Top 10 Movies for Families from 2008

WALL*E, the latest animated feature from Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures, is about a lonely, lovelorn robot who has the key to the future of the human race and earth. If you’ve been waiting for entertainment that would lift you up, carry you to the outer reaches of imagination, inspire you, fill you with love, joy and happiness, and leave you with a great fantastic crescendo, you might want to see WALL*E.

FIREPROOF is an incredibly gripping, compelling, heartrending, transformational story about saving a marriage between a small-town fire chief and his working wife that is on the rocks. Impeccably plotted, it is a stirring presentation of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of God’s amazing grace.

PRINCE CASPIAN is the second book in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C. S. Lewis, which tells how Aslan comes to the aid of the Pevensie children, who are helping a prince lead Narnia in a fight against his evil uncle who is trying to kill all the Narnians. PRINCE CASPIAN is a very exciting, redemptive epic in the tradition of LORD OF THE RINGS.

The Disney animated feature BOLT is about a canine actor in a superhero show on TV who gets accidentally shipped to New York and must make his way back to Hollywood, with help from a sarcastic cat named Mittens and wacky hamster named Rhino. BOLT is great wholesome fun from beginning to end.

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D is not a re-make of the Jules Verne story but rather a new story about volcano scientist Trevor and his nephew Sean, who seek to find Sean’s long-lost father, who was doing research on the premise that Verne’s book was based on a true account! This is a fun roller coaster ride augmented by the 3D technology but the story is a bit thin and some aggressive dinosaurs may scare younger children.

In NIM’S ISLAND, a little girl living on an island paradise with her scientist father must rely on a reclusive author to help her overcome the biggest challenge of her exotic young life. NIM’S ISLAND is a terrific, emotional and fanciful adventure comedy filled with jeopardy and danger, but there are some secular, environmentalist messages.

KUNG FU PANDA is a very funny, very exciting and very clean animated movie about a chubby, disheveled, but warm-hearted panda who is the only one standing in the way of an evil, treacherous snow leopard threatening his village. The movie extols personal themes and character traits espousing virtue, honor, loyalty, and sacrifice, but contains some non-specific Eastern mysticism and violence, so it requires caution for younger children.

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX is an animated feature about a misfit mouse full of chivalry who rescues a kidnapped princess. DESPEREAUX is an exciting, compelling movie for older children and above. It overtly teaches honor, truth, justice, and forgiveness.

In MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA, Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria escape from Madagascar, only to crash-land on the plains of Africa, where they encounter species of their own and grow through some new adventures. ESCAPE 2 AFRICA is one of the most hilarious, heartwarming animated movies of the year, with many positive values, but it has some crude humor and light pagan content that require caution for older children.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR brings the TV phenomenon to the big screen, in a story about Troy and Gabriella’s senior year, which includes conflicts during the production of a musical about their high school. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 is fun, clean and full of energy, with a strong moral worldview where young people do the right thing. Bravo!