Young CriticLouisa Mary Alcott’s novel “Little Women” has been made into TV and film countless times, being one of the most adapted source materials in Hollywood. The novel was source of a feminist pride way ahead of its time (the n
Young CriticJumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) proved to be the surprise hit of the 2017 winter season; making a boatload at the box office while competing with a Star Wars flick. It thus seemed inevitable that this newly reboote
Young CriticFred Rogers was much more than the creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968-2001) one of the most beloved children’s TV series the 20th century, he was also one of the greatest philosophers of our time. His simple wa
Young CriticFrozen (2013) was a world-wide phenomenon unlike the animated world had seen since perhaps the second Golden Age of Disney which ended with Tarzan (1999). The film was a huge financial success, infecting family homes eve
Young CriticDisney has found yet another formula at milking money from the movie box office. Aside from its cash cows in Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar/Disney Animation, recent years have shown that live-action remakes of their previo
Young CriticDeath is a difficult subject to broach, on film, in literature, or even in everyday life. It seems surprising that this aspect of life should be so dense for us, as Benjamin Franklin said, “… in this world nothing can be
Young CriticJon Favreau has fully transitioned from a comedic actor-writer into the go-to director for blockbusters. He was responsible for kick starting the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man (2008) (and has subsequent
Young CriticPixar is one of the few studios that has chosen quality over quantity; yet their recent foray into sequel territory has many worried that their creative zenith was behind them. With the announcement of Toy Story 4 (2019)
Young CriticChildren’s films generally have a low-bar in order to be considered worthy of viewing. Some humor is needed, and to make kids laugh is usually much easier than it is with adults. There also needs to be important lessons
Young CriticThe purpose of a remake is in spinning an old story with some intriguing new twists. This hasn’t always been followed by the recent Disney “live-action” remakes of their animated classics, but it has been sighted in the
Young CriticAs much as idealists will like to believe that the quality of a story is what helps it get made into a movie, it really is its viability to make money. Sometimes these two aspects collide, giving us the best films we kno
Young CriticDisney’s foray into live-action remakes of its previous animated material is just getting warmed up, after over $3 billion world-wide with the likes of Maleficent, The Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast being big hit
Young CriticIt’s hard for any trilogy to deliver consequently with expectations set as well as bring originality. The How to Train Your Dragon franchise came out of nowhere in 2010 with a surprisingly heartfelt story, it’s 2014 sequ
Young CriticPhil Lord and Chris Miller seem unable to do any wrong. They are filmmakers capable of turning material that should be tepid and flat into something electrifying and original. It was the case when they jumpstarted the fr
Young CriticIt takes courage to attempt a sequel to a decades-old classic, but if you’re Disney you have the credit with viewers to try and squeeze out more money out of a franchise. Fortunately, the newest sequel from the studio we
Young CriticThere have been so many adaptations of the Marvel superhero Spider-Man that it’s hard to know how many different iterations we’ve seen in simply this decade. The latest adaptation is a refreshing one from producers Phil
Young CriticAndy Serkis is more commonly known for his work in motion-capture. The Brit has brought to life such memorable characters as Gollum in Lord of the Rings , King Kong in the 2005 film of the same name, and Caesar from the
Young CriticThe concept of family is one that has become incredibly flexible and redefined over time. Director Hirokazu Koreeda has always been fascinated with analyzing what families are in his films. His latest project, Shoplifter
Young CriticDisney Animation Studios has taken a road more commonly attributed to Pixar: that of extreme originality. This was due to the take-over of the studio’s reins by John Lasseter. However, after the disgraced mogul was boote
Young CriticThe Christmas story has been formulated so many times that many seem indistinguishable from each other. However, Dr. Seuss, being the poetic genius that he was, provided us with a new spin to the popular holiday with his
Young CriticIt is risky to adapt classic tales in the modern age, after decades of fans flocking and making their own ideas of what such a story should look like, there’s bound to be many who are left disappointed. Such was the case
Young CriticThe concept of an orphan being taken in by a completely different world is a trope in stories as old as time; copied in the likes of Oliver Twist, Batman, Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and even Star Wars
Young CriticThere’s nothing more wise that a child’s words. Children are gifted with not having the complexities of life drilled into them, and thus are able to approach every situation with simple solutions that seem to be answers
Young CriticIn such dire socio-political times, sometimes a movie about an adorable bear preaching kindness is all you need. Paddington 2 however, is so much more. Paddington 2 is the sequel to the successful 2014 adaptation of Mi