MV5BMzA5MDg5ZDAtOWE1YS00Nzg2LTk5NzUtMDY3ZDZlN2U2M2ZlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUwNzk3NDc@._V1_.jpg — Mulan (1998)

**Directed by: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook**
**Starring: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong, Soon-Tek Oh, James Hong, Pat Morita, Miguel Ferrer**
**Rated: G**
**Running Time: 1 h 28 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Story, Music, Animation Style, Song, Excitement, Themes**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Mulan (1998)

May 7, 2019

Based on a Chinese legend, about a young girl whom disguises herself as a man to take her ailing father’s place in the army, and in doing so becomes one of China’s greatest heroes.

MV5BYjUwMzhkM2ItMTU2OC00OTQ5LWJlMDUtMzRmYjc0NDUyNGVhL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,670,1000_AL_.jpg — Robin Hood (1973)

**Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman**
**Starring: Brian Bedford, Monica Evans, Phil Harris, Andy Devine, Peter Ustinov, Roger Miller**
**Rated: G**
**Running Time: 1 h 23 m**
**TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Some Fun Scenes, Likeable Characters**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing, Reuses Animation**

Robin Hood (1973)

May 6, 2019

A retelling of the story of Robin Hood and his struggle against the Sherriff of Nottingham starring humanoid animals.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

November 5, 2018

An orphaned boy learns he is famous in the wizarding world for once having bested an evil wizard as a baby. Upon rejoining the world of wizards, the boy joins a wizard school.

abm 1.jpg — The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

**Directed by: Terry Gilliam**
**Starring: John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Robin Williams, Uma Thurman**
**Rated: PG**
**Running Time: 2h 6m**
**TMM Score: 4 Stars (Really Liked It)**
**STRENGTHS: Creativity, Fantasy, Performances**
**WEAKNESSES: Uneven, Slow in Spots**

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

October 26, 2018

The City is under attack by the Turks and while the government know it alls claim to have it all in hand, the townspeople are being treated with a theatrical presentation of the adventures of Baron Munchausen. That is, until the real Baron shows up and tells them that the siege outside their gates is really his fault, but not to fear. He will set it right, again.

MV5BOWYxMjBjZWQtNjMyZi00MDU4LTg3YmYtNGE3MjliZTc2YzNmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTkwNTk1MjA@._V1_.jpg — Camp Manna (2018)

**Directed by: Eric Scott Johnson, Eric Machiela**
**Starring: Luke Klein, Gary Busey, Evan Koons, Joey Morgan, Jimmy Tatro**
**Rated: NR (Suggested PG for Some Language and Crude Humor)**
**Running Time: 1 h 31 m**
**TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Acting, Unconventionality**
**WEAKNESSES: Might Not Be Appropriate for Younger Children**

Camp Manna (2018)

October 15, 2018

Ian Fletcher, a ‘nonbeliever’, is sent to a Christian camp where he is forced to compete in The God Games.

MV5BNmM1YmM1NjAtNTlhMC00YjJiLTlkNjctZmVjYjIyMTRiMzBlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjM0ODk5MDU@._V1_.jpg — Return to Oz (1985)

**Directed by: Walter Murch**
**Starring: Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh**
**Rated: PG**
**Running Time: 1 h 53 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Story, Production Design, Atmosphere**
**WEAKNESSES: Trouble Finding Target Audience**

Return to Oz (1985)

August 27, 2018

Six months after the tornado took Dorothy to Oz, she must return to help lift the curse that a witch and the Nome king have placed across the land.

MV5BMTlmNzhiMWEtOWVjZC00NmM0LTgxNDItMDJmYTkxYTZkY2FjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTUyMzE4Mzg@._V1_.jpg — Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

**Directed by: Brian Henson**
**Starring: Tim Curry, Billy Connolly, Kevin Bishop**
**Rated: G**
**Running Time: 1 h 39 m**
**TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Humor, Innocence, Fun, Music, Story**
**WEAKNESSES: Not As Tight As Other Muppet Movies**

Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

August 17, 2018

The Muppets embark on a quest to Treasure Island.

Dumbo (1941)

June 29, 2018

A newborn circus elephant is separated from its mother and must find its own way under the big top.

My Life As a Zucchini (2016)

June 21, 2018

When young Zucchini accidentally kills his single alcoholic mother he is placed in a foster group home where he meets other children who are all in a similar plight and don’t know what to think of the new kid.

Pom Poko (1994)

June 20, 2018

A group of shape-shifting “raccoon dogs” fight against the humans who plan on turning their forest into a development.

Incredibles 2 (2018)

June 18, 2018

Mr. Incredible is left at home with the kids while Elastigirl gets a new job saving the world.

Sword Poster.jpg — The Sword in the Stone (1963)

**Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman**
**Starring: Karl Swenson, Rickie Sorensen, Junius Matthews**
**Rated: G**
**Running Time: 1 h 19 m**
**TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Message, Charm, Animation, Pacing**
**WEAKNESSES: Episodic Storytelling, End Abruptly**

The Sword in the Stone (1963)

June 14, 2018

A whimsical wizard takes a young boy under his wing to groom him for his future.

A Wrinkle In Time

**Directed by: Ava DuVernay**
**Starring: Storm Reid, Deric McCabe, Levi Miller, Reese Witherspoon**
**Rated: PG**
**Running Time: 1h 49m**
**TMM Score: 2 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Storm Reid's Performance**
**WEAKNESSES: Everything Else**

A Wrinkle In Time (2018)

March 20, 2018

When Middle Schooler Meg's scientist Father went missing, it ruined her life, but upon meeting Charles Wallace, her brother's, new other-worldly friends, she is offered the chance to find her Father and heal her broken family, all while saving the universe?

Early Man (2018)

February 19, 2018

A peaceful Stone Age tribe is kicked out of their serene valley by a more advanced hostile civilization. In order to win their home back, the tribe members challenge their enemy to a game of soccer.

MARY AND THE WITCH'S FLOWER (2018)

February 6, 2018

SUMMARY

Staying in the country with her Great Aunt in the country is boring little Mary to tears. With no one to play with really, she follows a couple of neighborhood cats into the woods and finds a blue flower and a broomstick. The rare flower Mary has found gives her magical powers and the broom whisks her off to a magical school with a magical and terrifying secret.

MY THOUGHTS

To be honest, I was i bit disappointed in this film. Maybe it's just that I have been spoiled by Studio Ghibli movies but this first offering from new Studio Ponoc felt like well trod territory to me. If you have never seen Studio Ghibli films like “Spirited Away,” then I suppose this movie would seem extremely innovative. However, I feel about this film the way I felt about Pixar’s “Good Dinosaur”. It’s alright. In fact for an extremely young child it would be preferable to “Spirited Away” since that film is more intense.

That is the problem though. This film seems like a movie a kid might outgrow and certainly I felt like an adult in a kid’s movie as I watched.

That being said, the animation is beautiful. On par with Studio Ghibli movies you can certainly see the roots of the director in that company. Some of the flying sequences are squeal worthy, they are so fun.

But that is really the extent of it. I felt it was too slow, especially when the characters are as simple as these are. Even the story seems very derivative of “Spirited Away,” Narnia, and Harry Potter. What a unique idea. A kid has magical powers and ends up going to a magic school where she finds out that she holds the secret to destroying some great darkness.

Yup. No big twists here guys.

VERDICT

The simplicity of this film is the simplicity of a children’s book. It isn’t bad and even, I think, has its place. If you have young kids and tire of the latest Dreamworks drek and cash grab, this film will be quite refreshing, but if you are just and adult fan of anime, you can probably skip this one.

Review Written By:

Michael McDonald

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SUMMARY

MY THOUGHTS

VERDICT

Michael McDonald