FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD (Ages 3-8)
Surf’s Up (June 8)
Did you know penguins invented surfing? Totally, dude! This tongue-in-cheek animated film profiles teenage penguin Cody Maverick, an up-and-coming surfer, as he enters his first pro competition.
Scoop: Penguins are so hot (cool?) right now.
Ratatouille (June 29)
A rat named Remy dreams of being a great chef despite his family’s wishes and, well, the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession.
Scoop: Pixar, the creative bunch behind Cars and Finding Nemo, animated the movie. (Both of which, after many, many repeat viewings, are still entertaining, as any parent knows.)
Underdog (August 3)
A lab accident exposes a dog to a substance that gives him super powers and the ability to talk. The caped canine must now protect his true love and the citizens of Capitol City from the evil Simon Barsinister.
Scoop: If the title sounds familiar it’s because the film is based on the popular 1970s cartoon about a superhero beagle that likes to speak in rhyme. Ring a bell yet?
PRE-TEENS (Ages 8-12)
Nancy Drew (June 15)
Teenage detective Nancy Drew moves from a small town with her dad to L.A. With her super-smarts and retro manners, she doesn’t exactly fit in but she doesn’t care because she’s got the long-unsolved death of a beautiful movie star to investigate.
Scoop: The movie stars Emma Roberts, yup, Julia’s niece, as the sleuth from the popular book series.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (July 13)
Back for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts, Harry Potter faces the challenges of adolescence, suffers from a nearly debilitating crush, and starts a rebellion in order to protect his school from the evil Lord Voldemort.
Scoop: Those who have read the book already know this, but this latest adventure features some frightening scenes that might scare little ones.
The Simpson’s Movie (July 27)
In the eagerly awaited animated feature based on the hit TV series, Homer must save the world from a catastrophe he himself created. D’oh!
Scoop: While the show’s best years may be behind it, admit it, you are probably looking forward to this one too!
Bratz: The Movie (August 10)
Four girls who have been “BFF (Best Friends Forever)” must deal with peer pressure and the system of social cliques at their new high school. Finding themselves being pulled further and further apart, they band together and rise up as “the Bratz.”
Scoop: Be prepared to sit in a theatre filled with girls who have been waiting months to see a movie based on their fave doll line.
TEENS (12 and up)
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (June 15)
The Fantastic Four meet their greatest challenge yet when The Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction.
Scoop: Based on the Marvel comic, a must for superhero fans young and, um, older (that means you dad.)
