The Bad Guys 2

The Bad Guys 2 (2025)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


It's understandable why there was so much hype leading up to this release. The artwork is incredible and the humor continues very well inline with the original movie, making for a very well done sequel. Secrets, reputations, treasures, and more are on the line as the Bad Guys try to prove they are still good while falling into some unlikely scenarios where their old skills come in more than a little useful. Some new friendships may be strained and put to the test, but this crazy group somehow manages to stay together. The ending is a bit of a surprise, though it plays in well with the rest of the series and leaves enough open that this could end where it is or lead into a new branch of adventure depending on the focus chosen. Even with all the secrets coming out, there may be even more hope than there was in the beginning.

How To Train Your Dragon

How To Train Your Dragon (2025)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is the live action remake of the original animated movie (though that is also based on a book series). The dragons are especially well done, which is good as Toothless remains a pivotal character in the movie. There are definite highlight moments in the movie, and overall it follows the animated movie very closely, making it more enjoyable for fans of the original series. Some of the line changes don't make much sense or are delivered in a very deadpan tone however, which lessens the acting rating in comparison. Still enjoyable and glad we finally watched it, but it won't outrank the animated series in terms of favorites.

The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot (2024)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Based off the book series, this is the most recent DreamWorks masterpiece. Roz is a robot that is very out of place as she finds herself on her own in the wilderness with no knowledge of how she got there or why she is there, and none of the locals seem to like her. Through a series of misfortunes, she slowly gets to know a few brave souls who eventually see something in her aside from the "monster" and give her a chance, especially once she has Brightbill is in her care. With the unlikely help of Fink, a lonely if tricky fox, the trio learns what it means to be part of a family and eventually even something greater as the entire island has more than a few reasons to come together. The ending is especially touching and hopeful, with more than a few lessons mixed into the story if you want them.

Over the Hedge

Over the Hedge (2006)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This was okay, but not a favorite or something that is going to hit the top of the list to rewatch. The critters are an odd mismatched bunch that are both smart and also very gullible at the same time. Add in a couple of humans set out to eliminate them and a rather angry bear and you get a recipe for chaos. Of course there are a few good lessons tossed in as well, but you may need to point them out if you want kids to get it and not focus on the cute and chaos in the rest of the story.

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


Maybe it's a remnant of the Sinbad ride from Tokyo DisneySea, but I couldn't get Sinbad out of my head and realized I hadn't added this to the media list yet, though I know I have certainly watched this one before. This one is DreamWorks' take on the legendary pirate as he faces the goddess Eris to clear his own name and determine just what sort of man he is - the thief and liar everyone says, or the friend who won't abandon his old pal as Prince Proteus believes. Of course it's not a Sinbad movie without a little love interest thrown into the mix, so we have Marina who longs for the sea but is promised to Proteus and works as a diplomat for his father.

The Bad Guys

The Bad Guys (2022)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


Not my favorite, but still a well done and cute show about redemption and the "bad guys" becoming the "good guys". The artwork style is mostly similar here, but with a bit of a comic edge with the lining and some of the freeze frame styles. It's easy to see why this might be a good fall back film for something lighter but still with a good underlying message that is overall enjoyable for the whole family. If you pay attention, there are a lot of references to common children fairytales as well, including the 3 pigs (and pretty much anything where the wolf is the "bad guy" traditional speaking, which is where a lot of the stereotype references come from).

First Flight

First Flight (2006)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a super short story about a tiny fledgling who unexpectedly changes everything for a rather fastidious businessman. There is very little sound as far as dialogue with most of the film being music and expressions with the occasional gasp, laugh, or whistle to punctuate everything. It's rather sweet in a very odd and roundabout way how the businessman takes in this tiny little fledgling that seems to be counting on him and they find a new type of joy in learning how to fly.

Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken

Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken (2023)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ruby is not your average teenage despite always wishing she was and her parent's insistence on staying hidden and safe. All of that changes following an accident when Ruby makes the choice to dive into the ocean to try and save her friend. After hearing her grandmama's story when she and her mother fought against the mermaid queen to save the ocean, you would think Ruby would be a bit more wary learning Chelsea's secret, however, the mermaid plays everything just right to be the innocent friend and confidant Ruby needs and feels like she can't find in her own family. Fortunately, it's not too late, and Ruby's friends prove she really didn't have anything to fear. The whole town really rallies around the krakens as their new mascots after the family saves the day rather publicly, confirming they aren't the monsters and threat the humans thought they were.

Spirit Riding Free: Merry Christmas

Spirit Riding Free: Merry Christmas by Jennifer Fox

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is Lucky's first Christmas out in the country and away from the big city. While it's certainly different, and the ice presents it's own series of dangers and difficulties, it looks like the PALs have a pretty good Christmas after all.

View all my reviews

Spirit Riding Free: Spring Beginnings

Spirit Riding Free: Spring Beginnings by R.J. Cregg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Pru and Abigail get some lessons in etiquette from Lucky and Aunt Cora to get ready for a ball coming up. There's also a mare about to have her foal in Spirit's herd. Of course timing would mean they miss the ball and get their fancy dresses all dirty helping the mare in need. But that also means they get to see and cuddle the newborn foal, which is always a win for this trio. It's a good thing they have Spirit and their own horses on their side, or Smoke still wouldn't have let them anywhere near the mare.

View all my reviews

Spirit Riding Free: Lucky's Class Contest

Spirit Riding Free: Lucky's Class Contest by Jennifer Fox

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Everyone wants to win, and sometimes that brings out the worst in people. Fortunately, Lucky realizes things are going too far. Unfortunately, she's not able to fix things on her own, but her friends also understand she would never intentionally try to sabotage their chances. Good friends are better than any school ribbon.

View all my reviews

DreamWorks Trolls: 5-Minute Stories

DreamWorks Trolls: 5-Minute Stories by Random House

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Most of these stories are repeats from other books, tell the story of the movie, or are more short informative clips rather than a full story. It is a fun and simple collection for small children, but if you're collecting Trolls stories, it will seem very duplicative. As with most Trolls stories, you'll find lots of sparkles and they love playing with the text to make it more artsy, just like Poppy's scrapbook. Stories in this collection include the following: 

Trolls

Dance! Hug! Sing!

Drop the Beat!

Everything That Glitters is Guy!

Out of Branch's Bunker

The Sound of Spring

Happy Troll-O-Ween

View all my reviews

Dinotrux: The Snow Blazers

Dinotrux: The Snow Blazers by Justus Lee

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Another book adaptation of a TV series the kids love. This time featuring Dreamworks' Dinotrux. This story tells how they meet Snowblazer and her rock friend, Herb. The trux are stuck out in the snow and need to "trux it up" to make their way back home.

View all my reviews

DreamWorks Dragons: What Flies Beneath

DreamWorks Dragons: What Flies Beneath by Tina Gallo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The story very closely follows one of the TV series episodes, along with the pictures for the book. It's familiar, but also very simple in how it's written, making it enjoyable for small children. Add in that my kids love the DreamWorks Dragon series, and you have a mix for instant fun. Not a long read, but that's usually a good thing for smaller children.

View all my reviews

The Croods 2: A New Age

The Croods 2: A New Age (2020)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was both predictable and also very strange when it comes to sequels. Almost tried to mix in an old school comic type of story line with the freeze frame text. Everything is narrated additionally with diaries and journals, especially from Guy and Eep. The Bettermans are very easy to hate despite trying to come off as overly friendly, which is not helped even by their name. Their entire setup is basically too ideal and superficial, which is why it falls apart so easily. Of course it wouldn't be your usual family friendly movie if it didn't end up with some sort of happy ending, just with a lot of strange twists along the way.

Dragons: Titan Uprising

Dragons: Titan Uprising (Android)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a lot like other connect 3+ type games like Bejeweled Blitz, Frozen: Free Fall, Sailor Moon Drops, or Disney Tsum Tsum. The difference is that it's for Dragons and also includes hatching and training the dragons to increase their levels for the battles (where the connect 3+ comes into play to charge up their attacks and help defeat the other dragons). While there are many recognizable types and you see the characters from the movies and TV series make appearances to further the story line and give you directions, I have yet to see any recognizable named character as being playable. I'm not sure how big of a hit it'll be yet as I rather quickly ran into the wall of needing to wait to level up my dragons before I could beat levels to continue on the story. My kids are in a major Dragons frenzy however, so they love to play this game with me after school and work are done for the day.

How To Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World

How To Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World (2019)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is both happy and sad, as is common for Dreamworks movies. Hiccup and Toothless are still a great team, but they have some hard choices coming up. Despite needing to maybe relearn to live with their own kind, they still prove that they'll never forget or stop caring about the other. Light Fury is both adorable and aggravating at the same time as she continually leads Toothless away from his previous home.

Dinotrux

Dinotrux (2015)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When I went searching for something to keep my little boy entertained once in awhile, I didn't expect to find something so perfect from a rather big studio. My son adores cars/trucks and dinosaurs, so of course a series named "Dinotrux" combining those two things would be an instant hit. He actually got mad at me the first time I turned it on because he didn't know the name, and then promptly asked for it every day for several months once he'd seen the first episode. I think it's safe to say we found a winner for him.

Trolls: The Beat Goes On

Trolls: The Beat Goes On (2018)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


It's cute, but even more spastic and disjointed than the movie was. Poppy is all over the place. Branch is sort of this odd combination of more open yet still the stoic humdrum. Bridget is even more awkward and open about everything... seems even less like the rest of the Burgens than ever, though Gristle isn't far behind her with the rest of the town somewhere back towards the first movie attitude just minus the eating trolls bit. It's still a rather awkward truce between the two towns with the exception of Bridget and Gristle. Perhaps the only thing more awkward is Branch trying to pretend he's the life of the party while trying to impose all his rules and regulations at the same time.

Trolls: Poppy's Party

Trolls: Poppy's Party by Frank Berrios

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Being a children's book, this is overly simplified, shortened, and only tells the story of Poppy's party. There is no mention of the bergens or how the party ends. You do see Branch, as he is included in the entire party invitation bit, but otherwise everything is just happy-go-lucky and positive in this little short. I guess it fits the title, but not exactly what you might hope for from a Trolls book that so obviously starts out following the movie's story line.

View all my reviews