No Ordinary Fairy Tale: The Princess Bride

Release Date: September 25th, 1987
Runtime: 98 min
Rating: PG
Appropriate for Ages: 4 and up

I love The Princess Bride. This is one of my all time favorite family movies. It has a whole lot of good actors, humor, action, and a fun and memorable story. Although the effects don't seem nearly as amazing today as they did when I watched this as a child it stills holds it's awe value.

When a sick boy is visited by his grandfather who offers to read him a book, hes not exactly pleased at the sound of it. He quickly changes his mind however when his grandfather starts reading it. While listening to his grandfather read they begin to see another world, a world of magic and adventure. In this world there is a lovely girl named Buttercup and her one true love Westley. When Buttercup gets news that Westley has been killed at sea while seeking fortune she swears never to love again. Then after some time passes Buttercup accepts a marriage proposal from the rich and handsome prince Humperdink, heir to the throne of Florin. What the princess doesn't realize though is that even death can't keep Westley away. A few years later Buttercup is kidnapped by an odd trio of men including a giant, an expert swordsman, and a brainiac and now its up to Westley to save her.

I'd definitely recommend this gem for all age groups. Young and old alike will get a lot of laughs out of The Princess Bride.

The Princess Bride on IMDB
The Princes Bride Trailer on Metacafe.com

If you've seen The Princess Bride and enjoyed it you may also like: The Neverending Story, Labyrinth, Ever After - A Cinderella Story, Enchanted, Robin Hood - Men in Tights

Prepare for Awesomeness: Kung Fu Panda

Release Date: June 6th, 2008
Runtime: 92 min
Rating: PG for sequences of martial arts action
Appropriate for Ages: 4 and up

Kung Fu Panda was an incredibly cute movie. The graphics were great, the writing was fun and witty, and the voice actors did a great job. I had quite a few good laughs during this film. Although the story was pretty straight forward and a lot of moments were predictable, those likely moments seemed to be part of the joke and just made it that much more fun.

Kung Fu Panda is about an overweight panda named Po who works as a waiter in his father's noodle shop who has dreams that hes a great kung fu master. One day he is given a chance to make his dreams come true when the wise Master Oogway chooses Po as the mighty Dragon Warrior who will fulfill an ancient prophecy. Po then gets to train along side his idols known as the furious five under the leadership of Master Shifu. When word comes that the vengeful snow leopard Tai Lung escapes from prison and is heading their way Po has to straighten up and put his skills to the test because its up to him to save the day.

Kung Fu Panda is another movie that can safely be watched by children and enjoyed by all. It even has a few life lessons thrown into the fun as well.

Kung Fu Panda on IMDB
Kung Fu Panda Trailer on YouTube

If you've seen Kung Fu Panda and enjoyed it you may also like: How to Train Your Dragon, Over the Hedge, Bolt, Madagascar, Ratatouille, Mulan

Not Perfect, but Still a Load of Fun: Monsters vs. Aliens

Release Date: March 27th, 2009
Runtime: 94 min
Rating: PG for sci-fi action, crude humor and mild language
Appropriate for Ages: 4 and up

Although Monsters vs Aliens certainly isn't one of the best animated movies I've seen recently I did enjoy watching it. The animation was great, the story was decent, and the voice-actors did a great job. This film featured several very talented actors including Hugh Laurie, Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson and many others. My personal favorite was B.O.B. the amorphous blob voiced by Seth Rogen, he did an incredible job and was quite funny.

When a radioactive meteor falls from space and hits Susan Murphy on her wedding day she is transformed into a platinum-haired giant. Susan is immediately taken away by the government to a secret underground facility where they call her "Ginormica". At this facility Susan meets a group of other bizarre creatures who call themselves monsters. When a villainous alien named Gallaxhar unleashes a giant robot probe in San Fransisco the governments last hope of defense is to let the "monsters" out to defend the planet.

If you're looking for a fun film to watch with the whole family Monsters vs. Aliens should definitely be put somewhere on the top of the list.

Monsters vs. Aliens on IMDB
Monsters vs. Aliens Trailer on YouTube

If you've seen Monsters vs. Aliens and enjoyed it you may also like: Wall-E, Monsters, Inc., Lilo & Stitch, Ice Age, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Planet 51