Archives for January 19, 2017

The universe is in danger. The evil Snake extinguishes the stars as he passes through the galaxy, causing chaos and plunging the planets into darkness. The Little Prince must leave his Asteroid home and beloved friend, Rose, in his quest to outsmart the Snake and save the universe from doom. Accompanied by his trusted companion, the Fox, the Little Prince travels from planet to planet, braving danger and discovering vast and enchanted worlds. Will the extraordinary gifts of the Little Prince bring each of the planets back to life? And will he ever find his way home? KIDS FIRST! Film Rohan F. comments, “The Little Prince: The Planet the Snake is a twisting, action-packed animated show for kids.  It is based on characters from a famous book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry called The Little Prince. It comes as a set of three episodes that create one adventure-filled story.” Carla P. adds, “I like how the producers adapted this iconic novel into a contemporary animated video for kids.  Through this film, kids get to know another tale of adventures based on this classic children’s literature.” See their full reviews below.

The Little Prince: The Planet the Snake

By Rohan D. Foxe, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 11

The Little Prince: The Planet the Snake is a twisting, action-packed animated show for kids.  It is based on characters from a famous book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry called The Little Prince. It comes as a set of three episodes that create one adventure-filled story. It is fun, fast-paced and very exciting. I enjoyed how it made me feel for The Prince while keeping me excited and interested.

The Little Prince: The Planet the Snake is about The Little Prince’s journey to rescue his Rose who has been kidnapped by an evil Snake. The prince uses his magic, the help of his friends and his courage to follow the clues to get to the Snake’s planet.  He faces many treacheries and traps set up by the Snake on his journey, but he perseveres to rescue his Rose.

The series has some very detailed animation and the characters show some great expressions. The overall result  very visually interesting.  This DVD is a bit darker than other titles in The Little Prince series. I didn’t like how it references other episodes of the series because, this makes it unable to stand alone, but it does make me want to see the others! Aidan Drummond and Brian Drummond do the voices of The Little Prince and his Fox. Their expressions, like sadness and joy, are done with great character in their voices.

My favorite part of the DVD are the fight scenes between The Little Prince and the Gloomies. These are monsters that are created out of sadness and the loss of hope. These scenes are always very exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat. I also felt that they are spread out enough that they don’t get boring or repetitive but keep a consistent theme throughout the show.

The moral of the show is to never lose hope. I feel this is important because it teaches kids to never to give up on their dreams. It also teaches the importance and power of love and reassures us that good always conquers evil. The Little Prince: The Planet the Snake is an interesting film and makes a great addition to the The Little Prince series. I give it 5 out of 5 stars because it is dramatic and exciting. I recommend it for ages 5 to15. It is available on DVD January 10, 2017 so, go check it out.

The Little Prince: The Planet of the Snake

By Carla Paz, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 12

The Little Prince: The Planet of the Snake is one of the sequels of the series based on this book.   This is a wonderful movie for children and I like it because of its message.

Some of you might know the very popular novel The Little Prince by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.  The Little Prince has been adapted into numerous forms over the decades, books, theater, film, audio record, as well as movies. The Little Prince: The Planet of the Snake is about a young boy that should leave his home planet with his companion Fox to try to defeat the snake that is creating chaos, putting the universe in danger and has also kidnapped his flower friend, Rose.  The Little Prince and Fox go on a quest to save Rose, but in their journey, they fight danger and go through many adventures. The Little Prince and Fox discover many interesting things in their journey to rescue Rose and protect the planets.  The other challenge is to find their way back home.

I like how the producers adapted this iconic novel into a contemporary animated video for kids.   Through this film, kids get to know another tale of adventures based on this classic children’s literature. The voice actors are quite wonderful. I particularly like Paul Dobson’s voice as the Snake as his sinister act was very believable.  The animation is modern CGI which brings this classic into a contemporary format.  However, the animation isn’t like a Disney film; it is more like the show Miraculous Ladybug.

My favorite character is Fox.  I love how comic he is and laughed a lot at his funny comments.  I also like how the Fox helps The Prince not lose hope when they think they lost Rose. The message of this movie is to not lose hope. The Prince loses hope but the Fox helps him carry on in saving Rose.   That is a good message for children. They can learn to help their friends when they feel sad or want to give up. I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it to ages 4 to 7. You can find this movie at your local store or on Amazon on January 10, 2017 so, go check it out.

Credit: KIDS FIRST!

12-year-old Conor, dealing with his mother’s illness, a less-than-sympathetic grandmother, and bullying classmates, finds a most unlikely ally when a Monster appears at his bedroom window. Ancient, wild, and relentless, the Monster guides Conor on a journey of courage, faith and truth. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Jolleen M. comments, “This film is just amazing! The monster is very realistic, the plot is new, unique and compelling, and the movie moved me to tears.” Brianna B. adds, “This movie adaptation, while a bit confusing, is touching at times and portrays a plethora of different visual aspects. It’s interesting and keeps you wondering what will happen next.” See their full reviews below.
A Monster Calls

By Jolleen M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic age 12

This film is just amazing! The monster is very realistic, the plot is new, unique and compelling, and the movie moved me to tears.

This is an adapted story from the award-winning novel. The story begins when Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall) meets a monster (Liam Neeson) during what Conor thinks is a dream. Conor already has enough on his plate with bullies at his school, his mother’s (Felicity Jones) illness and the pressure that his grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) will take him away from his mother. Plus, Conor’s father is living far away where he cannot support his child through the mental and physical challenges that he  is undergoing.

Lewis MacDougall portrays Conor O’Malley extremely well. He draws the audience into his world and really makes them experience his pain. The way that MacDougall shows how Conor loves his mother and doesn’t want her to go makes everyone feel heartbroken. MacDougall pulls you in with his great acting skills that make this film enjoyable as your mood swings form tears of joy to extreme sadness throughout the whole movie.

The monster’s appearance looks extremely realistic. The monster’s body is very detailed with multiple branches sticking out of it and you see the branches grow and entangle everything they come across. I also love the sound effects. Whenever the monster wakes up and comes out of the ground, the sound of breaking branches and his growl are very realistic which make him seem completely real.

My favorite part of the movie is when Conor and his mother are together in his mother’s final moments and the monster is there watching over them. It is really touching to see them together, but sorrowful at the same time because, you know that the mother has to go. It really moved me seeing how much they love each other.

The message of this story is that you have to learn to face the truth and accept it. You can’t hide from your problems and expect them to go away. You must accept the truth. You have to be strong and learn to let go and move on.

This movie is really spectacular and riveting. I give it 5 out of 5 monster stars. I recommend it for ages 12 to 18. There is too much drama and death for younger viewers. You can find this movie in theaters January 6, 2017. It is truly wonderful and you should definitely check it out.

A Monster Calls

Brianna Hope B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 17

This movie adaptation, while a bit confusing, is touching at times and portrays a plethora of different visual aspects. It’s interesting and keeps you wondering what will happen next.

Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall) is a 12-year-old boy who’s trying to cope with his mother’s terminal illness, being bullied at school and other problems. One night at exactly 12:07a.m., Conor is visited by The Monster (Liam Neeson) who, throughout the film, gives him advice on his situations and tells him stories.

I must say that the visuals have to be my favorite part of this film, from the live action to the CGI, to the visuals of water coloring. I love the detail everywhere, especially the attention to detail with the tree, the set and the wardrobe. It’s visually extremely pleasing. I also really enjoy how relatable the different situations are. There are plenty of kids being raised by a single parent, dealing with a sick relative or having nightmares.  The relatable moments are not just for kids however, there are some for adults as well. This is a good film that will make you laugh, cry, and sometimes get mad about how Conor is treated. It has little comedic moments, but not a lot.  Thee are just enough to lighten the mood. Overall, I like this film a lot, but there are a few things that I don’t particularly enjoy. I’m confused about the need for the tree stories or the need for the tree at all. The truth that Conor has to confess to the tree does not measure up to the angst or drama that is presented. I also feel that the film is a bit too long. Some of the scenes are drawn out. Liam Neeson’s deep voice with music enhancements is incredible. He is one remarkable Monster. His voice is strong, confident, and a little bit scary in the beginning, but afterwards, you get use to it. Lewis MacDougall’s performance is outstanding.  He’s in that in-between stage of being too old to be considered a child and definitely too young to be a man.  A young man you could say, but its still a difficult stage and he is doing great.

I recommend this film for ages 12 to 18. The title would lead you to believe that this is one scary film, however it’s not too bad. It’s rated PG 13 for the scary scenes, mentions of terminal cancer and bullying.  I give this film 3½ out of 5 stars, for its sometimes confusing plot and length. This film is in theaters January 6^th, so please check it out.

Credit: KIDS FIRST!