The 2011 Seattle International Film Festival gets underway May 19, offering cinema lovers the chance to view hundreds of new feature length, short and animated films. The festival’s film curators reviewed hundreds of films for the month-long event (movies will be shown in theaters across the Puget Sound) and selected several to receive the SIFF “Family Friendly” stamp. Films in this genre come from as far away as Ethiopia and as close as Seattle – The Film School’s own Rick Stevenson’s The 5000 Days Project: Two Brothers, isn’t necessarily for children but promises to be an eye-opening short film for parents.
From a movie about the man behind the beloved Sesame Street character Elmo to a documentary that sets out to expose the cruelty that young females dish out on each other in schools across the country and the long-term impacts of emotional bullying, this year’s SIFF offers films for every age. With the team from Toy Story and the characters from Winnie-the-Pooh in the line-up, even young children will have a place at this year’s festival.
The following are the film synopsis provided by festival curators along with their age recommendations. In some cases, we at Seattle’s Child have offered a rate based on described content.
We invite you to view and review any of the family-friendly films at SIFF this year and we’ll post appropriate reviews with these synopsis.
Submit your parent review to mailto:cherylmurfin@gmail..com.
Feature-length Films in the Family Friendly Genre:
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
USA, 2011, 85 min.
Everybody loves Elmo, the helium-voiced, eternally 3-and-a-half-year-old monster who has captivated millions of children around the world. Yet the man behind the Muppet, Kevin Clash, wouldn’t be recognized by most people without his furry red companion on his arm.
Filmmakers Constance Marks and Philip Shane reveal Clash’s genius to the world with this inspiring documentary about his remarkable rise as a puppeteering legend. Mesmerized by Captain Kangaroo as a child, Clash dreamed of being a puppeteer. Making his own puppets from household materials (including his dad’s coat lining), he put on shows for the other kids in the Baltimore neighborhood where he grew up.
His talents eventually landed him a spot at Sesame Street, where he performed several characters until, on a fateful day in 1984, he was literally handed the role of a lesser-known character named Elmo. After a few days of experimenting, Clash decided that Elmo’s central theme was “love”—and a new Muppet megastar was born. Using archival footage and interviews from fellow “muppeteers,” Being Elmo is a rare glimpse behind the scenes of this magical world, as well as an emotional reminder about how far you can go when you follow your dreams.
Recommended for ages 8+
A Cat In Paris
France, 2010, 70 min.
How often have cat owners pondered the inscrutable nighttime antics of their feline companions? A Cat In Paris parts the curtains on one such mystery, illuminating the nocturnal escapades of a black cat named Dino.
By day, Dino is a common house cat, companion to the young, lonely Zoe, who hasn’t uttered a word since her father’s recent murder. After dark, Dino scales the rooftops of Paris as the skillful accomplice to Nico, a clever and big-hearted burglar. On one action-filled night, a thrilling adventure involving, jewels, gangsters, and secret identities unfolds.
Will Zoe find her voice and help bring down the nefarious ruffian responsible for her father’s death? Can a cat and a cat burglar somehow foil a criminal plot while avoiding police capture themselves? The answers are in this gorgeously illustrated love letter to Paris from France’s most acclaimed animation studio, Folimage.
In this unique throwback to the traditional art form, every cell of the film has been hand-painted with an exquisite soft palette that mirrors the magic and whimsy of the city of lights. A Cat In Paris will enchant fans of felines, animation, mystery, and adventure young and old.
Recommended for ages 8+ (contains mild language and gangster-related violence).
Circus Dreams
USA, 2011, 82 min.
These aren’t your average group of kids. They are clowns, trapeze artists, jugglers, and other entertainers who have discovered a passion for the circus arts.
In Circus Dreams, that passion finds its true calling at Circus Smirkus, the only traveling youth circus in the US, annually assembling the finest young circus performers for its summer tour. Beginning with unprecedented access into the auditioning process, the film highlights the trials and tribulations of a variety of performers as they perfect their acts and nervously wait for their audition results.
The 27 selected performers spend the summer together training full-time, and will eventually put on 70 performances in 15 towns.Circus Dreams perfectly balances the fun of circus performance with insightful, behind-the-scenes drama and its message that dedication to your passion translates into talent and ambition—no matter what the age. Director Signe Taylor has captured an inspiring portrait of kids who break free of the stereotypes that are assumed by mainstream media and possess the desire to reach for their youthful ambitions. NOTE: See More on This Story for a great opportunity to introduce your kids to circus arts.
Recommended for ages 8+
Finding Kind
USA, 2011, 77 min.
In 2009, Lauren Parsekian and Molly Stroud began traveling across the country on a “Kind Campaign.”
Designed to expose the cruelty that young females deal out on each other, they sought to uncover what really goes on within the “Girl World.” They visited girls at schools, community gatherings, and even talked to adult men and women about their past and present experiences with emotional bullying.
Parsekian, who is also the film’s director, has crafted a film that informs about the female experience, the reality behind this under-examined subject, and its American cultural influences with an effective mix of humorous anecdotes and raw emotion.
Ultimately Finding Kimd succeeds not as an exposé, but as an invitation for self-reflection and awareness that opens viewers to the negative energy of emotional bullying and the reality that we are all affected by it. At a recent viewing by a youth council, the audience concluded with the following statement: “Every girl, boy, teacher, and parent should see this movie.” Finding Kind is a film that exquisitely brings humanity to its subject and undertakes an essential appeal: “We may not all be the same, but we can all be kind.”
Recommended for ages 13+
Kung Fu Panda 2
USA, 2011, 110 min.
In 2008, DreamWorks Animation delighted critics and audiences alike with the creativity of Kung Fu Panda, combining a modern pop-culture delight with the rich cinematic history of martial arts films.
In 2011, Po the Panda (master of comic timing Jack Black) and his fellow Kung Fu Masters, The Furious Five, are back in a new 3D animated adventure, with a sequel that riffs on all the pleasures of the original while charting new territory for its lead.
The Kaboom of Doom, a weapon harnessed by a formidable villain (Gary Oldman, seething with bad guy venom), is poised to wreak havoc on the Valley of Peace by wiping kung fu out of existence, leaving China entirely defenseless. Amidst the inspired fight sequences and jokes about his unheroic physique, Po must dig in to his past to uncover his mysterious origins and find the inner strength he needs to defeat the weapon that could destroy not just his livelihood, but also his home. SIFF audiences will be among the first to celebrate the pleasures of this family-friendly action fantasy.
Recommended for all ages
The Sandman and the Lost Sand of Dreams
Germany, 2010, 81 min.
The Dreamworld is in peril when Habumar, dispenser of nightmares and all-around deviant, steals The Sands of Dreams. The benevolent Sandman sends his trusty sidekick, a sheep named Nepomuk, to the real world to fetch a fearless captain who will assist them in saving the day.
However, Nepomuk accidentally recruits Miko, a sweet and timid little boy who happens to be playing dress-up. Miko transforms into an animated puppet and together they travel to the film’s surreal stop-motion dreamscape to join forces with the Sandman. The trio then sets out on an epic adventure to save Dreamworld amidst a slew of zany characters.
To succeed in helping defeat Habumar and his evil gang, Miko will have to learn to overcome his fears and shyness and embrace the power of dreams. The production of Germany’s first stop-motion animated feature was an incredible feat. Along with a team of more than 350 people, directors Sinem Sakaoglu and Jesper Moller created, on average, 2.5 seconds of animation a day over the course of three years. The result is a meticulously executed, visually spellbinding film that is sure to become a new children’s classic alongside such stop-motion animated masterpieces such as James and the Giant Peach and Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Recommended for all ages
The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical
United Kingdom, 2010, 64 min.
The sprawling opening of The Sound of Mumbai overlays the slums of Mumbai with the effervescent voice of Julie Andrews belting out “The Hills are Alive…” setting the stage for Sarah McCarthy’s exceptional and insightful new documentary.
The Sound of Music has transcended generations and cultures since its premiere, and rarely moreso than in this performance from the Bombay Chamber Orchestra featuring impoverished young performers from Mumbai.
The film jumps immediately into the audition process, giving a spectrum of the young talent that has not had enough chance to shine. Once the cast is selected, director McCarthy focuses on one boy, Ashish, whose family dreams that this opportunity will pull him out of the slums.
Along with the compelling rehearsal drama of producing a musical, The Sound of Mumba also captures the extraordinary way that some people live in India. Perfect for younger audiences, the film celebrates the arts as a means to bring people together, allowing everyone to feel rich and experience the pleasures of life. By the time the music swells and Ashish shares his toothy grin, audiences will bear witness to a phenomenal performance that will brighten even the darkest days.
Recommended for ages 8+
A Thousand Times Stronger
Sweden, 2010, 85 min.
It’s business as usual at this Swedish high school: teachers drone their way through classes, the girls stay within firmly enforced cliques, and the boys rule the roost.
All that changes, however, with the arrival of a new, much-traveled female student named Saga (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s Julia Sporre), whose presence threatens to start a revolution. Before long the classes are buzzing, lunchroom tables are mingling, and the girls are discovering what it’s like to wield the power.
But can Saga’s influence last? Director Peter Schildt’s wry adaptation of Christina Herrström’s novel is a breezy delight, with a real feel for the everyday crises of teenage life, and a keen eye for the way comedy can subtly shift into drama. Narrated (occasionally) by a wallflower student in the process of finding her unique voice, this empowering film takes an affectionate look at today’s teens, with results both bittersweet and hopeful.
Seattle’s Child recommendation 12+
Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation + a Look at Cars 2
USA, 2011, 90 min.
SIFF will host the US premiere of Hawaiian Vacation, a 3D Toy Story short in which Woody and Buzz lead a group of toys in giving Ken and Barbie the Hawaiian vacation of their dreams. However, due to Ken badly miscalculating the travel arrangements, it has to take place in a girl’s bedroom in the Midwest in the middle of winter.
This brand new six-minute short film features the entire original cast of favorite characters from the Toy Story films, and will precede the feature presentation of Cars 2, which hits the track on June 24, 2011, and will be presented in 3D and IMAX® 3D in select theaters.
NOTE: Following Hawaiian Vacation, SIFF will present select clips from Disney-Pixar’s upcoming comedy adventure Cars 2, along with a very special presentation from a member from the film’s production team. It will be a unique experience for the whole family, as the audiences looks behind-the-scenes of a Pixar production and gets a rare personal interaction that will deepen the appreciation of Pixar’s extraordinary animated films.
Recommended for all ages
Winnie The Pooh
USA, 2011, 64 min.
Featuring the timeless charm, wit, and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie from Walt Disney Animation Studios reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga —and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail.
Inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne’s books, Owl sends the gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit, and it turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some honey. Dynamic directing duo Stephen Anderson and Don Hall worked with Veteran Disney animator Burny Mattinson (a key animator on 1974’s Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!) to present Winnie the Pooh in traditional hand-drawn 2D animation with rich, beautifully rendered visual backgrounds.
This new adventure also showcases fresh musical talent: actress and musician Zooey Deschanel (SHE & HIM) provides the vocals for a special rendition of the beloved “Winnie the Pooh” theme song, while Tony® Award-winning songwriter Bobby Lopez and his wife Kristen crafted six new spirited songs for Pooh and his pals. Bring back the magic by returning to the Hundred Acre Wood at SIFF for a family event that will warm everyone’s hearts. Preceded by The Ballad of Nessie (d:Stevie Wermers-Skelton, Kevin Deters, USA 2011, 6 min), a whimsical tale about the friendly Loch Ness monster and her best friend MacQuack the rubber duck.
Recommended for all ages
Short Film in the Family Friendly Genre:
Amazonia
USA, 2010, 5 min.
A little treefrog learns the ways of the forest from a blue-bellied treefrog named Biggy.
The Ballad of Nessie
USA, 2010, 6 min.
Set in the “bonny blue highlands” of Scotland, The Ballad of Nessie is a whimsical and colorful tall tale about the friendly Loch Ness monster, Nessie, and how she and her best friend MacQuack the rubber duck came to live in the moor they now call home. Setting the adventure into motion is a greedy land developer named MacFroogle, who decides to build a mini-golf empire on top of Nessie’s home.
Danny & Annie
USA, 2010, 6 min.
A sweet Brooklyn couple remembers their life together, from first date to final days.
Deaf Not Dumb
United Kingdom, 3 min.
A group of young deaf people have gathered to produce this sensitive and thought-provoking statement.
Don’t Regret
USA, 2009, 3 min.
A poem is vividly brought to life.
DreamGiver
USA, 2011, 7 min.
The Dreamgiver must save an orphan from a bad dream caused by a book in his bedroom.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
USA, 2010, 16 min.
After a violent storm whisks his house away, Mr. Morris Lessmore discovers a magical library to which he devotes his life.
Have We Met?
USA, 2011, 2 min.
An exploration of the moment when three-month-old twins first start to notice each other.
If I Could Do Anything
USA, 2010, 2 min.
What would you do?
Lezare
Ethiopia, 2010, 15 min.
A homeless Ethiopian boy learns a valuable lesson about thinking only for today.
The Little Boy and the Ball
Trinidad and Tobago, 2010, 11 min.
A friend is a friend no matter what.
Mandarin Peel
Australia, 2009, 5 min.
Two girls explore their friendship and the joy of a juicy mandarin in the dry Australian landscape.
New Digs
South Africa, 2010, 2 min.
A little hamster, feeling neglected and unloved, decides to leave his rotten home in search for a better one.
Precise Peter
Germany, 2010, 6 min.
Little Peter finally joins the family dinner table and finds that using utensils is tricky!
Regular Kids
USA, 2010, 13 min.
Unable to go trick-or-treating, a circus family makes Halloween special for their kids.
The Rocket Boy
USA, 2010, 15 min.
Calvin builds a makeshift space rocket that he hopes to use to find his father.
Sabeel
United Arab Emirates, 2010, 20 min.
Two small boys live with their elderly grandmother in the mountains of the UAE, spending their days tending their vegetables and then selling produce on the road.
The Sasquatch and the Girl
USA, 2010, 3 min.
Russell Means shares the legend of the Sasquatch and why he went into hiding.
Snowflakes and Carrots
Canada (Québec), 2010, 4 min.
A little girl steals carrots from all the snowmen she can find.
Sule and the Case of the Tiny Sparks
USA, 2010, 11 min.
A young African girl solicits the help of Sule, a pint-sized detective.
Technicolor Love
USA, 2011, 3 min.
Two animated dreamers wake to the realization that they must find each other.
Temple Rider
Hong Kong, 2010, 13 min.
A young girl discovers a temple which takes her on a journey to discover her own self-confidence.
Trevor
France, 2010, 4 min.
The lights are out and Trevor’s in bed, but he just can’t sleep and the day’s events just keep turning around in his imagination.
Walkin’ On Snow Grass
Japan, 2010, 7 min.
A dormouse wakes from hibernation and finds himself in a snowy wonderland previously undiscovered.
We Wonder, We Create
USA, 2011, 3 min.
Using a variety of styles of animation, elementary school students describe the creative process.
The Yellow Balloon
USA, 2010, 3 min.
A sweet and unique animation about a yellow balloon and its experience on the New York City Subway.
