So well all know the following....Santa Clause, The Sandman, The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny and Jack Frost. Well in this year's Rise of the Guardians they are all teamed together to bring you this animated thrill ride this Christmas!
Some of the greatest actors to date voice many of the interesting characters for instance, Hugh Jackman as The Easter Bunny and Alec Baldwin as Santa Clause 'North'. We also get to see Jude Law voice the bad guy Pitch whom represents every child's nightmare, The Bogeyman Unfortunately The Sandman doesn't have a voice but instead communicates through funny facial expressions, kinda' like Gromit the Dog, which just adds to his immense cuteness!
What to expect
The whole plot focuses around Pitch's plan to cover the whole world in Darkness. It is up to Jack Frost, a simple care free boy and The Guardians (Santa, Tooth Fairy etc..) to stop him. The Guardian's kidnap Jack Frost, whom has forever been on the naughty list, in an attempt to get him on their side. I think it is safe to say he is a little reluctant at first.
This film is full of comedy, witty tag lines, feel good moments and a bit of upbeat action from The Guardians. It will get you super duper excited for Christmas and will make you want to crawl into a dressing gown in front of an open fire. It is definitely a family film!
So be prepared because Rise of the Guardians is released in the UK onth 25th November....SO SOOOONNN!!!
Disney and Pixar have joined forces this year to bring you the most exciting new Disney princess ever!! (excluding Rapunzel of course) Brave (U) hit the cinema screens this summer starring the likes of Kelly McDonald as rebel Princess Merida and Billy Connolly as one of Scotland's toughest kings as well as a loving dopey father to Merida. I promise you this film will brighten up any bad day as this animated adventure incorporates some of Scotland's most wonderful landscapes alongside its most marvellous accents!
Brave definitely isn't your average Disney Princess film! For starters both of the main characters parents are alive and there is no evil step-mum, talking animals or even a bad guy! In fact this heart warming film includes a big giant brown bear as the'bad guy' and instead of an evil-step mum this film focuses mainly on the true meaning behind mother-daughter relationships. Honestly I cried pretty much the whole way through!
So why are we all so excited?
Well firstly if we take a glimpse at the main character Merida, she is definitely not your stereotypical princess. For instance she has a head full of ginger curly hair, a cheeky grin and carries around a bow and arrow! I was without a doubt a tad bit unsure of what to make of the princess's image at first. However as I started to watch the film I became engrossed in this Princess's personality! Merida is cheeky, funny and extremely stubborn which I personally believes relates a lot more to everyday girls than the like of Cinderlla and Sleepy Beauty did! I couldn't help comparing Merida to Disney's latest princess Rapunzel. Although they both have a completely different image, they both want to escape the hectic routine of everyday life and explore the world, simply trying to discover who they are. Disney have brought to the table a new character in which young girls will definitely aspire to be like as she brings excitement and freedom into the film.
Moreover Brave has many other awesome characters such as Fergus, Merida's father, Elinor, Merida's mother voiced by Emma Thompson and the witch voiced by Julie Walters. All theses characters play huge roles in the storyline which is as follows. Merida has grown up her whole life with routine, being prepared by her overly organised and controlling mother Elinor...Sounds almost like my mum! Once her mother organises a competition for all the kingdom's Lords and their sons to compete in which the prize is Merida, Merida of course Rebels and runs off to the forest. In other words Princess Merida throws a strop. There she is led to the home of a witch whom at first seems harmless and friendly. However the witch gives Merida a spell in which to change her mother, of course Merida accepts as she is in a moment of fury and anger. I wont spoil to much of the story however Elinor's change is not what Merida had in mind and therefore the rest of the story is about how Merida must fight to get her mother back and their relationship is restored.
I love this film so much because Director Mark Andrews also known for The Incredibles and Ratatouille, knows exactly how to pull on your heart strings. For example there are scenes which involve a young princess running away from home, riding on a horse in distress after a fight with her mother. Now as a young lady myself I have obviously experienced the emotional pubescent age where I would fight with my mother so I could relate to this scene quite well. Also there are some scenes where you are sat on the edge of your seat as Merida has to fight against bear in the middle of a dark and eery forest amongst the ruins of an old castle! You simply have no idea what is around the corner when watching this film which is what I loved about it!
However when watching Brave I couldn't help but have a few concerns. For instance I'm not to sure how this film is directed at children. I know that sounds silly a kids film not for kids, but in all honesty when watching it there are quite a few dark scenes, full of shadows and eery music. Also the message that Disney and Pixar try to get across about Mother-Daughter relationships is sweet and heart-warming however they way they do it, ie through the form of forced marriage is slightly too grown up and formal for my liking. I know my sister Scarlett (6) absolutely loved this film she was especially enthusiastic towards Merida's younger triplets brothers who are the comedy throughout the film, causing mischiefs and turning into bears. On the other hand I know she was scared and found herself hiding in the cinema chairs at some of the more darker scenes such as when Merida finds herself lost in the Forest.
All in all I couldn't help but feel like the film was a bit bland almost like Crackers without Cheese, there was definitely something missing throughout this film, but it was Disney and Pixar's first film together so we can give them a little bit of leeway I definitely recommend this as a family film, watch it with your children the first time and definitely bring popcorn. 5/10
The Lorax (U) is this summer's family fun animated film, based on the 1971 book by Dr Seuss.
Dr Seuss is one of the most eccentric light hearted authors from my childhood, writing famous books such as 'The Cat in the Hat' and 'The Grinch who stole Christmas'. If you have never heard of Dr Seuss then think...Tim Burton mixed with Lemony Snicket and a dash of Roald Dahl,,,Resulting in simply genius, bizzare and unusual work.
The Lorax teaches children about how to respect the environment, Seuss said 'unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, its not.' And God damn it he was right!
So why is there so much Lorax Hate?
Okay so the film involves a young boy played by the voice of Zac Efron. Granted hid character Ted is no sexy six pack ridden hunk, yet we can't help but fall in love with this character. He goes on a wild adventure looking for the 'last remaining tree', while being chased by the town mayor also know as 'Mr O'Hare' played by Rob Riggle', all to impress the love of his life, little ginger air head Audrey, voiced by Taylor Swift.
However there are many people who dislike what happens next...The young boy Ted learns a life lesson by The Once-ler, Ed Helms, whom explains how he took advantage of the environment and faced the consequences which involved The Lorax, Mike Myers, also known as the guardian of the forest! The Lorax can be seen as a very annoying orange fuzzball...Imagine when you were a child, and your parents would patronise you and nag you on and on and on, yet we still loved them. Well that is the Lorax to the Tee! Many critics find the Lorax character infuriating and simply quite hard to watch, a character who rabbits on to much about what we should be doing to help the environment.
On the other hand many critics find the casting of this film a little off putting. For example Zac Efron 23 is playing a character twice his age! Now fair play to that opinion but hold on .. there is a lot of singing in this film and to be honest after High School Musical came out, Mr Efron sounds about his character's age (12) when he sings anyway, so what is the fuss all about!
Finally most people are too busy comparing the film to the 1971 book. For example many of you aren't happy with the adding of extra characters and plot. Alongside this there is some slight confusion as to who it is that actually dreams for a better world, Audrey or Ted?
However we are all forgetting that this is a children's film!! It is light hearted, funny and creative. Full of silly songs and characters, such as three singing fish that in all honesty sound like strangled versions of 'Alvin and the Chipmunks! But so what? After watching this film it warmed my heart and I just felt like a silly child again! Therefore I give this film a 5/10 and recommend you watch it if you fancy something strange and silly.
Some of the greatest actors to date voice many of the interesting characters for instance, Hugh Jackman as The Easter Bunny and Alec Baldwin as Santa Clause 'North'. We also get to see Jude Law voice the bad guy Pitch whom represents every child's nightmare, The Bogeyman Unfortunately The Sandman doesn't have a voice but instead communicates through funny facial expressions, kinda' like Gromit the Dog, which just adds to his immense cuteness!
