Movies4Kids movie preview – part two!
You’ve already seen what movies to look out for in the first part of this year in part one of our Movies4Kids preview, and here comes the eagerly awaited sequel! Below are some of the kids, family and teen movies and blockbusters opening in the UK between June and December of 2012. Which one are you most excited about?
Snow White And The Huntsman – June 1
The second Snow White movie of 2012 (the more comedic Mirror Mirror is out in March), this one is aimed more at the Twilight audience of teens and adults, with Ms Twilight herself, Kristen Stewart, starring as the beautiful young woman who angers the Queen (Charlize Theron) with her beauty and is taken into the woods to be killed by a huntsman (Thor’s Chris Hemsworth). The twist in this dark action drama is that in this version he becomes her mentor and trains her to vanquish the evil ruler. Ian McShane and Ray Winstone costar.
Jack The Giant Killer – June 15
Another fairy tale re-imagining, this one is from X-Men director Bryan Singer. Nicholas Hoult stars as Jack, the young man whose magic beans turn into a giant stalk leading to a giant’s land. Trouble is, the giant captures the local princess and it is up to Jack and warrior Elmont (Ewan McGregor) to rescue her. Expect this to be dark action fare for teens rather than cute stuff for the whole family.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPBFv8HJ_bo
The Amazing Spider-Man – July 4
Forget the three Tobey Maguire-starring movies, this is a new incarnation of the Spidey story with British actor Andrew Garfield in the title role. The story remains the same – boy gets bitten by spider and then goes all webby himself – but this reboot has the fresh perspective of director Marc Webb (who made the lovely indie hit 500 Days Of Summer) and an impressive cast that includes Garfield’s real-life girlfriend Emma Stone, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Rhys Ifans and Dennis Leary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX9ZT3RbYE4&ob=av3n
Ice Age: Continental Drift – July 6
The fourth Ice Age movie has prehistoric animals Manny, Diego and Sid off on another adventure. This time, their continent is set adrift and they have to use an iceberg to traverse the sea, taking them on a journey that leads to pirates and strange sea creatures. Ray Romano, Denis Leary and newcomers Jennifer Lopez, Seann William Scott and Nick Frost provide the voices for this animated sequel.
The Dark Knight Rises – July 20
The third – and last – of Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies looks like it will be the darkest yet as Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman, in a thriller set eight years after The Dark Knight. Terrorist leader Bane (Tom Hardy) has come to Gotham City, forcing our grumpy winged hero to return from self-imposed retirement, after he took the blame for Harvey Dent’s crimes and was condemned by the city. Anne Hathaway costars as Catwoman – a difficult role to take on in the aftermath of Michelle Pfeiffer’s superb performance as the feline baddie in 1992’s Batman Returns.
The Lorax – July 27
The creators of Despicable Me are behind this animated interpretation of Dr Seuss’s story, while Danny DeVito provides the voice of the hairy creature that speaks for the trees. Zac Efron voices Ted, a boy who lives in an artificial land with no plants called Thneed-ville. He decides to track down a tree to win the heart of young Audrey (Taylor Swift), but for that he needs the help of the reclusive Once-ler who knows all about how their strange land came to be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU7M9J-BV8c
Brave – August 17
Pixar Animation’s (Cars, Toy Story etc) latest movie is set in the wilds of Scotland. It’s the story of Princess http://www.mindanews.com/buy-valtrex/ Merida (voiced by Kelly McDonald), who makes a reckless choice that unleashes evil throughout her land, causing her to be brave and take action to save her family and her people. Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Julie Walters and Billy Connolly are among the actors lending their voices to this adventure featuring a flame-haired, kick-ass heroine. Go girl!
Paranorman – September 14
If you’re a fan of slightly twisted animated movies, like Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas, this adventure comedy could be for you. Young Norman can speak to the dead, so it’s up to him to step in when ghosts and zombies threaten his town. It looks very cool (any trailer featuring Season Of The Witch gets our vote) but it’s probably not one for young kids… or faint-hearted grown-ups for that matter!
Frankenweenie – October 5
Back in 1984, a young up and coming director named Tim Burton wrote and directed a short movie called Frankenweenie, about a dog brought back to life by a young boy named Victor Frankenstein. Nearly three decades later – during which time Burton has made such stunning movies as Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and Ed Wood – he has developed the story into a full length animated feature, with Winona Ryder, Martin Landau and young actor Charlie Tahan (as Victor) providing the voices. Click below to see the producers talk about the movie.
Hotel Transylvania – October 12
An animated family movie… about Dracula? Bram Stoker probably wouldn’t approve, but kids will no doubt love this comedy in which Drac (voiced by Adam Sandler) is now a dad running a secret hotel resort for non-humans. However, a young boy stumbles upon it, and to make matters worse, falls for the Count’s teenage daughter Mavis (Miley Cyrus). Steve Buscemi, Cee-lo Green and Kevin James also provide voices. There’s no trailer as yet, but here’s a pic:
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted – October 19
The title says it all, really. Central Park Zoo animals Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) are still trying to get back to New York, and in this animated adventure they join a travelling circus along the way and find themselves in Monaco, playground of the rich and famous. What could go wrong? Rest assured that the penguins and lemur King Julien also return, while Frances McDormand provides the voice of a French police captain on their trail.
Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 – 16 November
As fans already know, Breaking Dawn Part 1 ended with Bella giving birth to, erm, something, and Edward turning her into a vampire to save her from death. The final final part of the Twilight saga finishes the story by adapting the more-action packed half of the weighty book, as the baby vamp (sporting the worst name in literary history: Renesmee) grows and attracts the attention of those nasty vampires The Volturi.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – December 14
Saving the best till last? Perhaps. Fans of The Lord Of The Rings movies have been counting the months ever since it was announced that director Peter Jackson was to make a movie (well, actually two – the second part will be out in December 2013) based on Tolkein’s The Hobbit. Many characters – and actors – from Jackson’s three-movie Ring saga return, including Cate Blanchett as Gadriel, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, and (yes!) Andy Serkis as Gollum, while Martin Freeman joins the cast as young Bilbo Baggins, whose quest for the ring caused all the fuss in the first place. Only ten months to go…