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Reviews
Lightyear (2022)
Believe the Buzz: Our Family LOVES Lightyear!
We just LOVE this movie.
At the very least, this has offered an accessible entry to sci-fi for our soon-to-be 3yo twins. But it's so much more. This is a story about accountability and putting your own ego secondary to the needs of others. This is a story of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance. This is a story about making the most of difficult situations and always striving to be the best version of yourself.
Through the movie, characters make mistakes and adapt. They solve new problems and help each other through seemingly inescapable calamity. They conquer their fears and show that even adversaries have the potential for redemption.
I wish we had been able to see a bit more of the life built by the stranded crew, but I loved that my kids could find aspirational heroes doing the right things over and over, whether a girl or a boy or a robot or a convict or a cat. We (adults) may even have shed a few tears at a couple moments, which underscores the depth of character arcs.
Those looking for more than a tenuous Toy Story tie-in will be disappointed. But this movie is good - not just good for kids or families - and would also be solid even if it were live-action, unrelated to the Toy Story franchise.
Ridley Jones (2021)
Daring, Bold, Courageous!
Just listening to the theme song for the show will give you a good glimpse into what awaits: positivity and action. In the opening theme sung by Grammy-winning and Tony-nominated Broadway Star Lauren Patten, Ridley Jones is described as one who is responsible, never gives in to her fears, overcomes challenges, and is always willing to help her friends. Through the first season we see her grow and mature as she solves each quandary with the use of problem-solving, teamwork, and sound judgment.
The show itself is a perfect blend of Indiana Jones (no relation?) and Night At The Museum, as the exhibits come to life and are cared for by Ridley, her mother and her grandmother, a multi-generational family of curators who "save the future by protecting the past" including the last dodo, a dinosaur, an astronaut chimp, a mummy family, and an adorable bison who resents being adorable.
Common kid themes get tackled by the characters including fear, working together, and different family structures in a way that is accessible for kids as young as toddlers, but enjoyable even by adults. The rousing soundtrack is catchy without being cloying, and the songs are thematic, professional anthems one wouldn't necessarily expect from a kids' cartoon.
Ridley Jones has an all-star cast and it really shows. Each episode is feature-quality, and the only downside I see is that you'll find yourself watching every episode countless times because there aren't enough episodes to satisfy the little fans of this well-written, well-cast delight of a show.