At a time when A.I.-generated anything sends many of us into a panic, this stop-motion tale from Aardman Animations (“Chicken Run,” “Shaun the Sheep Movie”) hits the spot. It’s been almost two decades since the zany inventor Wallace (voiced by Ben Whitehead) and his devoted dog, Gromit — from their creator, Nick Park — got the feature-film treatment, in the Oscar-winning “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” This time they’re battling the villainous penguin Feathers McGraw and an army of sinister robotic garden gnomes.
There are action sequences, plenty of clever puns (Gromit reads “Virginia Woof”), and sweet messages about real human (or animal) connection and work being more satisfying than any “smart” device. Park co-directed with Merlin Crossingham (“Morph’s Epic Adventures”) and wrote the script with Mark Burton (“Shaun the Sheep Movie”).
‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’
There’s a lot going on in this sequel to the director James Wan’s 2018 “Aquaman.” The titular dude-bro superhero (Jason Momoa) now rules over Atlantis with his wife, Mera (Amber Heard). They have a baby, and in between cracking beers and jokes, Aquaman must now juggle the demands of fatherhood with ruling his people, protecting the planet from global warming and battling the villainous Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).
Black Manta, a.k.a. David Kane, has been possessed by an evil spirit and is seeking revenge on Aquaman for the murder of his father. Aquaman breaks Orm (Patrick Wilson), his rival brother, out of a prison run by blood-drinking demon creatures, and the two mend their broken relationship as they embark on a quest to stop Black Manta and save the day.
Nicole Kidman and Temuera Morrison return as Aquaman’s parents, and Randall Park plays Dr. Stephen Shin, a scientist who is (reluctantly) helping Black Manta. It’s not quite as fun as the first film, but the action, visuals and superhero-ness of it all should captivate older children and teenagers who won’t have nightmares about those blood-drinking demons. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (“The Conjuring 2,” “Aquaman”) wrote the script.
‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’
While your children wait for the recently released “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” to start streaming, they can get their fix by watching (or rewatching) the second installment of Sega’s videogame-to-film franchise. The speedy bright blue hedgehog from space (voiced again by Ben Schwartz, of “Parks and Recreation”) lives with a small-town Montana cop, Tom (James Marsden), and his wife, Maddie (Tika Sumpter), who act as his live-action surrogate parents. Sonic uses a gold portal ring to send Tom and Maddie to Hawaii for the wedding of Maddie’s sister, Rachel (Natasha Rothwell, of “The White Lotus” and “Insecure”), to Randall (the “Justice League” alum Shemar Moore), creating another story line that’s threaded throughout.
Sonic’s longtime enemy Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) has been rescued from exile by a spiny anteater called Knuckles (Idris Elba), who is out to get the hedgehog. Sonic’s buddy Tails, a two-tailed fox once again voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey, helps Sonic before Robotnik and Knuckles can nab them.
There’s plenty for younger and older children here, including goofy humor, attention-holding action and, of course, the charms of the blue hedgehog. Jeff Fowler returned to direct, and the “Sonic” writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller teamed up to write the script with John Whittington (“The Lego Batman Movie”).
‘Disaster Holiday’
This South African family comedy is a little bit like the 1983 classic “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” Instead of Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold, we have a hardworking divorced father named Joseph (Kenneth Nkosi from “District 9” and “Tsotsi”), who ropes his children and new wife into taking a road trip to the gorgeous beaches of Zanzibar for some much-needed bonding time. When his boss pressures him to take a work trip to the crowded coastal city of Durban instead, he changes plans and drags the family along with him.
Lunathi Mampofu plays the stepmother who is trying to fit in with the youngsters: the daughters Zamo (Kopano Mahlasi) and Lily (Yeya Ralarala), and son Junior (Lubabalo Tala). The kids provide some heart and humor, and while this slapstick, over-the-top romp won’t win any awards, it has enough high jinks (cars submerged in water, crazy allergic reactions, chases, jail) to entertain elementary-age children who like family comedies with heart. After all, when I was little, I thought “Benji” and “Pippi Longstocking” were epic. Rethabile Ramaphakela, who has been nominated for several South African Film and Television Awards, wrote and directed.
‘Storm Crashers’
This first feature from the Argentine filmmaker Gonzalo Gutiérrez is a modern animated take on the classic “Don Quixote,” with a child named Alfonso (voiced by Micke Alejandro Moreno Lamprea) and his trusty buddy Pancho ( Micke’s real-life brother Matthew Moreno Lamprea) as the would-be heroes. Alfonso talks to imaginary giants, and while his mother worries about him, his father defends him by telling her that their son’s imagination is a gift, “like a magic wand.” When Alfonso sees a massive storm surging their way, it’s not just clouds and rain, it’s a “monster.” He makes it his mission to save the town and stop the storm by throwing one of Pancho’s firecrackers into it. There’s a bad dude named Carrasco (Thomas Harris) who is generating the storms and trying to take over the town, so Alfonso, Pancho and a local girl named Victoria (Cassie Glow) embark on an adventure to stop the chaos.
The voice acting is flat, but the colorful visuals and cute animal characters (dogs, rabbits) should appeal to toddlers and younger school-age children. There’s a nice message at the end about kindness triumphing over greed. The story and screenplay are by Carlos Kotkin, Pablo Ricardo Biondi and Gutiérrez.
