“Wreck-It Ralph” is a heartwarming movie for all ages. With the vocal talents of John C. Reilly as Ralph, Sarah Silverman as Vanellope, Jack McBrayer as Felix, Jane Lynch as Calhoun, and Alan Tudyk as King Candy, this movie proves itself to be funny for both kids and adults. “Wreck-It Ralph” teaches kids valuable life lessons about challenging labels like “good” and “bad” while showing that each person is their own biggest judge.

“Wreck-It Ralph” was a beautifully animated movie that creatively portrayed how life might be in an arcade after the kids have gone home. Once the arcade is closed, the characters can game jump and visit one another by going through their cable chords into Grand Central Station (the power strip). In Grand Central Station, they even have security as Surge Protectors to prevent items from one game going into another, which is comically shown when Ralph tries to take the cherries from Packman back into his game. There is a Bad Guys Anonymous meeting in Packman led by Clyde, the blue ghost of Packman, where the “bad guys” get support from each other since everyone else hates them. The games themselves range from the older classics like Sonic to the newer games like the HD Hero’s Duty, which creates a very diverse gaming spectrum.

“Wreck-It Ralph” follows “bad guy” Ralph through his journey of trying to be a hero. Ralph is unappreciated and unloved within his own game, Fix-It Felix Jr., so he decides to show everyone he is a hero by winning a medal like Felix does all the time. Ralph game jumps into a first-person shooter game called Hero’s Duty to win a hero medal, but he accidentally unleashes a bug (a literal virus) into a candy-coated car racing game called Sugar Rush. In Sugar Rush, he meets Vanellope, a troublemaking “glitch,” who steals his medal so she can finally race in Sugar Rush. While grudgingly becoming friends with Vanellope, Fix-It Felix has teamed up with Calhoun from Hero’s Duty to track down Ralph before their Fix-It Felix Jr. game gets turned off and the bug/virus multiplies in Sugar Rush. The movie has some surprising twists that will keep you guessing until the very end.

“Wreck-It Ralph” has talented comedians as the main characters, brilliant graphics, creativity using the arcade as the setting, and relatable insecurities that the characters go through. However, the time line of the movie was a big drawback, in my opinion, because it all took place within one day. Ralph went on many adventures in that one day, which I feel made the storyline implausible; if the movie took place over a longer period of time would have been much more realistic.

The way the characters met and interacted also struck me as unrealistic; what are the chances that the first person Ralph meets in Sugar Rush ends up being his best friend?  And what are the chances that the first woman Fix-It Felix meets outside of his game he falls in love with?  However, these minor drawbacks do not detract completely from the brilliance of the overall message the movie shows. While challenging preconceptions of “good” and “bad,” the movie also clearly showcases the importance of true friends and appreciating those around you, which makes this a real treat for everyone.

Rating: 4/5

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Lionsgate, the leading next generation studio, announced recently that it will partner with Crest Animation Studios to co-produce the Stereoscopic 3D animated family feature ‘Norm of the North’ as the second film in their three-picture deal. Lionsgate will distribute in North America. The announcement was jointly made by Joe Drake, Lionsgate Co-Chief Operating Officer and Motion Picture Group President; Mike Paseornek, Lionsgate President of Motion Picture Production; Ken Katsumoto, Lionsgate Executive Vice President of Family Entertainment; Noah Fogelson, CEO of Crest Animation Productions; and Seemha Ramanna, Managing Director Crest Animation Studios.

‘Norm of the North’ is written by Steven and Daniel Altiere. Delivery is anticipated for the first quarter of 2012. Katsumoto will oversee the production for Lionsgate; Crest Animation President of Production Richard Rich will oversee for Crest.

The first film in the Lionsgate/Crest partnership was last year’s CGI animated family feature ‘Alpha and Omega’, featuring the voices of Justin Long, Hayden Panetierre, Christina Ricci, Danny Glover, Dennis Hopper and Larry Miller. Directed by Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck, ‘Alpha and Omega’ premiered in October 2010.

Said Paseornek and Katsumoto, “Our partnership with Crest has gotten off to a terrific start with ‘Alpha and Omega’, and ‘Norm of the North’ is an ideal follow-up. In its range of characters, locations and narrative, ‘Norm of the North’ offers a bounty of riches for family audiences.”

“We are delighted to be producing ‘Norm of the North’ with our friends at Lionsgate,” commented Fogelson. “This is a wonderful story, full of humor and heart, and stereoscopic 3D technology will bring it vividly to life.”

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Wendy Jaffe, Executive Vice President Business & Legal Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Sean Kisker, Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning, and Katsumoto; and for Crest Animation Productions by attorney Josh Grode of Liner Grode Stein Yankelevitz Sunshine Regenstreif & Taylor LLP.

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When animals and humans work together there is much that can be accomplished. This is exactly what transpires in Dolphin’s Tale, a film about a true story about a brave dolphin. It is based on a true story about a group of compassionate strangers who bonded together to save this dolphins life.

Swimming free is a dolphin without a care in the world until one day she is caught in a crab trap that is fatal for her existence and as a result loses her tail. She is rescued and transported to the Clearwater Marine Hospital where she is given the name Winter. Although she has been rescued there is a long way to go and now she is in the biggest battle she must fight for her life.

The fight is just beginning, without a tail her survival is very dim. In order to save Winter’s life it’s going to take the expertise of a dedicated marine biologist, the ingenuity of a brilliant prosthetics doctor and the devotion of a young boy who all must work together in saving Winter’s life. This will not only save Winter’s life but also help countless others around the world.

Winter is a dolphin that has been a source of perseverance, hope and courage to millions of people both able and disabled who have been touched by her remarkable story of recovery and rehabilitation. Winter’s real home is at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida. Dolphin’s Tale was filmed on location at the aquarium in Clearwater, Fla.

The motto for the aquarium is “rescue, rehabilitate and return,” which really sums up what this movie is all about. The movie will be released in 3-D in September. It stars Harry Konnick Jr, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Kris Kristoffson and Cozi Zuehlsdorff as the young boy who rescues the dolphin.

The movie is directed by Martin Charles Smith, a former actor from films like The Buddy Holly Story and American Graffiti, though he is best known for his role as agent Wallace in The Untouchables. It really does have a great cast including fantastic performances by Konnick Jnr and Freeman who seem to always deliver something special no matter what role he plays.

There have been movies about handicapped people overcoming odds, which have truly been inspirational. There have been movies in which people develop special relationships with animals, which have also been very popular with children and adults alike. There have also been many family movies over the years that have entertained us.

The great thing about this film is that it incorporates all three genres into one amazing film. It also does this in 3D which is sure to again be popular with audiences of all ages. The inspiration behind the movie is no dolphin has ever lost its tail and lived. This is definantly a movie that will grip and touch the hearts of viewers.

The audience will walk away having hope and inspiration, as it is a movie about miracles. Any person who loves to see animals free and happy will absolutely love this film.

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