Back in May, it looked like a promising year for family films. Between the zany joy of "Shrek 2," the critical raves over the third "Harry Potter" film and a large slate of G and PG films set to hit the screen, I had high hopes for quality entertainment the entire family could enjoy.
That optimism fizzled out quickly.
Autumn is the time of year when the studios release the movies they expect will receive award nominations. The good choices for adults are staggering; but there's not much for the kids. I had been looking forward to the release of "A Shark's Tale," only to be disappointed by its lack of a cohesive, human story. It is no "Finding Nemo" or "Shrek 2." However, that hasn't stopped "Shark" from becoming a huge hit, which only confirms my belief that the audience exists for good family fare -- the studios just need to put it out there.
They will be doing just that over the next couple of months, as they gear up for the holiday box office. First out of the gate will be "The Incredibles," Pixar's highly-anticipated follow up to "Nemo." With a track record that also includes the two "Toy Story" films and "Monsters, Inc.," critics are expecting this one to be another slam-dunk. "The Incredibles" opens November 5.
Five days later, Warner Brothers will be opening "The Polar Express," which is the subject of great buzz due to its groundbreaking CGI effects, enabling Tom Hanks to portray five different characters, including the young hero and Santa Claus. Between these two movies and the earlier hits, 2004 could go down as one of the biggest box office years for family movies.
Until then, parents who are looking for good films to enjoy with their children may want to hit the video store for some classics they may have missed. Among my favorites are:
The Iron Giant
This cold war tale of a young boy who befriends a robot was one of the best animated films of the last five years - and one of the least-seen. Voice talent included Harry Connick, Jr., Jennifer Aniston and Eli Marienthal as Hogarth. "The Iron Giant" should have been a hit, but it suffered from business decisions made by Warner Brothers studios that resulted in a lack of marketing. This special edition DVD will be released on November 16 - but you should be able to find an earlier one for rent at your local video store.
Holes
Director Andrew Davis did a fantastic job of putting Louis Sachar's acclaimed children's book on the screen (it helped that he got Sachar to write the screenplay). Jon Voight, Sigourney Weaver and Shia LaBouef star.
Before he did "Chicken Run," animator Nick Park made his mark with these three shorts featuring dim witted inventor Wallace and his brilliant dog, Gromit. Good plots, hilarious sight gags and amazing clay animation make this a great viewing for everyone in the family, including the youngest kids.
Enjoy these films - and I'll see you at the theater in November!
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Donna Schwartz Mills took film classes in college and spent 13 years working in the entertainment industry before "retiring" to marry a "non-pro" (Variety's term for anyone in any other business) and become a mom. Today, she's lucky if she can attend two "grown up" films per year -- but she feeds her movie habit by dragging her little girl to every family film that comes out, often on opening day. She says she can't wait for her daughter to turn 17.
Donna is owner of Family-Content.com, the home of free and low-cost content solutions for family friendly websites and ezines.
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