The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog had a good message about the difference between what we want and what we need. The voodoo aspects were a little too intense for a G rating. It didn't scare my granddaughters, but I had to answer a lot of questions. The 3-year-old also kept asking where the princess (the focus of Disney’s hypermarketing) was, and both got confused by the flashbacks and dream sequences. Louis the alligator was the most interesting and well done character, but it seemed like he was pulled from the cast of Fantasia and plopped into this movie. Prince Naveen seemed to be played by Pepe Le Pew in a frog suit. All in all, I think the movie is poorly rated and will disappoint the little girls expecting more emphasis on princessness.

Ice Age: Continental Drift

I chuckled a couple of times, shed no tears, and was not at all impressed with Ice Age: Continental Drift. In this 4th outing, the story has drifted off course and lost its innocence. Sure, the lessons are still there - the importance of the herd (or family, whatever it's makeup), what it means to be a friend, the stresses and changes of coming of age, and respect for elders. But there was something mean-spirited about it. What has changed is the adversary, this time Captain Gutt, an evil primate and leader of a motley band of pirates, voiced by Peter Dinklage. Dinklage does an excellent job with the part, maybe too good, as the heartless and menacing villain. In the previous films, it seems to me that the bad guys we're predators, doing what predators do. In this case, Captain Gutt was just evil and all too human; and this cast a cloud over the whole film. There were also issues of teen angst that might have been OK if not under that cloud, but in this case they just added to the darker atmosphere.

Two bright spots did succeed in peeking through all the gloom. The ever optimistic Sid was as clueless, optimistic, and lovable as ever. Skrat, ever in pursuit of his goal, was welcome relief each time he dropped into the picture; and his big scene near the end must surely be an homage to my hero, Daffy Duck.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Madagascar 3 was fun - not great, but fun. My favorite part was King Julian being smitten by a huge circus bear who rides a tiny bicycle.

Brave

Brave was wonderful. I can't think of enough words of praise for the film. The movie was pure, unadulterated fun. The story was original and surprising. The animation was amazing. Even the 3D was good and not intrusive. There were no gratuitous scenes made just to showcase the 3D. The lessons were positive and important. I could go on, but I don't want to spoil the wonder and surprise. Suffice that I got to cry happy tears.

Before the feature started, we were treated to La Luna, a delightful short about what happens to those meteorites that land on the moon. I'd seen it before and still found it fresh and imaginative.