In this new adaptation, Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is seamlessly transported to 1948 Bavaria, post-World War II. Both those familiar with the story and those new to this classic American tale will delight in the characters of Tom and Hacke — two adventurous, fatherless boys who experience the thrill and terror of being on their own in a sometimes dangerous world.
“A Shine of Rainbows” resembles a live-action Disney film from the 1950s, with its boundless enthusiasm for gentle adventuring, warm domestic bonding and tragic turns of fate. It serves as a nice change from films focused on the ills of modern youth or weighed down by bathroom humor. Tomas is a shy eight-year-old who’s been adopted and taken to a remote island in Ireland. He and his ornery father (Aidan Quinn) develop an emotional bond after experiencing a tragedy together.
Reviews:
“Hey, what’s not to like about cute orphans, baby seals, sweet moms and gruff dads with hearts of gold? And rainbows? If your heart is going thumpety-thump at such a prospect, here is the movie for you. No, I’m serious. And kids may really love it.” – Roger Ebert
Exploring her grandmother’s old villa, 10-year-old Stella is suddenly catapulted 100 years into the past on a fantastic time journey. She lands in the same villa and meets Clementine, a girl her own age, whom she recognizes as her great-grandmother. But there is no time for reminiscing: The family faces ruin, the villa is to be sold, and Clementine must relinquish her dream of studying to become a doctor – unless, of course, the children find the Star of the Orient.
In a tale akin to “Romeo and Juliet,” the strong bond between two children is threatened by their parents’ differences. Malú is from an upper-class family and her single mother does not want her to play with Jorgito, as she thinks his background coarse and commonplace. Jorgito’s mother, a poor Socialist, proud of her family’s social standing, places similar restrictions on her son. When the children learn that Malú’s mother is planning to leave Cuba, they decide to travel to the other side of the island to find Malú’s father and persuade him against signing the forms that would allow it.
When a child makes a twig his best friend, a parent may worry. Fear not, for this twig (Twigson) has Junior’s best interests at heart! Twigson is married to a white birch that just had a baby (“He has my face but your bark”). When the Daddy Twigson disappears, Junior needs to use imaginative ways to find him. But as any fortune cookie may tell you, “When you look for one thing, you might end up finding something else completely.” Based on the popular children’s book series by Anne Cath Vestly.
Played at 2014 PCFF to celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of Japan’s masterpieces of animation.
One of the most endearing and internationally renowned films of all time, a film that Roger Ebert called “one of the five best movies” ever made for children, “My Neighbor Totoro” is a deceptively simple tale of Satsuki and Mei, two young girls who move with their father to the countryside while their mother convalesces in a nearby hospital. They soon discover that the surrounding forests are home to a family of Totoros, gentle but powerful creatures who live in a huge and ancient camphor tree and are seen only by children. Based on Miyazaki’s own childhood imaginings, Totoros look like oversized pandas with bunny ears, the largest of which takes the girls on spinning-top rides through the tree tops, introduces them to a furry, multi-pawed Catbus—a nod to Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat—and ultimately brings the two much closer together as sisters.
Beneath the film’s playfulness and narrative simplicity lie depths of wisdom. As with much of Miyazaki’s work, at its core “My Neighbor Totoro” is about humankind’s relationship to the Earth. The film is infused with an almost spiritual reverence for the power of nature (a philosophy tied to the ancient Shinto belief that every object in nature has a soul). Everything that surrounds us, from light-dappled tree groves, to the marvelous clouds, echoes the density and lusciousness of life. Protected by the Totoros, we know no harm will come to our two heroines in the forest’s sunlit glades and mysterious shadows. The girls may be awed by the power and majesty around them, but they understand instinctively that nature has no malice. The viewer is left with a sense of wonder at the beauty, mystery and preciousness of the world all around us.
Fearing the possibility of being split up because of their grandmother’s illness, a young brother and sister embark on an unforgettable journey through breathtaking landscapes of rural Scotland. SIDE BY SIDE is a rare and genuinely heartfelt story about two very different siblings growing closer because they must depend on one another during an unsettling time.
Lauren and her younger brother, Harvey, live with their elderly grandmother who needs constant care. When the old woman is sent to a nursing home, Lauren accepts a scholarship to a prestigious sports academy believing that she and Harvey will stay together and live with Janice, Lauren’s calculating and deceitful sports agent. It soon becomes clear, however, that Janice’s real intention is to split the pair up to better exploit Lauren’s athletic talent. When Harvey runs away to fulfill the promise he made to Grandma to find their long-lost grandfather, Lauren follows after him. En route, brother and sister discover that, despite all their differences, when they are side by side they are strong enough to deal with anything, even their biggest fears. As we follow their journey across the beautiful British countryside, we slowly come to realize that it is the journey, not the destination that really matters.
Part road movie, part Bildungsroman, part family drama and part children’s escapade, Arthur Landon’s endearing feature-film debut explores the solid bond between a sister and brother, and celebrates the importance of coming together.
Created from a long-running Dutch comic strip, Pim & Pom are two adorable cats that love getting into mischief. When their doting owner invites her two nieces for a visit, little do Pim & Pom expect that the girls have in mind a different kind of “cat-napping” than they are used to. Will Pim & Pom find their way back to their beloved owner? The musical score and creative animation style make this film one of a kind.
Many films have been made about kids going to extraordinary lengths to avoid school. This stunningly shot documentary (Cesar Award Winner 2014) captures the stories of four children (Kenya, Patagonia, Morocco and India) and their herculean efforts to get TO school. Instinctively, they know that their well-being, and in many ways survival, depend on knowledge and education. This is a film parents might cite the next time their children complain about getting up for school on a Monday morning.
Jackson crosses the Kenyan savannah on foot, heeding his father’s advice, “If the elephants see you, they will kill you! Run away!”; Carlito rides horseback across rocky, scrub-covered plains and rushing rivers; Zahira treks over treacherous Atlas Mountain passes in Morocco with her classmates supporting one another; Samuel depends on his brothers to push his wheelchair over sand dunes and through swamps of southern Bengal. While the breathtaking cinematography reveals the splendor of their homelands, the dangers of these voyages keep you on the edge of your seat. At the heart of this unforgettable film are the children’s resilience and their unstoppable yearning to learn and improve their lives.
GET LOCAL: Family Services Rhode Island: The Walking School Bus
Family Service of Rhode Island’s Walking School Bus provides routes to and from school. The initiative ensures that each child living within a mile of the school, who needs to walk arrives on time and returns home safely, even when a family member is unable to walk with him or her. The Walking School Bus serves Bailey and Fogarty elementary schools in Providence’s South Side neighborhood.To learn more about this program and/or to become a volunteer, click here.