For the entire 90 or so minutes of this movie based on the popular Nickelodeon series “Henry Danger,” my son was riveted. As the credits rolled, he turned to me and said, “I love this movie, but kids need to be 10 to watch it.” When I reminded him that he’s 7, he switched course. “OK fine, you can be 7, but there’s a lot of punching.” Fair enough.
The story follows the superhero Henry Hart (Jace Norman), who’s been saving the day in the city of Dystopia alongside his buddy Jasper Dunlop (Sean Ryan Fox). When a megafan named Missy Martin (Glee Dango) enters the picture, she and Henry are sucked into a portal that sends them to alternate realities. They must battle baddies and find their way back to Dystopia before they’re trapped forever.
Fans of the series, created by Dan Schneider and Dana Olsen, should find plenty to love here, as will viewers who enjoy some light superhero action. Watch through the credits for a little surprise; it gave me the chance to explain to my son what a cliffhanger was. Joe Menendez directed, and Chris Nowak and Jake Farrow (both writers and producers on the series) wrote the script.
The hero of this tale from the Belgian studio nWave is exactly what you’d expect: half chicken, half hare. Based on the Dark Horse comic series by Chris Grine, the movie finds Chickenhare (Jordan Tartakow) desperately wanting to prove himself as a brave adventurer like his full-rabbit father, who happens to be the king. In Chickenhare’s quest to be accepted by the Royal Adventure Society, he decides to set out, along with his BFF, Abe (Joey Lotsko), and a new buddy, a skunk named Meg (Laila Berzins), to find a fabled magic scepter called the Hamster of Darkness.
Along the way Chickenhare accidentally helps free his traitorous uncle Lapin (Danny Fehsenfeld) from prison. Lapin knows where the Hamster of Darkness is, and he plans to find it first and use it to take over the kingdom. Chickenhare, channeling Indiana Jones, races to save the day and comes to understand that embracing one’s differences can be its own kind of bravery.
Benjamin Mousquet and Ben Stassen directed from a screenplay by Dave Collard. And there’s already a sequel in the works.
‘200% Wolf’
The last time we saw Freddy Lupin (voiced by Ilai Swindells), in “100% Wolf,” he’d been cast out of his wolf pack for being a pink poodle instead of a fierce lycanthrope. He eventually proved his bravery and was let back in, but his insecurities about being an outsider haven’t disappeared. In this sequel, when Freddy prays to the moon spirits in hopes that they will help him fit in, he’s transformed into a wolf at last by a mischievous baby spirit called Moopoo (Elizabeth Nabben).
The babbling baby (whose antics tickled my son to no end) winds up in the care of Freddy and his best friend Batty (Samara Weaving), but Moopoo’s presence on Earth alarms the elder wolves. They tell Freddy the baby must be returned before the moon and Earth collide. They enlist a witch named Max (Jennifer Saunders) to help Freddy once again save the day. Early in the film, Batty offers Freddy a good bit of wisdom for children to hear: “Respect is about who you are, not what you are.”
Alexs Stadermann (“100% Wolf,” “Maya the Bee Movie”) directed, and Fin Edquist wrote the script.
‘A Cat’s Life’
In this adventure drama, a young Parisian girl named Clémence (Élia St-Pierre in the English version) finds an adorable striped gray kitten that she names Lou living in her attic. As they grow up together, Lou becomes Clémence’s constant companion, comforting her through all the trials that childhood brings. When Clémence travels to the French countryside for the holidays, she brings Lou along. As the little girl navigates her grief over the news that her parents are divorcing, Lou darts off into the woods each day to explore, and the film shifts to the cat’s perspective as Lou meets other creatures and has some adventures in the wild.
There’s an eccentric neighbor, Madeleine (Corinne Masiero), with a big, slobbering dog named Rambo. Madeline starts off as an antagonist before becoming a close confidante and mentor. There’s a parallel between Clémence growing up and Lou growing braver, and Lou’s story line should appeal to younger children with a soft spot for animal tales.
The English dubbing is a little distracting for more discerning viewers, but little ones probably won’t even notice. Guillaume Maidatchevsky (“A Reindeer’s Journey”) directed and wrote the script with Michaël Souhaité.
‘Spirit Untamed’
It’s been over two decades since the release of the Oscar-nominated DreamWorks Animation film “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” in which Matt Damon voiced the stallion. Next came Netflix’s spinoff series, “Spirit Riding Free,” in 2017. And now we have “Spirit Untamed,” released in 2021 and also from DreamWorks, about Spirit the stallion and a mischievous little girl named Fortuna “Lucky” Esperanza Navarro-Prescott (Isabela Merced from “Dora and the Lost City of Gold”).
Lucky has been living on the East Coast with her Aunt Cora (Julianne Moore) since her mother died, causing her father, Jim (Jake Gyllenhaal), to withdraw physically and emotionally.
When Cora brings her to a frontier town out West to see her father, the girl finds a kindred spirit in the stallion. Along with her new equestrian friends Abigail (Mckenna Grace) and Pru (Marsai Martin), Lucky has to save Spirit and the herd from an evil horse wrangler named Hendricks (Walton Goggins).
Although it’s not as strong as the 2002 film, it’s an entertaining story about staying true to one’s self, even if you’re wild at heart. Andre Braugher received an NAACP Image Award nomination for his voice-over work. Elaine Bogan (“Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia”) directed with Ennio Torresan. Kristin Hahn, Katherine Nolfi and Aury Wallington wrote the screenplay.