Guide to 2011 Kid Movies

There are few genres as abundant in any given year as movies for children. With at least one, and as many as four, being released every month for the rest of the year it's easy to get over whelmed. This guide should help any parents out there who want to know what's coming out down the line that they can take their kids to see. The kid's movies kicked off with "Gnomeo & Juliet" and it doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon.

"Rango" (March 4th)
Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp) is a high strung chameleon lost in the desert. Through dumb luck (or maybe fate) he finds himself appointed sheriff of a small western town, but it may all be much more than he can handle. Depp has a long history of strange roles, and this titular character seems to borrow liberally from his portrayal of Raoul Duke (who was really Hunter S. Thompson) from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Re-teaming with director Gore Verbinski, who directed him in the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, Depp keeps all the jittery aspects of his Duke character and just loses the non-family-friendly drug references. The results look kooky enough to entertain kids while being reminiscent enough of Depp's more adult work to make it worth while for parents too.

"Mars Needs Moms" (March 11th)
What would you do if Martians came and kidnapped your mom? Well if you're young Milo you'd go after her and get her back! That's the basic set up of this sci-fi 3D romp. It's shot in motion capture along the lines of "The Polar Express," however it looks like the characters are slightly more stylized in their appearance. Hopefully this means they won't be quite as unnerving as the characters in these sorts of films tend to be. The trailers promise high flying action and a decent amount of humor thrown into the mix as well.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodderick Rules" (March 25th)
Young Gary (Zachary Gordon) is starting the seventh grade. In addition to trying desperately to impress his crush he has to deal with his tormentor of a brother, Roderick (Devon Bostick). Their parents engage in misguided attempts to have the two bond, which only seems to make things work. While the original wasn't a huge hit, it did well enough on a modest budget to warrant this sequel. Young fans of the book series will no doubt be happy to see these characters return to the screen.

"Hop" (April 1st)
E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand) is the son of the Easter Bunny, destined to take over the family business. However it's not what he wants to do and while trying to run away to Hollywood to be a drummer he's hit by the car of a grown up slacker Fred (James Marsden). While not really hut E.B. fakes being injured so he'll be taken in by Fred, who now finds himself with the world's worst house-guest. This mix of live action and CGI animation feels very much in the vein of the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" series of films and is probably aiming for the same family appeal.

"Rio" (April 15th)
The makers of "Ice Age" are back with an all new adventure, this time opting for sandy beaches over frozen wasteland. Blue is a rare blue macaw, believed to be the last male of his kind. In an attempt to repopulate the species the house pet Blue is brought to Rio de Janiero in Brazil to meet his female counterpart. However before any love can happen the pair are kidnapped by people who want to exploit their rarity for money. The two escape but Blue keeps slowing them down because he can't even fly. The film boasts a varied voice cast of such actors as Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez and Tracy Morgan. This 3D adventure looks to be heavy on the slapstick and should be good for getting a laugh out of kids.

"Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil" (April 29th)
While the first Hoodwinked wasn't a huge hit, it was also cheap to make so from a financial standpoint this was a no-brainer. The original had animation that wasn't much better than one would find in a made for TV kids show, and while this seems to have improved over that it's still on the low end of the spectrum. This time the mystery premise of the original is ditched in favor of a more action oriented theme where the characters from the first film set out to rescue Hansel and Gretel.

"Kung Fu Panda 2: Kaboom of Doom" (May 26th)
The first Kung Fu Panda broke Dreamworks Animation's trend of pop culture rifts in favor of a great story and fun characters. This sequel sees all of the returning voices along with the additions action stars Michelle Yeoh and Jean-Claude VanDamme plus Gary Oldman as a villainous peacock. With the new bad guy in possession of a weapon that puts all of Kung Fu at risk the action should be even better than the first as well, and it was already extremely good for an animated film. A must see for action loving kids.

"Mr. Popper's Penguins" (June 17th)
Mr. Popper (Jim Carrey) is just an average guy trying to get by. His life is turned upside down when he unexpectedly inherits six penguins and he has to find out how to take care of them. This loose adaptation of the classic children's book has been in the works for some time (originally it was meant to star Ben Stiller.) With Carrey in the lead parents can expect plenty of slap stick and funny faces for the kids with maybe a joke or two aimed at the parents in the audience.

"Cars 2" (June 24th)
Even though it's probably the least regarded Pixar film from critics (though still better than most other animated films out there these days) the original "Cars" was a merchandising bonanza, so the sequel is hardly surprising. What is surprising is how wildly the setting and premise is veering from the quaint town life of the first film. While going to compete in the World Grand Prix, competitor Lightning McQueen and his tow truck best friend Mater manage to get wrapped up in the world of international spies. Ditching the home-spun leisure of the first film in favor of race and spy action should make this a fast favorite for many young ones.

"Winnie the Pooh" (July 15th)
There have been a number of Disney released Winnie the Pooh movies released over the years, as well as numerous TV and DVD incarnations. This however will mark only the second time that the stories will be taken directly from the source material written by A. A. Milne. Like the 1977 original "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" this will be sort of a compilation film, chronically several smaller stories dealing the characters rather than a bigger over-arching story. Disney hopes this return to their original approach and the original stories will bring back some true magic to this hand drawn animated film. Younger kids should love it, and parents who grew up on the earlier Disney movies about Pooh should enjoy themselves too.

"The Smurfs" (August 3rd)
All together now: la la la la la la, la la la la laaaaaaaa! Be prepared for that theme song to be stuck in your head once again as the Smurfs come to the big screen in this live-action and CGI mash-up. The small blue heroes are on the run from the wicked Gargamel (Hank Azaria) when they fall through a mystical portal and end up in Central Park in the present day. Setting the film in modern day Manhattan seems like an odd choice, and one that will likely be played for fish out of water style comedy. Fans of the original cartoon may cry foul, but younger kids will likely be enthralled.

"A Dolphin's Tale" (September 23rd)
There hasn't been a solid child and animal bonding movie in quite some time. This picture is looking to bring this classic sub-genre back. Based on a true story it tells of a young boy who befriends a dolphin whose tail was injured in a crab trap. Harry Connick Jr plays the local veterinarian who brings people together to try and create a prosthetic tale for the dolphin. This looks to be a classic heart-warming and inspiring tale, and is being presented in 3D.

"Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World" (October 27th)
Well the original stars of "Spy Kids" (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) may now firmly be teenagers, but that isn't about to stop this franchise. The heroes here are actually two new young kids. The new spies are recruited by their step-mother (Jessica Alba) to help combat the evil Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven.) The original Spy Kids do appear in supporting roles and provide the new young stars with their gadgets. This promises the same high energy and inventive action that made the first three films such a hit with kids.

"Puss in Boots" (November 4th)
Before Puss teamed up with Shrek he had plenty of adventures on his own, which this film hopes to demonstrate. Antonio Banderas returns as the love-able Puss, but since this is set before the events of "Shrek 2" it's very doubtful that any of the other characters from that series will appear. Not a great deal of detail has come out about the story, but given the character's nature it's likely to be a bit on the swashbuckling side. Fantasy guru Guillermo del Toro is executive producing, which may mean that this film will have enough brains to entertain the parents as well as the children.

"Happy Feet 2" (November 18th)
The first "Happy Feet" was a surprise hit with an ecological message behind all the fun. While no real details for the plot of this sequel have been released it doesn't appear to be simply cashing in. Writer/director George Miller is returning as are voice actors Elijah Wood and Robin Williams. Filling out the cast are some new voices including Pink (replacing the late Brittany Murphy,) Matt Damon and Brad Pitt. With a cast like this and given the heartfelt messages of the first film this should be one that both parents and kids can enjoy.

Arthur Christmas (November 23rd)
Just in time to kick off the holiday movie rush comes this latest film from studio behind "Wallace and Gromit" and "Flushed Away." Many have wondered how Santa (voice by Jim Broadbent) manages to deliver all his presents in one night. With cutting edge technology of course! The year however Santa's youngest son Arthur (James McAvoy) has a special mission that he must complete before Christmas morning. The notion of a high tech Santa should give Aardman Studios plenty of chances to create wild machines, which is a bit of a specialty of theirs.

"The Muppets" (November 23rd)
Returning to the big screen for the first time in over a decade, Jim Henson's lovable creations are ready to take in a whole new generation of fans. A new puppet character is added into the mix in the form of Walter, who is the biggest Muppet fan ever. When the Muppets' old theater is in danger of being demolished Walter sets out to bring all of the Muppets back together for one big show to save their old performance space. In addition to seeing all the great characters back on screen it's fun that this movie ties into the old "Muppet Show" that started it all.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" (December 16th)
The Chipmunks are back! This latest entry finds both the Chipmunks and their female counterparts, the Chimpettes, stranded on a desert island while Dave Seville frantically tries to find them and bring them home. At this point this series has established itself as being much more for today's kids rather than any grown fans of the 1980s cartoon of the same name. With that in mind any young fans who enjoyed the first two will no doubt get a kick out of this new 3D romp.

"The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn" (December 23rd)
This one is interesting, as it's based on a comic book that is hugely popular in Europe and virtually unknown in the US. However the involvement of blockbuster directors Peter Jackson and Stephen Spielberg might give it just the right magic to finally make this beloved character a hit in this country. This story deals with a treasure hunt, which is generally a very solid kid film premise. If it proves successful there's another two films planned for down the line.