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Looking for movies that are good viewing for the whole family? Read recommendations from four kids about one movie to see at the theater and one to watch on DVD at home.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Director: Hayao Miyazaki Released 1984 Dubbed, released Disney Films 2004 Available on DVD
This early Hayao Miyazaki (Castle of the Sky, Spirited Away) animated film was presented for two nights as part of the Northwest Film Forum's Children's Film Festival in late June. To see it now you'll need to rent it on DVD but be sure to get the Disney dubbed version with Patrick Stewart and Uma Thurman - an earlier dubbed and heavily cut version received very negative reviews. Rated PG for "frightening imagery." See below what two young reviewers have to say.
Once upon a time there was a princess named Nausicaa. She was the princess of the Valley of the wind. The wind never stopped in the valley and there were windmills and houses and the people lived peacefully even though they had problems. Much of the planet was polluted and poisoned and they had to protect themselves from the toxic jungle. There was a lot of fighting in the movie because everybody wanted to be in charge and they could not all agree. Nausicaa treated all living things nice and tried to protect creatures from humans who believed that the insects must die. Nausicaa was nice and compassionate and friendly and she wanted to save her people, her land and the creatures. Even when people were mean she would help them and after that they would be nice to her. Usually they were just scared and that’s why they were mean. Kindness is stronger then war.
We recommend this movie to everyone ages 6 to 20 and older. I think that my teacher would like it and my grandma would like it too. I think that my 3 year old cousin would like it but she wouldn’t understand all of it and she would hug her mom a lot when she gets scared.
By Jesa Chiro age 7 and Delphi Drake-Mudede age 7
WALL-E Director:Andrew Stanton Showing in multiple theaters around Puget Sound
WALL-E is about a lonely little robot who spends his days picking up trash after the humans have abandoned the earth. They left 700 years ago because of global warming. They now live out in space on giant spaceship that looks like a cruise ship where computers do everything for them. They don't even have to walk, so everyone is overweight and they don't know what is going on around them.
While WALL-E and his cute cockroach friend are picking up trash a rocket ship type thing lands on earth and he soon meets EVE, a high-tech robot who he falls in love with. Eve is searching for living things on earth, like grass, or trees. WALL-E gives EVE a plant, and she shuts down. Her "directive" is to bring it back to space so that the humans can go home. A rocket ship comes down to get her, and WALL-E gets on the ship to follow her. It turns out the robots in space don't want to go back to earth, so they try to destroy the plant. But WALL-E and EVE work hard to give the plant back so they can go back to earth.
What happens in WALL-E could actually happen if we don't take care of our planet and stop driving cars and using up all of our resources. I really liked the movie because it gave a really good message. I also like that there was very little dialogue. It was different and soothing and still told a good story. I recommend this movie for children five and up.
By Aurelia Esquivel-Rael, age 10
First of all, before I start my review, let me ask you a question. How would you feel if you were one of many robots cleaning up a trash covered earth in around the year 2100, and then all the robots were turned off so that humans could go into space …and they forgot to turn you off? How’s that for a question? But that is exactly Wall-e’s story. He has a normal life until the love of his life comes to earth to find a plant, and when she finds one some how the movie turns into a battle for the life of the human race.
While I was watching the movie I found that there was some explaining to do. There are some mysterious dust storms that plow across the earth at two points in the movie that aren’t explained.
If you were to compare this movie to the movie Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, there are some huge similarities. The fight for the survival human race, earth is a toxic wasteland, and the humans find a way to save it.
This has been my view of the movie. But even if you don’t like it, take your kid(s) to see it. They will probably enjoy it, and if they come to a part they don’t understand, they probably just wont think about it.
