Review By JESSICA ALMY When a mama mouse living in a field must save her family from the plow, including her son who is stricken with pneumonia, she discovers a secret world of super-intelligent rats who have suffered at the hands of vivisectors (at the National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH) and are seeking [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Movies'
The Secret of NIMH
January 31st, 2012 · 6 Comments · Movies
Tags:1980s Childrens Movies·Animal Research·animal rights·Animated Movies·Don Bluth·Early Elementary·Female Protagonist·Mice·Older Elementary·Rats
Born to Be Wild
January 20th, 2012 · 1 Comment · Movies
Review By JENNIFER GANNETT “Born to Be Wild” is an IMAX film focusing on the conservation efforts of two women working a world away from each other in different conditions but with aligned goals. Both have set up systems of caring for and ultimately releasing orphaned wild animals back into the wild. Daphne Sheldrick, who [...]
Tags:Animal Rescue·Biography·Birute Galdikas·Conservation·Daphne Sheldrick·Early Elementary·Elephants·IMAX·Indonesia·Jennifer Gannett·Kenya·Morgan Freeman·Older Elementary·Orangutans
Go, Diego, Go!
January 14th, 2012 · 3 Comments · Movies
Review By JENNIFER KALI Dora’s cousin Diego is also an adventurer, but Diego is a boy with a mission. At the beginning of each episode, Diego announces, “Hi! I am Diego and I am an animal rescuer!” Then he goes on to exclaim, “I love animals!” With his team, made up of his sister Alicia and Click [...]
Tags:Adventure·Animal Rescue·Animal Welfare·Early Elementary·Good for Toddlers·Jennifer Kali·Preschoolers
The Muppets
November 27th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Movies
Review By JESSICA ALMY Anyone who believes the old adage that publishers and producers can make works featuring male protagonists because they will appeal to both boys and girls (in contrast to female protagonists, which allegedly are of little interest to boys) has not watched a movie with my daughter. When we saw “The Muppets” [...]
Tags:1980s Culture·Early Elementary·Family Films·Family Movies·Humor·Muppets·Music·Older Elementary·Pop Culture
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
November 17th, 2011 · No Comments · Movies
Review By JENNIFER KALI A holiday television classic. Peppermint Patty invites herself and a few friends to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving. Old Chuck is in a pickle because all he knows how to cook is toast and cold cereal. He employs Snoopy and Woodstock to set a Thanksgiving table in the back yard, and the three get [...]
Tags:1970s Childrens Movies·Animated Movies·Charlie Brown·Family Movies·Holiday Movies·Jennifer Kali·Thanksgiving
Care Bears to the Rescue Movie
October 6th, 2011 · No Comments · Movies
Review By JENNIFER KALI I watched this movie with my daughter (2 years old) and her friend (3 years old). We were doing overnight babysitting and thought a movie night would be fun. I loved the Care Bears as a kid but knew nothing about this movie or the current incarnation of our 80’s cartoon friends. I took [...]
Tags:Bears·Companion Animals·Good for Toddlers·Insects·Jennifer Kali·Preschoolers·Wild Animals
How to Train Your Dragon
August 19th, 2011 · 3 Comments · Movies
Review By JESSICA ALMY Last year’s big screen release, “How to Train Your Dragon” has a powerful message about tolerance and respect for animals. Set in a Viking village, the film opens on a scene of terrible violence in which humans and dragons are waging battle. The lead character Hiccup is eager to win his [...]
Tags:Animated·Animated Movies·Depictions of Meat in Film·Dragons·Early Elementary·Family Films·Family Movies·Genesis Awards·Older Elementary
Rio
May 17th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Movies
Review By JESSICA ALMY The animated movie “Rio” really had me at the first scene, where all the birds of the rainforest ascend into the sky to sing and fly in a huge, showy musical number. Add to the lush animation and the spirited music a storyline that revolves around the evils of the pet [...]
Tags:Animated·Animated Movies·Birds·Brazil·Captive Wildlife·Early Elementary·Family Movies·Humor·Jemaine Clement·Music·Parrots·Pet Stores·Pet Trade·Preschoolers·Rainforest·Wild Animals in Captivity·Wildlife
Open Season
May 5th, 2011 · No Comments · Movies
Review By JESSICA ALMY You gotta love that kids movies sometimes say what adult films never could. Continuing the tradition of “Bambi” and “The Fox and the Hound,” the 2006 release “Open Season“ depicts hunting from the animals’ perspective, and of course, it isn’t pretty. The main character is a grizzly bear named Boog, who was [...]
Tags:Animated Movies·Anti-Hunting·Bears·Early Elementary·Hunting·Older Elementary·Rabbits·Wildlife·Wildlife Rehabilitation
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
April 17th, 2011 · 1 Comment · Movies
Review By JESSICA ALMY Don’t let the title put you off too much. “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is actually a decent animated flick. While there aren’t strong animal or environmental themes, vegetarians will be interested to know that this movie emphasizes eating in moderation — and that the meatballs in the title don’t [...]
Tags:Animated Movies·Consumption of Meat·Depictions of Meat in Film·Early Elementary·Family Films·Food Choices·Genetically Modified Food·Meteorology·Older Elementary·Science
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