Rating: PG, for sequences of sci-fi action violence and peril, thematic elements, and language.
The section of Disneyland that contains the Space Mountain and Star Tours rides inspires this live-action, sci-fi adventure. George Clooney and Britt Robertson star as strangers connected by a mysterious pin that transports them to a magical, futuristic land when they touch it. A robot in the form of a plucky teenage girl (Raffey Cassidy) brings them together in hopes that they?ll be able to save the place from dying. Two-time Oscar winner Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) directed from a script he co-wrote with Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, so many of the loftier philosophical elements of the script might go over younger viewers’ heads. But the film’s dreamy, central message — do something great with your talents and make the world a better place — couldn’t be more clear. Bad guys are after our heroes in both human and robot form, and many chases and shootouts with laser guns ensue in which characters get disintegrated. And at one point, a truck hits the little girl/robot, but she’s fine. OK for kids around 8 and older.
Rating: PG, for some action and scary images.
This visually attractive but thematically messy animated fantasy combines pop tunes from the past 60 years with elements of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. There’s a lot going on here, and most of it doesn’t work. Star Wars creator George Lucas came up with the story, which takes place in an enchanted land that’s been split in two: There’s the Fairy Kingdom and the Dark Forest. A feisty fairy princess (voiced by Evan Rachel Wood) dares to enter the scary next-door neighborhood, where she makes an unexpected connection with the mean, lonely Bog King (Alan Cumming). This inspires the singing of several wedged-in (and often painfully on the nose) radio hits. The colors and background elements are vibrant and beautifully detailed, but the character and creature faces are stiff and rubbery in a way that’s distracting. The music selections, which range from Elvis Presley to Bob Marley to Beyonce, are incessant and overbearing. And some of the homelier creatures, including the Bog King (who’s some sort of insect hybrid), might frighten younger viewers. OK for most ages.
