Puss in Boots (2011)

DreamWorks Animation usually puts out great kid friendly movies that parents can enjoy too.  I loved watching movies like Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, etc with my kids.  The movies are geared toward kids, but have subtle double entendre jokes for the adults.  Puss in Boots, a spinoff of the Shrek franchise, is no exception.

The movie is the back story for one of the main characters in the Shrek movies, Puss.  For those who don’t know, Puss is a “Zoro” like cat voiced by Antonio Banderas. When Puss runs into his childhood best friend turned enemy, he sets out on an epic quest to capture the goose-that-lays-the-golden-eggs, and to clear his own name.

The story is very entertaining, and the banter is first rate.  I took my daughter to watch it and she laughed the whole time and actually stayed in her seat (a major feat.)  The movie is paced well, and, at about 90 minutes long, is a good length for a kid’s movie.

The movie is still playing in the discount theaters, but should be out on DVD on February 24, 2012.  It is well worth seeing or getting for the kids.  I give it 9 / 10.

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Originally written January 30, 2011 at 8:28 pm

I am a big kid at heart. I enjoy watching the occasional cartoon with my daughter (my son looses interest in the TV after about 10 minutes). So I decided to give "How to Train Your Dragon" a spot on my Netflix DVD queue. I'm glad I did.


How to Train Your Dragon is an animated film about a small, clumsy, teenage viking named Hiccup. Hiccup happens to be the son of the village chief Stoic the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler). Their village is constantly raided and attacked by dragons, and the vikings view killing dragons as a rite of passage and the measure of ones prowess. Hiccup is nothing like his father, and has been relegated to the apprentice to the blacksmith Gobber the Belch (voiced by Craig Ferguson). When Hiccup uses his inventions to capture a dragon he begins to study it and in so doing learns about himself and the creatures he had been raised from birth to hate.


This film is a delightful family movie. The story is unique, the characters are funny and the voice acting is well suited to each character. I just really enjoyed all aspects of the movie. My 4 year old daughter on the other hand... At one point she was so scared she started crying. She started to stop watching the movie. She came back in a couple minutes later and continued watching. She eventually said "Maybe it is a good movie after all." After watching the movie, I mailed the DVD back to netflix and she got upset the next day because she couldn't watch it again. The movie is rated PG and netflix recommends it for ages 8+. That seems on the safe side. I'd say 6+ should be fine. Younger children may find it a bit too scary.


I'd highly recommend watching it for yourself, and with your kids if they are age appropriate. For a family animated film I give it a 8 / 10.