Entertainment | Page 17 of 89

The Kid Who Would Be King is fabulous fun for 7 and up

Even as a kid I loved movies. Our kids love movies too, but they’re a different beast today. I’m not getting on my middle-aged soap box and waving my “back in my day” sign, but there are some things that I certainly preferred to the box office back then. There seemed to be many more PG rated films back then. Now a PG film is either part of a series or animated. Rare are the PG films that have action, front and center, while still speaking directly to elementary school aged kids and up. If said film keeps the attention of those middle school kids or, dare I think it, their parents also, then that’s a bonus. The Kid Who Would Be King manages to do all of those things. It’s a fabulously entertaining film that our 7 and 9 year olds loved, I really enjoyed it and my wife also loved it.

The kid who would be king, elementary school family movie, merlin, young merlin

The Kid Who Would Be King very carefully knows how to pace itself so that older audiences remain engaged. The film is wholly entertaining for elementary school students. The King Arthur hook will attract some older fans and there are many other factors that will hold them throughout the film.

Alex, played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis, is a middle school kid with problems that anyone that age will understand. His best friend, Bedders, played by Dean Chaumoo is a willing accomplice to the story that Alex is about the follow. There is a stereotypical ‘where-is-my-father’ plot line that weaves through the film, but the cast, as well as the Arthurian legend gamely add more depth to this trope.

What really makes The Kid Who Would Be King something that kids and families want to see is that it is greater than the sum of its parts. The child actors in the film are great. They’re not annoying, too perfect or unrealistic. The many characteristics of kid’s social circles are all represented-and acknowledged on screen by them. They point out their flaws and readily point at the impossibility of this sword really being one belonging to the once and future king.

You will want to believe too. This is a big scale, fun, action oriented kid’s film that you wanted to see when you were 9 years old. It’s a shame that more families didn’t discover this film in theaters. The battle sequences, especially the one that takes place in the school really play out better on the big screen. Having said that, we were the coolest house on the block last week when we played the DVD for a gaggle of elementary school kids. Our 9 year old (ever the film purist), kept admonishing those who came in late not to watch any of it, lest it ruin the surprises. I kind of grinned to myself because he gets it. He appreciates the quality that went into this film, and in his slightly curt way, wanted the neighborhood kids to experience it in its entirety.

The entire cast does a great job, but Angus Imrie, who plays the young version of Merlin really stood out for us. His portrayal of a reverse-aging Merlin is magnetic and funny. He also sets up the plate for the few times that the old Merlin, played by Sir Patrick Stewart enters the screen.

The Kid Who Would Be King is great for ages 7 and up. It’s just scary enough for young kids to handle and lets older kids enjoy the ride too. We received a copy of the film for review. All thoughts are our own.

The Mutts Summer Diaries is perfect summertime reading for 8 and up

Mutts is an institution. It’s how a cat and dog, plus the occasional crab, mussel, dolphin or farm animal see the world. Mooch and Earl, the main guardians of Mutts are eternally optimistic. They do see some things that aren’t all, pardon the pun, puppies and kittens. These are things like the environment or animals that are up for adoption; yet even when our animal friends encounter these things they do it with a sense of optimism and hope, rather than despair or guilt. Mutts is back with a new collection of comic strips, The Mutts Summer Diaries, just in time for road trips, easy summer reading and good books under a shade tree.

McDonnell, Patrick McDonnell, mutts, the mutts summer diaries, comic strip, classic, peanuts, mooch, earl, animals

The Mutts Summer Diaries is the final season in the ‘diary series’. I guarantee you that if you pick up any of the other three seasons you’ll find them just as entertaining. Personally, I can think of very few jobs that are as challenging as a daily comic strip creator. Create characters that people want to see every day, then have the main medium that it’s delivered in shift to an online presence and continue making a quality product. That is the great thing about having quality comic strips collected in a graphic novel format.

These strips are previously printed online and in newspapers. However, for those that don’t subscribe to a newspaper or have the strips emailed to them this is brand new stuff. It’s also classic comedy that you’ll be reading 20 years from now. As I write this I’m looking over my Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes book from the 70s, 80s and 90s. From time to time I still look at them and laugh. My children also look at them and while they don’t have the same memories of them as me, they laugh. They sneak the books out of my office, read them, laugh and then try to put them back in the book shelf at just the same angle so I won’t be able to tell if they’ve been in here.

The Mutts Summer Diaries is printed on recycled paper, as are all of Patrick McDonnell’s books. Some of the strips make you laugh out loud. Some make you grin because they resemble a person or pet that you once had. Other strips make you think about the animals that you’ve seen for adoption. Our 9 year-old has finally started to enjoy Mutts. He’s had cats and dogs for most of his life and I hope that he thinks of some of our pets who have crossed the rainbow bridge when he laughs along. Even if he had never had any pets, Mutts is a comic strip that he’d enjoy because of its uncanny ability to make anthropomorphic animals even more animal-or even more human, depending on the strip.

Nelly Takes New York, for starters-then she’ll charm your house

As a reader I’m somewhat wary of books that take place in a stereotypical large, destination type city. The cynical side of me says that they present a slice of life that the majority of people can’t relate to. They won’t have access to the eating choices, places to visit or, for better or worse, the people that they’ll encounter. How can I relate to that?, some might think. You might be thinking that while you look at the cover of Nelly Takes New York, but those thoughts will quickly be mollified. In their place, you’ll have visions of childhood adventures, as well as, a time when imagination and curiosity are your best friend.

Nelly takes new York, Allison Pataki, marya myers, Kristi valiant, big apple, new York, new York city,

The story follows Nelly, a playful 7 year old who lives in the West Village. She’s visiting the bagel truck where she’s greeted by name from Mr. Patel. Nelly tells Mr. Patel that she’s going to visit Union Square today, to which he says in a friendly manner, “the Big Apple is tons of fun”.

She just bought a bagel, yet the bagel salesman just mentioned a Big Apple. This throws young Nelly for a loop so she goes about visiting various New York City attractions asking about ‘the Big Apple’. Of course she visits an apple stand at the farmer’s market, who then says that if she wants to see the Big Apple then she must go to natural history museum.

One thing leads to another and our young heroine is seeing almost every angle of the big city. Her loving dog, Bagel, which leads her to discover even more places until the two meet up again in front of the 9/11 Memorial.

Adults may question how she can traverse huge areas of the city in the blink of an eye, how her dog can continue about the city even though he’s not on a leash, but that’s the cynical side of you. Just pat that side of you on the head, say good boy and remind them to come around when it’s time to pay the cell phone bill.

The art in Nelly Takes New York is one big reason why the book is so charming. The illustrations by Kristi Valiant are realistic, detailed and make you want to visit the Big Apple. The story by Allison Pataki and Marya Myers is great too. It’s approachable for ages 4 and up as they let the illustrations guide them through the urban jungle. There are some sight words for those younger readers. The average 7 year old will probably be able to read it by themselves.

Ultimately, what’s most remarkable about Nelly Takes New York is that it doesn’t make readers jealous that they aren’t there. It’s not a hey-look-as-us we’re better than you book about a certain city. The premise, with the same high quality artwork could easily have taken place in any city, country or locale that kids would be curious about. This book celebrates curiosity and the questions that kids have, while doing so in a large city with a nickname that some younger ones might not understand.

Win a She-Ra prize pack to celebrate Season 2 on Netflix

This looks like She-Ra, but channeled through a Lumberjanes lens with just a hint of anime, I thought as the trailer for Season 2 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power was playing. Little did I know how correct I was. Season 2 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power starts on Netflix on April 26 and Noelle Stevenson is the creator, writer and producer of that show. She was also one of the original co-writers of Lumberjanes and creator of Namona.

Stevenson’s style is very unique and has influenced many of the all age comic books that we review each week. All one has to do is look at an issue of Lumberjanes (one of the best all age comics!) and then look at other comics that will target middle school girls and you’ll see her influence. Now take that, toss in some great 80’s girl power and you’ve got She-Ra .

We’re giving away a She-Ra Season 2 prize pack that includes:

FIVE (5) SHE-RA Activity Sheets
FIVE (5) SHE-RA Hair Ties
FIVE (5) SHE-RA Sticker Sheets
FIVE (5) SHE-RA Temporary Tattoos
FIVE (5) SHE-RA Watercolor Paint Poster

Basically, it’s the go-to supplies for a group of elementary school kids who are having a sleep over. She-Ra is a very entertaining show. It will appeal to girls slightly more than boys. For example, our 9 year old boy declined to watch it. However, his 7 year old brother willingly stepped up and watched some of season 1 with me.

The giveaway will end on May 1 at 9PM. To register, just leave a comment in this blog post or RT this:

Win a She-Ra prize pack to celebrate Season 2 on @Netflix – https://t.co/1oYvpqcuhv, #SheRa, #giveaway pic.twitter.com/BV002aNNOO
— Daddy Mojo (@Daddymojo) April 25, 2019

The show crackles with wit and has a fun vibe that makes She-Ra, its own entity. It doesn’t crib off nostalgia, this is a modern story with humor, action, friendship and science fiction that kids 7 and up will love. Season 2 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power starts streaming on Netflix on April 26. Plan ahead for the kids to see a couple episodes and if they’re new to Adora or the Horde get caught up on Season 1.

*We received the same giveaway pack that we’re giving away to our readers for our compensation. I don’t suspect that our kids will enjoy it, but I know a group of girls in one of our son’s elementary school classes that will go mental over this.

MomoCon is coming to Atlanta May 23-26-great for families

A con to a kid can be a fabulous and our kid’s favorite one is MomoCon. They’ve been attending MomoCon since they were 4 and 6 years old. As each year has passed they’ve been more eloquently able to say, “When is the next MomoCon?” True to previous years, MomoCon 2019 is right near the end of their school year. I’m not sure if they’re more excited about the end of school or going to MomoCon.

MomoCon is held in Atlanta and is utterly family friendly. There is a massive amount of cosplay and unlike some other cons that you might have attended; these costumes are mostly family friendly. You won’t see any creepy clowns or costumes that don’t leave much to the imagination. Instead you’ll see cosplay that’s inspired from manga, video games and some classic anime characters.

From its parent’s guide, “MomoCon is intended to be an all-ages event”. The art dealers and vendors on the floor don’t sell adult material and the panels that might have language you don’t want kids to hear will be clearly labeled with a warning. Of course, kids won’t even notice these things. I mention them to you because you might have hesitation about taking a kid to a con, much less a huge con that will attract tens of thousands of people on a given day.

For our kids it’s all about the games and MomoCon has over 180,000 sq ft of open gaming. That amount of video game space is among the largest of any convention in the United States. When we go, it’s an area that we could easily spend hours in that space alone. This includes classic video games (hello Robotron!!!), pinball and the latest full size arcade games from Japan. It’s worth noting that all of these games are also OK for the kids, our boys, now 7 and 9 loved going from game to game and trying them out. Yes, all of these games were free, no quarters needed, just a little patience for those more popular games that might have a line.

We also enjoy the gaming area. There is a massive board game area where you can check out almost any board game you want to play. When we sat down I was unsure how to play the game that our boys had requested. I fumbled around for a moment when a MomoCon volunteer sat down beside us, set up the board game for us and played along so that we’d get the hang of it. There are also plenty of LARP events, D&D and other RPGS happening, plus any card game that people are collecting.

And those are just the games. For kids under 10 those things, plus simply walking around and enjoying the costumes will be their entertainment. If you’re a fan of things anime, nerdcore, cosplay, Japan, Disney, cartoons or more then there is a panel for you! These panels will vary as to when they are and younger audiences won’t have the patience to sit through them, but those middle school audiences who want a deeper dive into what interests them will love going to some of them. Obviously, that age will need to have an adult present with them, but those moms and dads can simply sit a couple rows back.

Factor in some cosplay, a photo shoot around every corner, cool people everywhere and you’ve got an amazing time out with the family. This is a con done right for the family. It does have some older elements, but they’re scheduled late at night, so the kids will be home long before then.

Ages 9 and younger are free to MomoCon and prices increase on May 9, so get your badges before that happens. Entrance will vary from $35-$80, depending upon when you order your tickets, how many days you want to go and so forth. It happens May 23-26 in Atlanta at Georgia World Congress Center.

Didi Dodo, Future Spy: Recipe for Disaster is an elementary school go-to

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Inspector Flytrap approves. For that matter, so do Princess Labelmaker, Emperor Pickeltine, Origami Yoda and many others. Tom Angleberger is the author that lives in your child’s library. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and its series is what your middle school student knows the best. That series of books has sold more than four million copies. The elementary school reader knows Inspector Flytrap and laughed along the way with this very enjoyable series. Now, from the pages of Inspector Flytrap comes Didi Dodo, Future Spy: Recipe for Disaster. This is the first in a three-book mini-series about a spy who is also a dodo and your first through fourth grade readers will love this book.

Our fourth grade student took the book from my office and promptly misplaced it. Coincidentally, he lost it after he read it, so he was able to tell me that it was great, very funny and much like Inspector Flytrap. I asked him to go into detail about the book and all he could remember was that it was about Didi Dodo and a stolen brownie recipe. “Oh, but you’ll love it”, he reassured me.

Sure enough, after finding the book he was right. Didi Dodo, Future Spy: Recipe for Disaster is just the sort of book that kids in fist through fourth grade will love. Those on the younger side of that range will need to read it with someone older, but those third graders will be able to breeze through the book and enjoy every moment.

It has the same vibe as Inspector Flytrap and that’s because Angleberger wanted this character to live in the same world as her erstwhile bug eating friend. He’s creating his own elementary school, early chapter book universe where they can cross over, ever so briefly for a cameo, guest spot or assistance solving crimes. There is a little crossover in this book, but for the most part it’s all Didi Dodo, plus Koko Dodo-who is a great baker, Cousin Yuk Yuk, Penguini and a couple others.

The chapters in the book are short enough for struggling readers to read one and feel accomplished. They’re also short enough for. The book is also complimented with illustrations by Jared Chapman. Chapman has a way of drawing characters that perfectly capture the chaos and mayhem that they’re thinking. You’re looking for an angry yak that looks like Slim Pickens mixed with a James Bond villain? No problem he’s in the book and provides horsepower of energy to keep our future spy hero on the run towards success.

Didi Dodo: Future Spy, Recipe for Disaster is great. Kids will reread it a couple of times and then ask when the next one comes out. This is where you can recommend Inspector Flytrap if they’re in elementary school or age them up a bit for the Origami Yoda series. Either way they’ll have a hoot of a time while they wait for the next one.

Missing Link will wow, impress and entertain ages 7 and up

We look forward to every film that Laika puts out. It’s ironic that as a youth stop-motion animation scared me, but now it’s an art form that I’ll go out of my way to view. It’s even more ironic that our 9 year-old loves the medium also. He was all in from the moment he saw the trailer for Missing Link. I was in also, but much like when we saw Kubo and the Two Strings, we had to check our reviewer hat at the door.

Sir Lionel Frost (left) voiced by Hugh Jackman and Mr. Link (right) voiced by Zach Galifianakis in director Chris Butler’s MISSING LINK, a Laika Studios Production and Annapurna Pictures release. Credit : Laika Studios / Annapurna Pictures

First off, as a technical exercise in film-making, Missing Link is masterful. The film employs stop-motion animation, 3-D printing, puppets and more. From a movie wonk perspective the film is stunning, but movie geeks are looking for these things. Impress me, I say to myself as I see a film from Laika-and they never fail to do so. Missing Link raises the animation bar from its already high standard from Kubo.

Did you ever see Wallace and Gromit, The Wrong Trousers? There’s a sequence in there where Wallace is chasing the penguin while riding a train set. When I first saw that I was amazed. There is so much movement in each shot, coupled with entertainment and laughs for an almost silent film that it (still) blows me away.

There are multiple scenes in Missing Link that gave me that same feeling. Early in the film our explorer, Sir Lionel Frost, voiced by Hugh Jackman, crosses a shallow pond to meet the mysterious author of a note that was sent to him. When Frost’s foot enters the pond, as well as, a couple other water/ice scenes were jaw dropping. I know it’s a scale model clay figure, but they feel human and make us care about them.

So, the film was a technical marvel, we kind of expect that from Laika. I took two 9 year-olds to see the film, did they like it? One of them had never seen a stop-motion film before and was a bit confused. They both enjoyed the film, as much as a 9 year-old can, but they weren’t doing cartwheels as they left the theater.

On the other hand, I was reeling in its moments, the obvious humor, the very dry humor (courtesy of Zach Galifiankis as Mr. Link), the dry/icy puns put forth by Emma Thompson and more. As an adult, who loves great movies, this was a great time at the cinema that will be repeated many times at home. We also took a 7 year-old to the theater and he laughed the loudest. Perhaps most surpsingly, he laughed at the dry part of the film, which promptly led us to go home and watch some episodes of Mr. Bean or Monty Python.

Personally, this is the best Laika film. It’s wildly entertaining, varied and has a cohesive, linear story that checks off all of the stop-motion dots. It’s a gorgeous time at the cinema for fans of Laika, stop-motion movies. For those outside of those camps it’s still entertaining. For example, our neighbor saw the film and thought it was ‘cute’, while his 9 year-old daughter thought that it was entertaining. We’ll invite the two of them over to watch Kubo or Wallace and Gromit later.

Missing Link is art, yet it’s approachable art for elementary school ages and up that like entertaining films. The curve ball happens because Laika has produced something so different to what most audiences have seen. It’s not different as in ‘challenging’, it’s just a form of animation that they may not be used to seeing. Case in point, Missing Link is leagues above the most recent PG rated film that they saw, which was computer animated. This is heart, soul and fun, but some younger audiences might not see it over the clay skin that they’re wearing.

Dragons Get Colds Too doesn’t catch fire

I love pizza. However, after having eaten pizza for more than a couple of decades I’ve realized that while bad pizza is almost impossible, there certainly are varying degrees of its caliber or preference. Dragons Get Colds Too is a book about being sick, acknowledging that you’re sick and hopefully, respecting the caregiver who is assisting you. If this book were a pizza place then it’d be a pleasant enough place with OK tasting pie that fills you up, but isn’t one that you’d visit unless it wan on the way to where you’re going.

Dragons, dragons get colds too, children’s illustrated book, children’s book

The premise of the Dragons Get Colds Too is certainly one that any parent can relate to. There’s a sick patient who isn’t being the best recipient of care that’s being offered to them. It’s a situation that is ripe for comedy and lessons that can hopefully be learned by younger readers.

The book is told in a step-by-step process where the girl is being instructed by a doctor and their book on what to do for the dragon. The issue for us, and our 7YO reader, is that the book felt stilted and lost its rhythm every time the narrator and their book popped up on the page. In some books the narrator moves the book along nicely, however, in this book it’s more confusing and distracting than an asset to the story.

There are some humorous physical elements that the book brings up about caring for something as large as a dragon. They breathe fire, their neck is impossibly long and their snot is especially gooey. The illustrations are clever enough, everybody loves a dragon right? However, the book moves so slowly that few audiences, except for the dragon die hards and those looking for a children’s illustrated book about being sick will want a repeat reading.

It also has lots of white space on the pages. Granted this is a pet peeve of ours, but I find that pages with more color tend to capture and hold the attention of young readers more effectively. If you’re a fan of dragon books, buying books for a doctor’s waiting room or for the kid’s renaissance fair this book is for you, otherwise, it’s one that you’ll want to get from the library.