It’s movie time for the whole family!
Enjoy these fun family films opening soon at your local cineplex.
Little Dog Has Big Adventure
In the movie “Bolt,” a Hollywood hound expands his horizons when he finds himself on the other side of the country. Bolt is the canine superstar of a popular TV program. He embarks on a grand adventure when an accident strands him in New York City.
Bolt soon discovers that he doesn’t have the amazing powers that his television character possesses. But with the help of his new friends, a cat named Mittens and a hamster named Rhino, he sets out for home to reunite with his friend and costar Penny.
John Travolta and Miley Cyrus of “Hannah Montana” lend their voices to this animated tale of a daredevil dog. “Bolt” opens Nov. 21. It is rated PG.
If you need more doggone fun at the movies, after the holidays check into the “Hotel for Dogs.” Emma Roberts plays a girl who turns her attention to providing comfort for canines. “Hotel for Dogs” opens Jan. 16. It is rated PG.
Boomer Recommends:
“Dog Lost” by Ingrid Lee
“Lassie Come Home” by Eric Knight
“A Dog’s Life: Autobiography of a Stray” by Ann M. Martin
This season finds popular books turned into films. After you see a movie, head to the bookstore or library to check out the book, or look for a novelization or story book version of original films. Or try Boomer Bear’s recommended reading suggestions on this page.
These Bedtime Stories Create Daytime Havoc
“Bedtime Stories” tells the story of a man (Adam Sandler) who gets more than he bargained for when he begins a nighttime storytelling ritual with his niece and nephew. The fantastical elements of these bedtime stories start showing up in this hotel handyman’s day-to-day life. Can he survive the next story and live happily ever after? “Bedtime Stories” opens Dec. 25.
Boomer Recommends:
Make up a bedtime story with your mom or dad.
Girl Finds Other Mysterious World
“Coraline” is the spooky story of a girl who discovers a mysterious door in her house. When she shows the door to her mother, it leads nowhere—there’s just a wall behind it. But later Coraline goes through the door and finds herself in an altered reality. In this strange place, her Other Mother and Other Father seem like her parents, except for their button eyes. Is this Other world better than Coraline’s real life, or are sinister forces at work?
“Coraline” uses stop-motion animation and is based on the book (and graphic novel) by Neil Gaiman. It was adapted and directed by Henry Selick who directed “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “James and the Giant Peach.”
It may be too scary for younger kids. It opens Feb. 6.
Boomer Recommends:
“Coraline” by Neil Gaiman
The “Goosebumps” series by R.L. Stine
Mouse’s Tale is Heroic Story
A brave little mouse with big ears and a tiny body has huge ambitions in “The Tale of Despereaux,” based on the Newbery-winning book by Kate DiCamillo. This animated movie follows the trials of Despereaux, a small but noble rodent who is as interested in chivalry as he is cheese!
Despereaux gets in a lot of trouble because of his fixation on knights and the human world. Eventually, he is banished from Mouseworld after he falls in love with (and speaks to) a human princess. When Princess Pea is threatened, the little mouse who wants to be a knight is the only one who can save the day.
“The Tale of Despereaux” opens Dec. 19.
Best Selling Book Comes to Big Screen
Bella has always had problems fitting in with her peers. Things don’t get any easier when she finds herself at a new school in a new town. Then Bella meets Edward, a beautiful loner who is different from anyone she has ever met before—very different. It turns out that Edward is a vampire, and he brings excitement and danger into Bella’s life.
Based on the best-selling book by Stephenie Meyer, “Twilight” is most suitable for older kids—tweens and teens. Talk to your parents before you head to the multiplex. “Twilight” opens Nov. 21. It is rated PG-13.
Boomer Recommends:
The “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyers
Animal Crew Heads Back to Zoo?
Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman and their friends are ready to move it, move it out of Madagascar. The lion, zebra, hippo and giraffe that brought big laughs in the animated hit movie “Madagascar” are now trying to get back to the Central Park Zoo. But their travel plans take a major detour in "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.”
Ben Stillman and Chris Rock return to voice the characters of Alex the lion and Marty the Zebra. Favorites like King Julien, the gregarious lemur, and those plotting penguins also return in this sequel. When the penguins try to jury-rig an old, crashed airplane to get the animals back to New York, things don’t go exactly as planned. The zoo-bred quartet finds itself in the ancestral homeland—Africa! “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” is now playing. It is rated PG.
Boomer Recommends:
- “Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds” by Joy Adamson
- “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London
- “The Tale of Despereaux” by Kate DiCamillo
- The “Redwall” series by Brian Jacques
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