Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

In a pretty weak year for animated films look for this average film to get an Oscar nomination. A sequel to the 2008 Oscar nominated film with the same director, writer, and star put it in line for another nomination. In 2009 they lost to the far superior Wall-E, but with no Pixar front runner this year you never know.

I can't say that I remember all of the detail from the first film, but they came back to me pretty quick in the first ten minutes. Po [Jack Black] is the "chosen one" and leader of the kung fu masters now. Tigress [Angelina Jolie] has warmed up to Po and the team of animals protects the city. We get a story of a crane who has harnessed gun powder for weapons instead of fireworks and is starting to conquering cities. Kung Fu is thought to be dead and the Kung Fu Masters have to prove that it is not.

On a scare factor rating I'd say that the violence alone gets a 3. If your kids are old enough for that, this film is very kid friendly. We'll see how it does against a slew of animated sequels in awards season. I liked it a lot more than I thought, but it wasn't something I'll buy for my kids.

KSF: 3/5
Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1302011/

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Megamind (2010)

This was the biggest animated film of the year to not get any recognition from the Oscars or Globes. I actually got it confused for a while with Despicable Me, because it stars the villain. The background story was more entertaining for me on this one, but the overall film was much better in Despicable Me, largely due to the lead character's voice work.

With Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Ben Stiller, and Jonah Hill this is quite the cast. Problem for me sometimes is that the voice identifies the star more than the character and I can't "believe" that is how this character should sound. Ferrell was just annoying to me at times. The other big problem for me is that this was a kids movie. The other nominees were all animated film that appealed to all audiences. To me this was just for kids, with little to no adult humor. I found the jokes childish, but then again that is what I expect from Ferrell, and how I picture him most of the time.

It got a 3/5 on the KSF. Honestly I don't remember much that wouldn't be appropriate for little ones, but there is a lot of violence and people "die." Maybe you don't care about this with your children, but it bumped it from the tame 2/5 to a 3/5 which is still pretty low. Not a great or memorable animated film.

KSF: 3/5
Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1001526/

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Toy Story 3 (2010)

I've noticed myself hating on Pixar for no reason lately. I think people are tired of seeing them win everything. Personally I get annoyed because my favorites (like Ratatouille) get less recognition than the ones I didn't like (Up or Cars). Before watching this one I watched and reviewed the two previous films in the [now] trilogy again.

I have to honestly say that this is my favorite in the series. It is now my favorite for the Animated Oscar and I'm on the Pixar bandwagon this year. The plot and storyline were well developed. The moved the story forward to the toy's owner, Andy, growing up and leaving for college. It is attic, charity, or trash for the toys, and after a mix up it is an adventure to stay together.

I loved it, it was a great sequel in an era where sequels are weak at best. As for the Kids Scare factor, there are some moments that the villain toys at the daycare would scary little ones. It was definitely made for those that have grown up with Toy Story 2 to watch, so the maturity level needs to be higher.

Vote: 9/10, KSF: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/

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