animated

‘Swapped’ is a fun family film now on Netflix

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


The new animated film Swapped is filled with adventure, fun characters, combined with a little bit of danger. Ollie (voiced by Michael B. Jordan) is inquisitive and thoughtful. He is a tiny, furry little rodent, called a Pookoo. After a tragedy struck The Valley where the Pookoos and other animals live, Ollie and his family and all the Pookoos, were relegated to a small area underground.

This little fellow is inventive and very curious. That makes him such a fun little guy. On one of his outings above ground, Ollie encounters a young bird and teaches it how to open a pod to get to the food inside. This is the staple food for the Pookoos. Unfortunately, Ollie’s good intentions backfire and soon all the birds, known as Javans, are eating all of the food, leaving the Pookoos close to starvation.

Little Ollie ventures outside again to find a solution to their dilemma. After all, he is responsible for their situation. Unfortunately, he encounters a dangerous situation and falls upon a glowing pod that instantly turns him into a Javan, the arch enemies of the Pookoos. 

Ollie, now in a Javan body, meets Ivy (voiced by Juno Temple), a bossy and outgoing bird. Once Ollie realizes what is going on, he knows the old tale of the Dzo is not fiction. His grandmother told him the tale when he was very young. 

A long time ago the Dzo brought peace and stability to the land by helping all the critters understand each other. Their glowing pods gave the creatures the ability to talk to each other. Then a Firewolf came and brought destruction and separation. That is the world in which Ollie and his fellow Pookoos now live.

Ollie begins a trek to find another glowing pod to turn him back into a Pookoo. Along the way things get a bit turned around. Ivy encounters a glowing pod and accidentally turns into a Pookoo.

Ivy and Ollie befriend a large fish. This is a Boogle (voiced by Tracy Morgan) who has a secret of his own. The trio embark on a journey to locate more glowing pods so Ollie and Ivy can return to their normal bodies. 

This is a wild adventure with some cute characters and an interesting storyline. While there are scenes of danger, the outcome is a happy one for all, as you probably expected. This is a fun family film with adorable characters and an engaging plot.

Swapped is now available to stream on Netflix. It is rated PG for action/peril and some scary images.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites and is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Image supplied courtesy Netflix

‘Little Amélie – or the Character of Rain’ now on Blu-ray

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


Little Amélie or the Character of Rain is a sweet and sensitive story of life through the eyes of one little girl. The animation is pretty and colorful, adding to the enjoyment of this film.

The story begins when Amélie is born. Her parents are Belgian and since her father is a diplomat, they are stationed in Japan. Amélie is their third child.

When she comes home, her brother and sister welcome her, but through her first two years she just doesn’t do anything. After all, what is there to do when you’re one? When she turns two, things change. She grows up and evolves, as do all children.

Amélie struggles. She cries a lot and is a nuisance to the family who are at their wits end. However, this little girl really comes to life and into her own when her grandmother gives her some Belgian chocolate. Chocolate makes everything better. 

The family employs a nanny, Nishio-san, who helps with the housekeeping as well as takes care of the children, mostly Amélie. These two become almost inseparable. As little Amélie and Nishio-san forge a strong bond, their love for each other grows.

Over the next year, Amélie’s view of the world changes as she learns more about life, people, and places. On her third birthday she gets a rude awakening. This is a sad birthday for her, and sad for viewers.

But there is a change that comes and, SPOILER ALERT, things work out for the family and especially for little Amélie.

The movie is a thoughtful representation of life through the eyes and perspective of a little girl. It is beautifully designed and will, in my opinion, be a treasured film families will enjoy over and over again.

The bonus features on this new Blu-ray release give viewers background to the story. The directors talk about how they created all the angles from the low height of Amélie, to give a true representation of what she sees and experiences. There is a little featurette about the characters, and a look at the animation from storyboard to the final cut.

The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film as well as 46 other awards.

PARENTS NEED TO KNOW:

Little Amélie is rated PG for thematic content, peril and brief scary images. While there are some sad situations (the death of her grandmother and two times when she almost dies), the film is a sweet, touching story filled with love, and one little girl who will steal everyone’s heart.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites and is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Check out the upcoming new animated show ‘BAT-FAM’

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


BAT-FAM follows Batman (Luke Wilson), Alfred (James Cromwell), and young Damian Wayne (Yonas Kibreab) – now having taken on the mantle of “Little Batman” – as they welcome a few new residents to Wayne Manor. Joining the family dinner table is Alicia Pennyworth, Alfred’s free-spirited grandniece; Claire, a recently reformed Super-Villain; Ra’s al Ghul, Damian’s adoring “Pap Pap” who also happens to be Batman’s longtime nemesis; and Man-Bat, who takes up residence in the Wayne Manor belfry. This close-knit family of misfits navigate the fun and frustrations of ordinary life while protecting the streets of Gotham City.
 
BAT-FAM premieres November 10, 2025 on Prime Video.

Check out the trailer below.

 

Image courtesy Prime Video

‘Ron’s Gone Wrong’ is a heartfelt story of friendship

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

Ron’s Gone Wrong is an animated story of friendship as well as an inside look at how technology is influencing our lives. The focus of the movie is one lonely little boy who finds his best friend in an artificial intelligent being, but ultimately learns the biggest lesson in life for today’s world. It is that machines cannot take the place of human relationships.

Barney is a middle school student who does not have any friends. Every other child in the school has one of the new B-Bots, which are robots built to be a child’s best friend. All Barney wants for his birthday is his own B-Bot. The only B-Bot his father can find is a beat up bot that has not had its program uploaded. This little fellow has no idea what he is supposed to do, so Barney takes it upon himself to teach the bot how to be his best friend. Ultimately what happens is the bot, whom he named Ron due to his serial number, teaches Barney how to be a best friend.

This story is a comment on today’s world. The inventor of the B-Bots designed them to be a friend and to help children make new friends. The company, however, has other ideas about the bots. By uploading everything about the children, marketing can target specific ads to them. Sound familiar? How many times have you searched for a product or looked at a product online and all of a sudden you get ads for that specific product?

When the bots go crazy in the schoolyard, the situation is compared to “Mad Max meets Sesame Street.” But while the kids are spending all of their time with their own bots, they are missing out on interpersonal skills and relationships. This is something that kids today are facing. Spending all of their time on their phones or tablets is similar to what Barney and his fellow students do with their bots. Who needs people when a bot is your best friend?

The movie is a fun story and the characters of Barney and Ron are heartwarming. Even though Ron is not functioning the way he was supposed to, he teaches the people that friendship is the ultimate goal of their lives. We need each other, and Barney is just the guy to prove that.

Ron’s Gone Wrong is a cute story that will touch hearts of all ages. It is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K, and digital. The movie is rated PG.

 

And look for the plush interactive Ron, your best friend in a box.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association, was a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club, and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

‘My Neighbor Totoro’ 30th Anniversary Blu-ray

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

30 years ago My Neighbor Totoro didn’t wow audiences, but over a short period of time it beame a favorite animated film from Studio Ghibli. The movie’s American voice cast includes Dakota and Elle Fanning who play the two sisters Satsuki and Mei. Other voice cast includes Tim Daly, Pat Carroll, and Lea Salonga.

This is a heartening story of two little girls whose mother is in the hospital. They move from the city to the country with their father while waiting for their mother to get better and return to them. They soon discover a forest spirit that can only be seen by children. Totoro is a big but gentle fellow and comes to the assistance of the girls in their time of need.

While the heart of the story is a bit sad in that the mother is quite ill, the wondrous times the girls have with Totoro is enchanting. The ending is fine so no need to worry about any tears among viewers in your house.

My Neighbor Totoro is the first film from Hayao Miyazaki to be set in Japan. He wanted to take advantage of the Japanese landscape and incorporated it into the film. One of the bonus features in this anniversary edition is a journey to the countryside outside of Tokyo. The areas that are reflected in the film are explored and viewers get to see this part of the country that tourists rarely see or even know about.

Another bonus is a full-length storyboard feature of the film. While this feature might not be exciting to many viewers, it does serve to show how the storyboards were used to create the animated version of this delightful movie.

There is also a look at the voice cast and a little peek behind the scenes as they discuss their roles. It’s fun to see the Fanning sisters (very young at the time) working together to create onscreen sisters.

This anniversary edition also includes a CD disc of the soundtrack from the film. Plus there is a paperback book about the film and the story. It is filled with colorful images from the movie.

My Neighbor Totoro is a whimsical, entertaining, and enchanting story. With fun and delightful characters (look for the cat bus) and a sweet story, this will delight the entire family. And Totoro himself has become the mascot for Studio Ghibli.

My Neighbor Totoro is rated G.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County.

Follow her on Twitter