Treasure Planet- John Musker and Ron Clements

This is a brilliant, futuristic presentation of the classic novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows a very similar plot but with a few new twists and turns and a host of inventive characters, such as "Morph"- an adorable shape shifter that takes a liking for the protagonist Jim. There is also the hilarious robot named B. E. N., who despite missing something, helps Jim and the Captain find treasure greater than they had ever imagined. The film is full of stunning special effects, a powerful narrative and immense space battles. It is a thrilling adventure from start to finish, that will amuse, shock and above all, greatly entertain you. Perfect for the whole family...

Happy Feet- George Miller

This film is definitely worth watching, as it is a lovable, fun feature length animation with the voice talents of such stars as, Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. The story centres around a young penguin who, unlike the rest of his race, finds out that he can't sing- but dance instead. His father disowns him and instead of wallowing in self pity, he finds an exciting new race of hilarious, fun, partying penguins, sinister disappearances and above all, his true love. Without wanting to give too much away, there is also a sequence in the film where animation and live action are cleverly blended together- giving the impression that they are actually happening at the same time. This film is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry and above all feel a genuine connection with the adorable penguins... 

Mary Poppins- Robert Stevenson

To be completely honest, Mary Poppins isn't one of my favorite films at all. Some of the songs are catchy and it stars Dick Van Dyke, but that's about it! It is meant to be a "Classic" but Julie Andrews (despite the Academy Award) is boring to watch. Most of the jokes, scenes and songs seem to try for humour too often and the "fun" aspect is lost for me. Although you must be thinking that it is because of my age, but even when I first saw it in primary school I didn't find it very entertaining. The pigeon feeding lady is just spooky, the scene where the father loses his job is cringing and the dinner party on the ceiling is one of the most tedious scenes I have ever seen in a film. Not worth watching unless you have nothing better to watch with your kids... 

Howl's Moving Castle- Hayao Miyazaki

Howl's Moving Castle is without doubt one of the best feature length animations I have seen in my entire life. Miyazaki's attention to detail is breathtaking. The film centers around young girl who works in a hat shop and is transformed into an elderly lady by an evil, powerful witch. She proceeds to happen upon Howl's Moving Castle and is employed as the cleaning lady. It is down to her to figure out the way to remove curses, to fall in love and to make sure that the love of her life doesn't lose his life to a mighty, pointless war. In my opinion, everything about the film is perfect; the cinematography, the artistry, the colours, the voice talent (especially Batman's Christian Bale) and much more. The romantic narrative is filled with magic, adventure and confrontations but above all, suitable for the whole family. It teaches morals (such as Don't judge someone until you know them properly). When I first watched the film, I thought it was brilliant but it wasn't until the third or fourth time that I truly realised just how incredible it actually is, as a leading film critic magazine says, "Prepare to be dazzled... One of the finest animated films in years"- and I couldn't agree more...

Finding Nemo- PIXAR

Finding Nemo has got to be one of the greatest family animation features ever created. Although released in 2003, the lovable characters, engaging plot and hilarious jokes are still remembered today. Personally, my favorite laughs were the seagulls and their only line, "mine!" and the extremely cool, "surfer dude turtles". Many of you who have seen it will also remember the frightening girl who adopts the fish that live in the dentist and the scary shark who chases Marlin and his outrageously dim witted but funny friend, Dory. The main bulk of the story centers around a clown fish (Marlin) who is searching for his only son (Nemo)- as Nemo is captured by a diver, just off the edge of a coral reef in Australia. With a very suspenseful narrative and warming relationships, this film will leave you wanting to watch it again...

The Incredibles- PIXAR

The next film for me to recommend is PIXAR's The Incredibles. This feature length family adventure had me engaged form start to finish. The story follows a family of super heroes who are trying to live as civilians- having being banned from using their powers (due to certain incidents that are explained at the beginning of the film). A host of other characters dominate the film, such as my favorites- the super cool Frozone and the fussy super suit fashion designer Edna Mode. This memorable film will have you laughing, smiling and shocked to the edge of your seat. It is a beautifully animated, fantastical adventure complimented by twists and turns in the plot and stunning fight sequences that when first viewed by me, had me grinning the whole time. Out of all the powers that are represented in the movie, the youngest family member Jack Jack has my favorite- an extremely unexpected power. I will be interested to know what other people think about the movie and the powers...

Ratatouille- PIXAR

I chose Ratatouille as my first recommendation, as it is a PIXAR movie. From the creators of Cars and The Incredibles, this adorable feature length animation is guaranteed to give you a second opinion about rats... even though it isn't strictly based on truth. The story follows Remy, a "determined young rat", who "dreams of becoming a renowned French chef", as he accidentally finds himself in the heart of Paris and very, very hungry. In order to live his dream of becoming a top chef, he agrees to help the young Linguini- a garbage boy who also accidentally ends up becoming a chef- to gain stardom and try to impress the harsh food critic, Ego. When I first saw the movie being advertised, I wasn't sure that a rat being the protagonist would work (especially the seemingly disgusting idea of it cooking food for humans). I was pleasantly surprised when watching it however, as nothing is ever what it seems with PIXAR...

Please let me know what you think of this film and I will share opinions with you.