Heroes of all sizes on show
James Croot rounds up the family-friendly films screening in cinemas this Boxing Day and beyond.
ANNIE (PG) Directed by Will Gluck ‘‘It’s just like now, but without the internet.’’ Yes, writer-director Will Gluck ( Easy A) pays lip service to the original Depression-era setting of the hit 1977 musical, but for the most part his Annie has had a very modern makeover.
For a start, she’s no ‘‘little orphan’’ anymore, but instead a bright cookie of a 10-year-old foster kid, shunted from home to home since being left at upmarket New York Italian restaurant Domani (yes, that’s Italian for Tomorrow) as a baby.
And rather than the Shirley-Temple-curled ginger moppet of yore, we have a wild-Afroed, whipsmart Quvenzhane Wallis ( Beasts of the Southern Wild) still searching for her identity.
Despite stripping out much of the tension and danger of the musical’s plot (no-one is really, truly a bad person here) and turning it something more akin to an episode of The Good Wife (heck, even Michael J Fox turns up in a cameo), Gluck and co-writer Aline Brosh McKenna ( The Devil Wears Prada) have still managed to conjure up an effective toe-tapper with a strong feel-good factor.
Traditional show-stopper Tomorrow is perhaps a little undersold and over-auto-tuned, however the crop of new songs co‘‘curated’’ by pop’s mystery woman Sia offer something a little more to modern audiences than A New Deal for Christmas or We’d Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover might have.
Visually, Gluck keeps things zipping along, with clever use of reflections and a snappy 21st century take on a car chase, while the cast, which includes a delightful turn by Rose Byrne (Bad Neighbours) embrace the theatrical, slapstick-heavy nature of the story.
Sassy, smart, if not exactly subtle. BIG HERO 6 (PG) Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams This is what happens when the Marvel Universe meets Disney’s animation division. A rollicking sci-fi-infused adventure that isn’t just for fanboys and a surprisingly sensitive and emotive take on the traditional superhero origin story.
Based on the comic series that debuted in 1998, Big Hero 6 is the story of robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter). Having graduated from high school at 13, the San Fransokyo resident is struggling to work out what to do next.
Dismissing his big brother Tadashi’s (Daniel Henney) university robotics lab as ‘‘geek school’’, Hiro prefers to use his ‘‘talents’’ to hustle money in bot fights, something that alarms his Lucky Cat Cafe-owning Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph), the boys’ guardian for the past decade.
However, Hiro’s horizons are widened after he’s saved from a brush with the criminal underworld by Tadashi and he’s forced to meet the latter’s classmates and inspirational Professor Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell).
Energised by Tadashi’s surroundings, Hiro is determined to join him there by impressing Callaghan with his revolutionary microbots at a student showcase. However, after an exceptional presentation, tragedy and industrial espionage appear to strike simultaneously.
Despite a plot that seems on paper a predictable mix of Real Steel and archetypal Marvel, Don Hall and Chris Williams’ animated adventure stands out for its use of humour and emotional depth.
Yes, there’s an arch-villain whose personal thirst for revenge results in a downtown showdown. And okay, there is the inevitable Marvel morality at work – here the mantra is ‘‘look for a new angle’’ (with a side order of ‘‘science is cool’’). But it’s done with an Incredibles- esque ear for dialogue and sending up the ‘‘rules’’, it boasts a Wall-E- like heart-melting creation in the Mr Staypuft-meets-the-Michelin-man Baymax and it evokes memories of Up with its deftly handled willingness to tackle tough concepts such as grief and anger. A word of warning, don’t be late or you’ll miss the now traditionally excellent short. Feast is a perfectly formed little tale about a dog called Winston and his life with his owner, told simply through a series of meals.
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB (PG) Directed by Shawn Levy
After the darker deeds of 2009’s Battle of the Smithsonian, this museums-are-fun franchise goes back to far more family friendly territory for this trilogy ending effort.
This time, the inhabitants of the New York Museum of Natural History come under threat when the source of their ability to come to life starts to corrode.
The Tablet of Akhmenrah seems to by dying and the only man who may know how to fix it (Akhmenrah himself) is on the other side of the Atlantic at the British Museum.
It’s a surprisingly simple premise, but one neatly executed by series director Shawn Levy and his team of writers. As usual, it has leading man Ben Stiller playing second fiddle to a host of historical figures, comedy legends and an incontinent capuchin.
Added poignancy comes from knowing this was both Mickey Rooney (who briefly cameos) and Robin Williams’ (whose role clearly seems to have been beefed up in post-production) last movie, but the film lacks a strong second character, with Rebel Wilson’s British security guard and Stiller’s character’s now collegeage son (Skyler Gisondo) failing to fill the void left by the absence of Amy Adams’ erudite aviatrix, Amelia Earhart, from this outing.
A film that clearly wants to be an Indiana Jones-style adventure (there’s even a 1930s Egypt-set opening), Secret of the Tomb feels more like a Muppet movie with its ensemble cast of characters, slapstick tomfoolery and allsinging, all-dancing finale.
PADDINGTON (G) Directed by Paul King
Michael Bond had every reason to be fearful. Garfield, Doogal and The Smurfs are all beloved children’s characters whose standings were sullied by a brush with the big screen. So the thought of a modern CGI-infused update of his more than 50-year-old marmaladeaddicted bear from darkest Peru must have given the now 88-yearold author conniptions – especially when first-choice vocaliser Colin Firth pulled out citing an incompatibility with the character.
However, just a mere five months on, the end result is a sensitive, sweet and supremely silly film that will delight audiences of all ages. Director Paul King (TV’s The Mighty
Boosh) has clearly been at pains to look after Bond’s bear and from his lush, plush looks (a mixture of animatronics and pixels) to the gentle, wistful tones of Ben Whishaw ( Perfume, Skyfall), Paddington has been brought to life in a way that is likely to endear him to a whole new generation of fans.
This origin story fills in how the endangered Peruvian bear wound up on a railway station platform and was taken in by the Brown family, despite the concerns of its risk-assessor patriarch (Hugh Bonneville, at his most exasperated). Many a sticky situation ensues as Paddington adjusts to modern London, but he finds himself in real peril when his arrival attracts the attention of Natural History Museum worker and noted taxidermist Millicent (a deliciously evil, blonde-bobbed Nicole Kidman). Inventive and intelligent,
Paddington seamlessly combines modern technology with oldschool storytelling (like 1996’s similarly set up 101 Dalmatians, the London setting reflects this mix of the familiar and the new), making clever use of sound effects, beautifully executed slapstick set pieces (a bravura bathroom bungle will have preschoolers and pensioners rolling in the aisles) and a stellar support cast that includes Matt Lucas, Sally Hawkins, Peter Capaldi, Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent.
A surprising delight and perfect school holiday entertainment.
However, after an exceptional presentation, tragedy and industrial espionage appear to strike simultaneously.