Here to guide you through the best school holiday viewing at the movies is David Michael Brown.
The chill has set in! Winter has well and truly arrived, and the holidays are coming. Here are our top family picks to stay toasty in the warm glow of the silver screen. Or at the very least use as a cinematic babysitter
Despicable Me 4
Despicable Me 4
The world’s favourite super-criminal and his “BANANA” loving minions are back in the fourth instalment of the Despicable Me series. For those living under a rock, the films follow the criminally underrated evil mastermind Gru, once again voiced by Steve Carell and his better half Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), juggling his family and his nefarious activities as a supervillain turned Anti-Villain League Agent. The new spanners in his work promise to be his vindictive new rug rat Gru Jr. and vengeful prison escapee Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Sofía Vergara).
Inside Out
Inside Out 2
Pixar’s outstanding achievement Inside Out (2015) matched a gleefully heady concept with candy-coloured visuals as we went deep inside the mind of Riley, a young girl from Minnesota dealing with the pains of growing up. Inside her head we met Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). In this long-awaited sequel, Riley, voiced by Kensington Tallman, is packing some new emotional baggage as hormones rage and the teenage years start with a vengeance. Welcome Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) into Riley’s already cluttered headspace.
The Koalas
The Koalas
While most kids will be watching Gru or Joy, the more discerning environmentally conscious youngsters will be getting their doco on, watching koalas Wonnie, Bexley, Tom, Baz, Coral and two adorable joeys Hope and Pala. The doco will tackle the multitude of problems that modern-day koalas face. From climate change and relocation to their constant battle to find somewhere to graze as the urban fringes continue to expand at the expense of the plantations they often call home. Sure to be an emotive watch, The Koalas still promises to embrace a spirit of hope for the emblematic creatures despite the often-pessimistic message it is preaching.
The Mountain
The Mountain (2024)
Kiwi actor Rachel House won hearts and laughs when she left no child behind in Taika Waititi’s wonderful Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016). Now in The Mountain she steps behind the camera to direct her riotous feature debut and proves she is a formidable presence on either side of the lens. The drama follows the fearless Sam, a young Māori girl battling cancer who embarks on an epic journey to Taranaki Maunga. On her quest for strength, she meets lonely Mallory (Reuben Francis) and runaway rebel Bronco (Terrence Daniel). Under the watchful eye of the mountain, the trio of misfits discover the healing power of friendship against the stunning backdrop of the New Zealand landscapes.
Panda Bear in Africa
Panda Bear in Africa
Who doesn’t love a panda? Jack Black as Po has ensured the rotund monochrome mammal has become a mainstay of the cinematic holiday season. In Panda Bear in Africa, the titular bear called Pang (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing) travels from his home in China to Africa to rescue his best friend, Jielong the Dragon (Georgina Verbaan), who has been kidnapped by evil lion Malume (Silas Lekgoathi). Channelling the Kung Fu Panda franchise by way of The Lion King (1994), Pang meets all kinds of critters, including a pack of friendly hyenas, on his quest.
Blue Lock: The Movie – Episode Nagi
Just in time for Euro 2024, a football… sorry soccer-themed anime is hitting the big screen. Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrator Yusuke Nomura’s Japanese original Manga has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and this adaptation will be hoping to score in the big league. The action will follow high schooler Nobunaga Shimazaki (Seishiro Nagi) who is invited to join the Blue Lock Project after his football, sorry soccer, obsessed classmate Yuma Uchida (Reo Mikage) realises his friend has a hidden talent that rivals David Beckham. He meets strikers from all over the country who are fighting to represent Japan in the next World Cup. Before you can say, “offside rule” it’s game on!
The Sloth Lane
The Sloth Lane
No doubt inspired by “Flash Flash Hundred Yard Dash” from Zootopia (2016), this homegrown animated kids flick takes an admittedly funny conceit—a family of sloths opening up a fast-food food truck—and promises to cook up some good old-fashioned fun. With only their prized recipe book and their truck to their name, the booming business sees the sloths catch the attention of entrepreneur Dotti Pace (Leslie Jones)—a conniving cheetah with big ambitions and a failing fast-food chain—who has her eyes on the sloths’ business. Can the sloths keep on food trucking? Or will big business stamp on their dreams. Spider-Man franchise star Remi Hii guests as Platy… who we guess is a platypus?
