Looking Forward To Summer Movies For Kids

I love going to the movies. Sitting in a dark theater with a bucket of popcorn, watching the big screen, it doesn’t get much better than that.

We don’t get to go that often, but I am hoping to catch a couple movies as a family this summer. There are quite a few family-friendly films coming out that I am looking forward to seeing.

I think at age 3, my son will be better able to sit through certain movies. In the fall, we saw “The Muppets” with a couple other kids and he did pretty well. He would walk along the row to visit each child though, and steal some popcorn.

I am excited for “Brave,” the new Pixar film about an Irish girl determined to change her fate. It looks funny, with her triplet brothers getting into mischief, yet seems to have a good message. It hits theaters on June 22.

Also coming out this month, on June 8, is “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” where the wacky animals from the Central Park Zoo are still trying to get home and end up in a traveling circus in Europe. Both of these are rated PG.

For older kids, “The Amazing Spider-Man,” comes out July 3. Rated PG-13, this is a new origin story starring Andrew Garfield that explores Peter Parker’s teenage years, his first girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone, and his encounters with a villain, The Lizard, played by Rhys Ifans. Action and violence gain the PG-13 rating for the latest tale about this popular comic book hero.

On July 13, “Ice Age: Continental Drift” comes to the big screen, the fourth installment of the animated movies starring Manny, Diego and Sid embarking on ice age adventures. My kids have enjoyed the first three of these movies, with the silly characters and nut chasing saber-toothed squirrel Scrat. In this one, the friends encounter pirates and sea creatures as their continent is set adrift.

“Batman Rises” is the final chapter in the Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale. These movies are dark and usually violent, although rated PG-13 I would say these movies are for older teens. Directed by Christopher Nolan, this highly anticipated summer movie comes out July 20. It also stars Tom Hardy as the villain Bane and Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.

Coming in August, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,” PG, is based on the third and fourth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. I haven’t seen these movies, or read the books, but they get mixed reviews. I’m sure if your kids enjoyed the previous movies they will be clamoring to see this one as well.

“The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” PG, a Disney movie, comes out Aug. 15. This looks interesting, but I’m not sure kids will go for it. The story is that a couple who can’t have kids writes down their wishes and dreams for a baby in a box and buries it in the backyard, only to find a boy that has come out of the ground to be their son. Starring Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton as the parents, the boy is a mystery and although he brings joy to those around him, he is not all that it appears, according to the movie synopsis.

On Aug. 17, “ParaNorman,” a stop-motion animation film from Focus Features, is a story about a boy who sees ghosts and has to save his town from a centuries-old curse. With the tagline “You don’t become a hero by being normal” this movie looks to be full of spooky scares. My 8-year-old watched the trailer, which has ghosts and zombies, and smiled wickedly, saying she would definitely want to see that movie.

Also out in September, will be a re-release of “Finding Nemo” in 3D so you can catch Nemo, Marlin, Dory and Frank the Shark on the big screen. Kids of all ages love this classic Disney movie.

Find out more about these movies and more at MovieInsider.com.