publication date: Sep 21, 2007
Robin Hood: Quest for the King – by Sian Minett
King Richard is away in the
Holy Land, leaving England under the
leadership of the
wicked Prince
John who has formed an
alliance with King Leopold of Austria. A
traitor has been
intercepting messages to
warn King Richard of
events back home so
Robin Hood and his band of
merry men (and women)
travel to the Holy Land to
bring him back.
The film is
suitable viewing for all
ages but the
plot is quite
complex.
The
graphics are
simple and will
appeal to younger
children, in particular.
Robin Hood is a cat – which
baffled Tabitha (eight) and James (six) but didn’t seem to
detract from their
enjoyment of the film. There were some
comedy moments, such as
Friar Tuck getting stuck in a
barrel when King John’s men were
after him, that made Tabitha
laugh, whilst James’
favourite parts were the
jousting and fighting
scenes!
The film
included some
medieval-style minstrel songs that Tabitha
hated, but James
really enjoyed! Overall, James and Tabitha
gave the film the
thumbs up and would
happily watch it
again.
The Three Musketeers – Saving the Crown by Sue O’Neil
This film
centres around the
ambition of a musketeer's
son to join the
musketeers himself. His
sister is also
determined to get in on the
act! In this film, the
girls join in the
action, so I can
imagine this
appealing to the
tomboys out there.
Needless to say, the young
"musketeer" saves the day, with some
help from his
sister.
The
animation style is quite
charming, and it is much more
steadily-paced than the sort of
“action” films he often likes to
watch, although there are, of course, plenty of
fencing and
battle scenes. I was
suprised by how much my
seven year old son
likes the film, and
pleased as it seems to be quite
calming - a good one to watch
before bed or for a bit of quiet time
after lunch. There's also lots of comic interchange, which my son really
enjoys.
There have been
numerous repeat
viewings, and I think my son will continue to enjoy the
film for some
time. It's quite
different to the type of
animation generally
popular with boys of his
age. There's something almost
innocent or
old-fashioned in it's style - I found it a
welcome change from the normal
blasts of
gunfire and
explosions! However my
daughters (aged 13 and 11) were not
keen - I'd say this is really
aimed at children
aged nine and under.
The Prince and the Pauper - Double Trouble, by Katherine Maddox-Lyons
Pauper Tom and
Prince Edward look so much
alike that even their
families can’t
tell them
apart. When a
cheeky switch results in Prince Edward being
banished from the
palace and Tom
finding himself
preparing to be
crowned king,
mayhem breaks out.
Who will put things right – and will it be in
time?
A very
good animated film based on the
traditional story. It has a
funny joker all the way
through who was
great. Aaron (11)
thought it was
cool, Adam (eight) a
bit boring but Iona (six) thought it was
better than
Shrek and the
donkey who told the
story was very
good.
Family Favourites, £9.99 is available from www.bknstore.com
