with the presence of a mustache-fixated monkey, the main attraction here is the movie’s vibrant 3-D animation and its perfect storm of foodie-friendly sight gags. Los Angeles Times|Glenn Whipp

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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.

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• Kids Movie List: Best G-Rated Movies Since 2000
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• Best Sports Movies for Kids

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

Some great kids movies were made in the 1990s, including this list of our favorite G-rated kids movies:

1. Toy Story 2 (1999)  The gang saves Woody from the toy museum in this best-ever kids movie sequel.
2. A Bug’s Life (1998)  Pixar takes us to the miniature world of bugs.
3. Mulan (1998)  Heroic girl fights in the Chinese army disguised as a man.
4. Anastasia (1997)  Disney-animated story of lost Russian princess’s quest to find her true identity.
5. 101 Dalmations (1996)  The dastardly Cruella De Vil steals those adorable Dalmation pups.
6. Toy Story (1995)  Fantastic kids movie about the life of a boy’s favorite toys, Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
7. Babe (1995)  Inspirational kids movie about the challenges faced by Babe, a shy but heroic little pig.
8. The Lion King (1994)  Animated kids movie about lion cub Simba and his rise to the throne.
9. Homeward Bound (1993)  The incredible journey of three pets traveling home across the Sierra Mountains.
10. Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken (1991)  Inspiring movie of teenage girl who becomes a horse diver.

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Kids Movie List: Best G-Rated Movies Since 2000

Shop for these G-rated movies and other great kids movies in the KidCrunch Store.

It rained today and our baseball and softball games were cancelled, so the whole family went to see Race to Witch Mountain.  Everyone liked it.  It had some cool special effects, a lot of exciting chase and escape scenes and some funny parts.  It was entertaining enough to keep my interest throughout the movie, though it started to feel a little long towards the end.

There were no really ‘bad’ parts or language.  The PG rating is due to some scary scenes and violence, mostly gunfire and explosions.  My 5 year old daughter (who is tougher than most) really liked the movie, but hugged my arm and hid under her jacket for a few scenes - like when the bad alien’s helmet came off and revealed his gooey head.

I enjoyed the cameo roles of Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann who played Tia and Tony in the original Escape to Witch Mountain in 1975.  These actors appeared in the restaurant scene as the helpful waitress and the police officer.  Many reviews of the 2009 version say it is not as good as the 1975 classic.  I remember that I loved the original as a kid, but I do not remember a lot of the movie or why I liked it so much.  My kids asked which version I liked better.  I ordered the DVD to refresh my memory and to let my kids decide for themselves which is better.

Shop for these and other family movies at the KidCrunch Store.

Some wonderful kids movies have been released since 2000, including these G-Rated kids movie favorites:

1. Ratatouille (2008)  A young French rat becomes head chef at a Paris restaurant.
2. Wall-E (2008)  Lonely robot Wall-E finds love and his purpose in life.
3. Charlotte’s Web (2007)  Classic story of friendship between a determined spider and a special pig.
4. Everyone’s Hero (2007)  10 year old Yankee fan strives to retrieve Babe Ruth’s stolen bat.
5. Cars (2006)  Rookie race car Lightning McQueen on his way to the big race.
6. Curious George (2006)  Sweet movie starring everyone’s favorite little monkey.
7. Finding Nemo (2003)  Underwater adventures of a young clownfish captured by a scuba-diver.
8. Monsters, Inc. (2002)  Charming peek into the hidden world of Monstropolis.
9. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)  Young mustang’s quest to regain his freedom - the best part is the canyon jump.
10. Chicken Run (2000)  Witty family film about chickens plotting their escape from Tweedy’s chicken pie factory.

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Kids Movie List: Best G-Rated Movies of the 1990s

Shop for these and other G-rated kids movies at the KidCrunch Store.