This month’s choices include a space-themed adventure by Richard Linklater as well as two critically-acclaimed tales from Pixar. Check out the list of top five must watch children’s movies streaming right now.
Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood
Stan (Milo Coy) is the Texas 4th grade student, has been running around the bases as he plays in the recess area of a game of kickball after two NASA agents pick him up off the field to inform that they’re sending Stan to space. In 1969, the year prior to the time that Apollo 11 took flight, Stan’s mission was significant.
The agents who play the role of Glen Powell and Zachary Levi and Zachary Levi, inform Stan they were awestruck by his research papers, and also by the fact that he was awarded the Presidential Physical Fitness Award “three years running.”
They require a child to try out the “accidentally smaller version” of the lunar module as soon as possible and, as such, Stan is under a strict code of silence when he’s preparing for the launch of spacecraft. It’s hard for him to hide his training and plans away from the attention of his mom (a humorous Lee Eddy) and father (Bill Wise) and the gang of children however, he does to be an ordinary kid while making preparations for the lunar landing.
The director and writer Richard Linklater uses similar dreamy Rotoscope-based animations as his earlier film “Waking Life” and “A Scanner Darkly,” and this classic tale is told by Jack Black, who tells the story from the perspective of a mature Stan. The wall-to-wall narration as well as the absence of fast-paced action might not keep all young viewers excited, but older children who have a love of space could enjoy the film’s magic.
The Willoughbys
Tim (voiced by Will Forte), Jane (Alessia Cara) and their comically creepy twins, both called Barnaby (voiced by Sean Cullen) are magenta-haired siblings with the most uncaring parents. Their mom (Jane Krakowski) and father (Martin Short) are egocentric, selfish and oblivious. They view their family as a snob. The Willoughby children devise a plan to take their parents for a vacation, with the hope that they will find new parents who actually feed their children.
It might sound sombre however the cast and writer-director Kris Pearn (“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 “) offer an abundance of humour and fun in the movie that it is never a dull film. The film is told by a pale blue Cat (Ricky Gervais) as well as Maya Rudolph voices Linda, the nanny who takes care of the kids after their parents leave. Terry Crews plays Commander Melanoff A lovable lonely man who runs the candy factory.
Based on a novel by Lois Lowry, “The Willoughbys” is a witty tale about a family of chosen ones who understand that each child is worthy of unconditional love. Cory Evans and Rob Lodermeier directed the film with Pearn as well as Mark Stanleigh co-wrote the script.
Soul
Many times, stories are dumbed down for kids, but”Soul,” the award-winning film “Soul” manages to be intellectual and provoking while entertaining, charming and hilarious. Jamie Foxx voices Joe Gardner who is an New York City middle school musician and teacher. He loves teaching, however his dream is to be an accomplished jazz musician. When he is invited to audition for jazz sax player Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett), Joe feels like he might be able to make it big however, his hopes have been shattered when he slips into a manhole while walking down the street.
He is thrown into the Great Before, the place souls travel through when leaving and returning to their home on Earth. He is greeted by the character 22 (Tina Fey) as a ghostly creature who lives in this bizarre location. In spite of the best efforts made by his previous instructors such as Mother Teresa and Gandhi, 22 has been unable to find an interest in the world of Earth. Joe and 22 eventually bond in surprising ways, and help one another discover what is important to them both.
It’s not light, but it’s heavy however, director Pete Docter (“Inside Out” and “Up”) and Kemp Powers (who composed “One Night in Miami” and later directed “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”) are able to keep the film light enough for kids while giving adults something of things to consider (and to cry about). Docter and Powers co-wrote the script along with Mike Jones.
Luca
Luca (Jacob Tremblay) isn’t the only animated sea creature who longs for a home on land however, this time, rather than being just a tiny Mermaid, he’s now a vibrantly colored sea monster with scaly colors. As Ariel, Luca is fascinated by humans — their capacity of walking on their own and their food, as well as their devices. A few days later, he defies the advice of his parental guardian (voiced in the voice of Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan) and ventures out onto the land.
In this story sea creatures, they automatically transform into humans after they’ve stepped removed from the water however one splash can change them back into their scaled-up selves. Luca is confronted by another sea creature that appears to be an adult: the charming and unparented Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer). ) “Shazam !”). Luca and Alberto meet a villain called Ercole (Saverio Raimondo) and become friends with the local girl Giulia (Emma Berman) and she convinces them to take part in an event called a triathlon, where the three sports include cycling, swimming, and eating tons of pasta.
The Oscar nominated film from Pixar isn’t as deep and the nuance like “Soul,” but the striking landscapes and the beautiful Italian fishing village will provide young viewers plenty of visual stimulation. As he travels, Luca learns about confidence in his independence, friendship and confidence. It was the first film directed by Enrico Casarosa (his animated short “La Luna” was an Oscar nominated film) He also scripted the screenplay.
Craig Before the Creek
Pirates, treasure maps and a fanciful fortune teller are often the only things you require to spark an imagination of a young child. It’s a Cartoon Network Studios movie, inspired by the show “Craig of the Creek,” is about an uneasy and shy Craig Williams (Philip Solomon, who plays Craig in the show) as he settles in a new town named Herkleton and his entire family.
He instantly feels like an outsider. Craig as well as his sibling get to know the kids of a rogue group at the river at some point, and when they are snatched by pirates of the teenage age headed by Serena (Vico Ortiz), Craig gets caught in a hunt to discover a mysterious object known as the Wish Maker.
Fans of the show should be thrilled by this prequel that gives a glimpse into the backstory of Craig. Kids who are a little new to the world of Craig are likely to want to support Craig when he’s forced to discover his courage and determination through a flurry of wild adventures. Co-creators of the series Matt Burnett and Ben Levin wrote and directed the script together.