‘Trolls Band Together’
The third installment in the DreamWorks “Trolls” franchise dives into boy band territory, which is fitting since Branch, the films’ main character, is voiced by Justin Timberlake, of ’N Sync fame. For years, Branch has kept his boy band past secret; he has four older brothers, we learn, and they had a group that broke up when Branch was just a baby. He’s been angry about it ever since.
When his brother John Dory (Eric Andre) crashes the royal wedding of King Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Bridget (Zooey Deschanel), the cat’s out of the bag. Cue the Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block jokes.
When Branch learns that their brother Floyd (Troye Sivan) has been kidnapped by the evil duo Velvet and Veneer (Amy Schumer and Andrew Rannells), Poppy (Anna Kendrick) persuades him to help out. From there it’s a candy-colored rescue adventure bursting with glitter bombs and pop tunes (and some handy messages about forgiveness and family ties).
Children who love the previous “Trolls” movies should find plenty to sing and dance about here. Walt Dohrn, who co-directed the first installment and directed the second, is back at the helm, and Elizabeth Tippet (“Trolls World Tour”) wrote the script.
‘If’
There are plenty of movies about imaginary friends for youngsters to choose from, the Japanese film “The Imaginary” being a more recent example. Here, John Krasinski (the “Office” alum turned “A Quiet Place” director) wrote and directed a story about a girl named Bea (Cailey Fleming), who lost her mother several years before and whose father (played by Krasinski) is now about to have heart surgery. She stays with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) and helps a grumpy, mysterious neighbor, Cal (Ryan Reynolds), who spends his time matching all of the abandoned IFs to new homes.
The IFs come in fanciful shapes, like a flaming marshmallow, a fuzzy purple creature named Blue (voiced by Steve Carell) and a Betty Boop-like hipster librarian with antennae named Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). The combination of live action and animation offers plenty of whimsy for little ones to marvel at, and the cameo voice talent is top notch (Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Bradley Cooper, Awkwafina and many, many more). It’s a little syrupy sweet at times, but the target audience is probably way too young to notice, and they’ll love the twist revealed at the end.
‘Inside Out 2’
By now, most children have probably picked their favorite character from the “Inside Out” universe. My son is partial to Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke) because “Anxiety is funny.” Ah, youth. For this sequel, which is the highest grossing film of 2024 so far, brand-new emotions — Anxiety, Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Envy (Ayo Edebiri) and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) — join the already established emotions Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Tony Hale), Disgust (Liza Lapira), Anger (Lewis Black) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith).
The characters work together — and against each other — in their quest to help Riley navigate the brave new world of preteen angst. Baked into the smart premise and witty dialogue are clever ways to broach conversations about emotions and mental health. Kelsey Mann directed and co-wrote the script with Meg LeFauve (“Inside Out”) and Dave Holstein (“Weeds”).
‘Luis and the Aliens’
It seems like goofy, kindhearted aliens are always helping earthbound children discover their self-worth or fight back against evil forces. At least, in the cinematic universe. Enter this German film from the brothers Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein, who won an Oscar in 1990 for their short film “Balance.” The story centers on Luis (voiced by Callum Maloney), a misfit boy with an unrequited crush on his classmate Jennifer (Lucy Carolan), and his distant-at-best relationship with his scientist father (Dermot Magennis). Luis’s mother died, and his father spends his time peering into a telescope looking for signs of extraterrestrial life. When three goofy green aliens (one of whom is voiced by Will Forte) crash to earth in search of a massage mat they saw on an infomercial, Luis helps them find their mat in exchange for the aliens’ helping him avoid getting sent to a private school for troubled kids by the cruel Ms. Diekendaker (Lea Thompson), an evil alien masquerading as a human.
It’s not the most original film in the aliens-helping-kids pantheon, but it should entertain littler children who delight in friendly green space blobs.
‘Spookiz: The Movie’
The small-town elementary school in this film, based on a Korean animated series, might look typical during daylight hours, but at night, young monsters emerge from their hiding places for class. There’s Cula (Mike Yantzi), the tomato juice-drinking vampire; a little zombie girl; a prankster and a cyclops. Mr. Reaper (Daniel Kennedy), a teacher, is a skeleton in a black cape. The plot kicks off when Cula finds a cellphone and is discovered by Hanah (Bommie Catherine Han), the human girl who owns it. After some initial freak outs, Hanah and the monsters become friends. The terrifying entities, it turns out, are actually a few mean adults.
The visuals and dialogue aren’t exactly awe-inspiring, but the film — about the power or friendship and acceptance — should entertain children who don’t mind a few minor scares. And if you’re looking for a Halloween story that your little one hasn’t seen 50 times, this is worth a shot.
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