Editorial staff of El País
Let it be a help to desperate parents, grandparents and uncles to entertain children who are on vacation and, apparently, must be entertained.
And so as not to be left with the only thing to do is get into the hustle and bustle of cinemas or theaters, go for a walk in the cold or watch the same movie inside over and over again, here are some recommendations on Netflix, to watch something different and entertain yourself with that little one who is loose around the house.
Adapted from the 1948 children’s novel written by Ruth Stiles Gannett, it follows a boy, Elmer, who lives a happy life with his mother, Dela. When the business closes, they must move to the big city (“Always Grey”) and struggle to find work. A black cat (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg) tells Elmer to go to Wild Island and free a dragon named Boris, who, in turn, can bring fame and fortune to Dela. Elmer finds Boris and what follows is a tender story of friendship, fear and courage. Beautiful hand-drawn animations and wide-eyed characters are a trademark of Cartoon Saloon, an Oscar-nominated Irish animation studio. And thanks to director Nora Twomey and screenwriter Meg LeFauve (who wrote Inside Out), the sweet and important lessons of this 2022 film (that sometimes it’s okay to be afraid and that the bonds between friends give us courage) are nice to read. the little ones.
Based on a picture book by Emma Yarlett and directed by Sean Charmatz in his feature film debut, the story follows an anxious schoolboy, Orion, who is afraid of things like school bullies and talking to the girl he likes. But Orion is also afraid of bees and field trips – but most of all, he’s terrified of the dark. When Dark visits him as a husky, huggable figure, Orion sets off on a journey into the night to face his fears, see his future self, and learn to embrace the unpredictability of life. Along the way, he meets figures like Dreams, Insomnia, and Quiet. It’s a sweet, funny adventure that speaks to the fears of most young children. By the time Orion and Dark say goodbye, the boy has worked up the courage to go on his field trip, and Dark has dealt with his own self-doubt, as half the world thinks he’s a monster.
To give it more peculiarity, the script is by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich?, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) who adds touches of existential fear.
Tim, Jane, and some comically creepy twins, both named Barnaby, are red-headed siblings with the worst parents. His mother and father are selfish, narcissistic and negligent. The couple sees their offspring as a nuisance. The Willoughby children devise a plan to send their parents on vacation to find new parents who will at least feed them.
It may sound dark, but the cast and writer-director Kris Pearn (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2) bring so much humor, madness and heart that it is never disappointing. The story is narrated by a potbellied blue cat (voiced by Ricky Gervais), and Maya Rudolph voices Linda, the kind babysitter who watches over them when her parents leave. There is Commander Melanoff, loving and lonely owner of the candy factory.
Written by the screenwriter of Toy Story 4The story follows Peter, a boy who is searching for his lost sister, Adel. When he meets a fortune teller, he decides to ask her if his sister is still alive. She answers, but first he must find a mysterious elephant and a magician. And so begins a journey. On the journey he must complete three tasks imposed on him by a strange king that seem impossible and whose consequences go beyond his personal search. The landscape and location place the action after the First World War.
It is based on the novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo and is the directorial debut of visual effects veteran Wendy Rogers (Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Puss in Boots).
It is a musical by one of the great musical composers, Lin-Manuel Miranda himself, from Hamilton.
Miranda himself provides the voice of the protagonist, Vivo, a kinkajou (a tropical mammal that looks like an adorable hybrid of a monkey and a cat) with musical talent who walks the streets of Havana with Andrés, his owner. But after a tragedy, Vivo must travel to Florida to deliver a lost love song by Andrés, the famous Marta Sandoval, who has the voice of Gloria Estefan.
Music is at the center of everything that brings it closer to Coco and Soul, two examples of musical animation that were luckier. (With information from The New York Times)
