The Foxy Film Fan

Moana (2016) With the usual string of terrible family films like Norm of the North , Trolls , another installment of the Ice Age franchise, and plenty of other quickly forgotten animated features, it's always a breath of fresh air when Disney released something new. Moana  is no exception. With fun and catchy musical numbers, an admirable protagonist, and even a few jokes at Disney's own expense ("If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you are a princess."), it's difficult to not enjoy this charming family film. Admittedly, there are instances in the plot which reveal that this is not Disney at its most imaginative. Some elements in the story seem redundant and reminiscent of jokes and scenes from other Disney movies, but the film really makes up for these elements with its two charming protagonists, a sincerely comedic character, and its absolutely stunning animation. Even if you are not particularly interested in family films, if you have a pa...

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) I, like many other twenty-somethings who were raised on a steady diet of Harry Potter books and films, was absolutely ecstatic when the a new movie taking place within the Harry Potter universe was announced. Unfortunately, high hopes often lead to great disappointment, and while Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  is certainly a solid film, it failed to live up to the high expectations set by the Harry Potter franchise preceding it. Fantastic Beasts  opens with a promising premise, involving a mysterious and lovable new protagonist who's left racing through New York City to gather the magical creatures he accidentally set loose, but quickly falls apart when it struggles to offer anything else. Characters are rarely developed beyond the archetypical roles they must fulfill in order for the plot to move forward, and plot beats are hit like dominos aligned in a straight line. The film simply offers little to no unexpec...

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) Parents often strive to protect their kids from frightening things. The MPAA works hard to create accurate ratings in order to help parents determine if a film is too intense for their child to handle, and many parents strive to follow this guidance as closely as possible, only to be shocked when they find these children's films filled with horrifying scenes which they worry might frighten their precious darlings. However, these scenes are nothing to be concerned about, after all, there's a reason that they're included in family films and it isn't due to the writers being cruel and callous bullies who love the idea of frightening strange children whom they have never met before. These scenes are included because children like them. Dating as far back as to The Wizard of Oz , family films have been frightening kids. Many people even grow to recall that movie as one of the scariest they have seen simply because of the massive imp...

As you probably know, the holiday season means family is coming to visit, and oftentimes family means small children. It can be very difficult to find films which will appeal to everyone in the room, with movies such as Ice Age: The Meltdown  being unbearable for adults, but a great deal of films being too boring or too intense for children to follow. This list is intended to help you during this holiday season, it will provide you with five family films which are appealing to children and adults alike, and which will hopefully help change your perspective on family films. Many family films are terrible, but there are exceptions to the rule. For the sake of my own sanity, I will not be including any animated movies in this list, because then that would be all that this list consisted of. 1. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) Gene Wilder's incredible portrayal of the titular Willy Wonka is so believable that one can'...

Harrison Feldman and  Bethany Whitmore in Girl Asleep (2015) Girl Asleep  is simultaneously two movies; one is fantastic, the other is absolutely terrible.  As the name implies, a large portion of the film is entirely comprised of one lengthy dream sequence (because short dream sequences aren't obnoxious enough, right?), and it simply doesn't work, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Girl Asleep  is, at first, a charming little independent film about fourteen year old Greta Driscoll, a shy girl who is dreading life at a new school after moving with her eccentric and often times overbearing parents. There, she meets Elliott, an odd but friendly and promising new friend, who seems ecstatic at the notion of befriending the new girl in school. Initially, Girl Asleep  comes across as something which may have been made by the likes of Wes Anderson. It has a clear and crisp visual style, with bright colors, odd and unique mapped out camera shots which are stationary...

Shrek (2001) Back in 2001, Shrek was an absolutely groundbreaking animated movie, with equally groundbreaking animation, stars like Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy portraying its three lead characters while in the prime of their careers, an extremely popular and catchy soundtrack, and a completely original concept. At the time, it was unlike any other animated movie, and seemed knowingly compete with the reigning champions of animated film at the time - Pixar. Despite telling a story in a fairy tale setting it was filled with modern pop culture references, adult humor, and subtle jabs at Disney scattered throughout (which is hardly surprising considering producer Jeffrey Katzenberg left his job at Walt Disney Studios on bad terms). Shrek was original, hilarious, charming, and completely unique. Then the Shrek effect took hold. After the release of Shrek and its clever usage of modern music and referential humor in a fairytale animated world was shared with the...