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

Two star-filled, G-rated Disney movies were released on DVD today:

• Hannah Montana The Movie (Rated G)  Hit Disney film starring Miley Cyrus as herself and her other self, Hannah Montana.  Miley returns to her roots in this wholesome movie with a message about remaining true to your family and friends.  Also includes must-have How to Do the Hoedown Throwdown line dance instructions!
• Pete’s Dragon (Rated G) Another Disney movie with even more star power (in its day) than Hannah Montana.  This often overlooked Disney classic features the talents of Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, Jim Backus, Mickey Rooney and even a young Jeff Conaway.  The animation seems a bit primitive by today’s standards, but the live action/cartoon combination was ground-breaking when released in 1977.  A great movie for the whole family, including the grandparents.

Shop for these kids DVDs and other new kids DVD releases at the KidCrunch Store.

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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.

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Good news for parents stockpiling kids DVDs for a late summer road trip - there are plenty of new kids DVD releases to keep your kids entertained in the back seat: 

• Barney: Sharing is Caring  Everyone’s favorite plush purple dinosaur promotes generosity.
• Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters  This Looney Tunes cartoon movie is an overdue tribute to Daffy Duck.
• The Tigger Movie (2-Disc 10th Anniversary Edition)  Tigger bounces along and discovers the true meaning of family.
• VeggieTales: Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah’s Umbrella  The veggies teach little ones to do the right thing in this Indiana Jones-like adventure.
• Super Friends: The Lost Episodes  Almost 3 hours of Super Friends shorts from the 1980s - that’s a lot of driving time.  Thanks, Superman.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition)  Re-release of three fun TMNT movies.  Yet another renaissance for Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello.
• The Last Starfighter: 25th Anniversary Edition  Greetings, Starfighter!  Today’s young gamers should still appreciate this one.
• Race to Witch Mountain (Single-Disc Edition)  I liked the original movies better, but my kids are Dwayne Johnson fans.
• Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure 3-D  Top quality underwater prehistoric tour from National Geographic.  So cool.

Shop for these kids DVDs and other new kids DVD releases at the KidCrunch Store.

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