Shaun the Sheep Movie – review

IT seems us girls have never had it so good as Disney’s latest offering portrays yet another feisty ‘princess’ showing us just how she handles things.

Don’t get me wrong, Moana is also great viewing for the boys but as a mum to an easily influenced little girl, this trend is certainly something that has my backing.

Without giving too much away, the animation sees a young Hawaiian girl embark on an adventure to find a demigod and save her people from a curse.

With music, great one liners and tears (mine!), my daughter absolutely loved it. And so it seems Disney may have yet another hit on their hands.

X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger voices Moana’s mother, but the real stars of the film are Auli’i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as demigod Maui, whose interaction had the audience in stitches.

Check out the clip below for a little taster – you’re welcome..!

My last preview screening was just me and my daughter, this time around I ventured into London’s West End with a new addition – my eight-month-old baby boy.

My first trip up West with the two of them and luckily it was well worth it AND we all survived fairly unscathed!

Coco is a heartfelt take on the Mexican Day of the Dead which sees a young boy – aspiring musician Miguel – reunited with his family on ‘the other side’.

Family, death, living life to the fullest and the importance of being remembered are all themes explored in the film.

So, it obviously helps if you’ve had the whole death and dying chat with your little ones…

As well as lots of laughs, there were some sad moments for my seven-year-old (and me, can’t lie!) which I guess is to be expected from the subject material, but overall she really enjoyed the film.

I would also say it caters for all ages – as the music had my baby boy bouncing up and down in my lap!

Just to add – there will be obvious comparisons to 2014’s animation The Book of Life but rest assured Coco, whilst also taking place of the Day of the Dead, is definitely a completely different story!

In cinemas January 19.

What’s that you say? A Disney animation exploring racism while being both witty and hilarious?

Well, surprisingly Zootropolis manages to do exactly that with characters voiced by the likes of Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, J K Simmons and Octavia Spencer.

In short, the film is about the determined Judy Hopp (Goodwin) who battles to become the first ever rabbit police academy graduate before teaming up with Nick Wilde (Bateman) to investigate a series of incidents that threaten the city of Zootropolis, where creatures of all types have – up until now – lived together in harmony.

My little one loved the way the two main characters bounced off each other and laughed out loud on several occasions during the film. Even a slight scare, which made half the cinema jump, wasn’t enough to mar her enjoyment.

We watched a special preview screening of the animation in Leicester Square, joined by VIPs – David Haye, Vanessa Feltz, Linda Robson, Sinitta and Jenni Falconer – and their children.

Judging from the round of applause as the film ended, Zootropolis is set to be a hit with both adults and children alike – as the content was covered with the seriousness needed for the themes explored, but at the same time, the relationship between the characters ensured it was a fun watch.

When I heard about this film I thought it would be the perfect film to review for my blog – with an all-star cast including Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Morrison, Cameron Diaz, Chris Rock, Chace Crawford, Elizabeth Banks (the list goes on) – it covers everything from conception to childbirth, in all its glory!

I really enjoyed the film, directed by Kirk Jones, the ensemble cast and different strands to the storyline gives it a kind of New Year’s Eve/Valentine’s Day feel to it.  A comedy with some laugh out loud moments, the not so happy aspects of pregnancy are also covered, so be warned that it’s not all smiles and without giving anything away, there may be some tears…

But the thing people seem to want to know about is Cheryl Cole’s cameo in the film. But to be honest it’s a moment I’ve tried to block from memory, as I always have an irrational desire to scream or lash out whenever I see her or hear her voice. But for those of you interested, she said about two lines, appeared as herself – so no real acting involved – and was on the acreen for less than five minutes.

Also, the film is definitely not just a chick flick, the cinema had its fair share of guys in the audience when I saw it, who were laughing and cringing in equal measure. As Vic, Chris Rock leads the pack of fathers making regular trips to the park with their broods, providing several of the laughs as they try to convince Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) to join their world of parenthood.

I’m not gonna lie, this isn’t the movie to see if you like hardcore action movies, but for a couple of laughs and several soppy moments, it’s definitely worth a try.

 

Media Mummy rating? 3.5 stars out of 5