Movie Time

We saw a couple of good movies this weekend... thought I'd share. I'll start with the least exciting, Disney's Cinderella III: A Twist In Time.

The idea is pretty cool (wicked step-mother steals the magic wand, reverses time, and undoes Cinderella's happy-ever-after), the animation was good, and Erin and I laughed quite a bit. The music was even catchy and well done, Disney is definitely getting the sequel-formula figured out better than it had ten years ago. I don't think I'd say this one was worth buying, but certainly worth a rent if you're into Disney movies.

Now onto the good stuff... one of the better movies I've seen in a while, and I watch a lot of movies. Bridge to Terabithia is based on the children's novel by the same name, also produced by Disney. It's PG, and in my opinion definitely warrants the rating as I'm guessing younger kids will get a bit scared at times. The acting was good, especially Leslie's part; the special effects were outstanding, and the plot line is fun. Above and beyond all that there was something I liked more than anything.

If you've seen Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet you might understand where I'm coming from. Finding Neverland (one of my top favorite movies of all time) is the story of J.M. Barrie's authorship of the famous book/play Peter Pan (which is incidentally, one of my favorite books). In the movie they use special effects to show the imaginations of the minds of J.M. Barrie and soon more people that he becomes close to. It creates a seamless blend of reality and fantasy that just screams "childhood imagination." Bridge to Terabithia achieves the same feat, making you wonder where the children's reality ends and where it begins.

Be forewarned, there are other similarities between the two movies (though they're in no way repetitive or tiresome in regards to the other). Both feature a young boy being taught to use his imagination; and both feature a great tragedy. Yep, it's a sad movie... Erin cried, then playfully smacked me in the arm in feigned anger for making her watch a sad movie. I didn't mind, it never hurts... and even if it had, Bridge to Terabithia was worth getting hit for. I highly recommend watching this when you're in the mood to laugh and let your imagination run free... oh, and have a couple of tissues handy.

- Brett

Labels: books, Disney, movies

posted by Erin at 7:36 AM