G-rated fun? Spring movies have it covered

Let’s face it, your kids are going to want to see basically every film in that blockbuster category, so expect cries of “Please, Mom, please can I see ‘Indiana Jones?’” But if you want something a little less violent and more fit for the young ones, there are three films this spring that may fill that order, including — hurray — a new Pixar movie called “Wall-E.”

“Wall-E”

Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar

Starring: Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Ben Burtt
Director: Andrew Stanton
Story: A determined little robot named Wall-E (short for Waste Allocation Land Life Earth-Lifter) has spent the last 700 years compacting trash and collecting knickknacks when suddenly he’s visited by a sleek robot named EVE. Wall-E decides to chase her across the galaxy and into a new world.
One to watch? Definitely. Stanton is the man behind “Finding Nemo” and told Ain’t It Cool News that he was inspired by “Star Wars” character R2-D2. “It always felt that was what you got from R2,” Stanton told AICN’s Quint. “A limited vocabulary and you had to translate, and I just knew from day one that’s what I wanted to do with (Wall-E).” Pixar is known for loading up their imaginative, innovative films (“Ratatouille,” “The Incredibles”) with heart, which will make this perfect for the whole family.
Coming: June 27
Web site: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e/

“Nim’s Island”

Fox Walden

Starring: Jodie Foster, Abigail Breslin, Gerard Butler, Alphonso McAuley
Director: Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett
Story: Nim (Breslin) is a little girl who lives on a deserted island with her scientist father (Butler). When he gets lost at sea, Nim sends a letter to her literary hero adventure-writer Alex Rover, who is actually Alexandra (Foster), a woman who is afraid to leave the house. The fictional Rover (also Butler) convinces Alexandra that she must get over her fears and go help Nim.
One to watch? If you’re a kid, yes. This film is based on the popular book by Wendy Orr and seems just right for adventurous little girls and their moms. Breslin’s role almost seems like the tomboy-esque parts that Foster gravitated to as a kid. Breslin told the Los Angeles Times, “I climb, run, swim, and I did sword fighting. …  All the stunt guys called me ‘Nimdiana Jones.’” This marks the debut of husband-and-wife team Levin (“Little Manhattan”) and Flackett. The two also have a history of writing screenplays together (“Wimbledon,” “Madeline”).
Coming: April 4
Web site: http://www.nimsisland.com/

“Kung Fu Panda”

Dreamworks Animation

Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, David Cross
Director: John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
Story: Po the panda (Black) is an out-of-shape kung-fu fanatic whose dream comes true when he gets to train with the furious five — Tigress (Jolie), Crane (Cross), Mantis (Rogen), Viper (Liu) and Monkey (Chan) — under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu (Hoffman). His questionable skills are put to the test when the evil snow leopard Tai Lung (McShane) threatens the Valley of Peace.
One to watch? Maybe on cable. Nobody but Pixar seems to get it — it doesn’t matter whether or not you use a big star’s voice in an animated film. In fact, a familiar voice like Black’s or Jolie’s may ultimately distract from the story. At least the filmmakers know martial arts. Stevenson told the Associated Press, “Everybody on the crew was a big martial-arts movie fan. That was one of the reasons we didn’t want to do a parody, because we actually love those movies. … So we wanted to honor that, not spoof it.”
Coming: June 6
Web site: http://www.kungfupanda.com/

Best of the rest: Art-house dramas OK, so there aren't any additional family films, but spring does offer a bundle of art-house dramas. So if you get a baby sitter, these films might make for a fun night out. — Nora Jones stars with Jude Law and Natalie Portman in Wong Kar Wai’s “My Blueberry Nights,” about a woman who takes a soul-searching journey across the country. (April 4) — Meryl Streep stars in “Dark Matter,” a drama about a Chinese student pursuing a Ph.D. in the U.S. When his dissertation is rejected and he finds himself alone, he explodes in an act of violence. (April 11) — From the director of “The Station Agent” comes “The Visitor,” the story of a disillusioned economics professor (Richard Jenkins) whose life is changed when he finds a young couple living in his apartment. (April 11). — Somewhat like “The Color of Money” with poker, “The Deal” stars Burt Reynolds as an ex-gambler who teaches a college kid about the world of high-stakes poker only to end up competing against him. (April 25) — “Fugitive Pieces” tells the story of a boy’s escape from Poland before World War II, his childhood hiding in Greece and his life as an adult (Stephen Dillane) in Canada. He remains haunted by the death of his family. (May 2) — A group of impersonators — including Diego Luna as Michael Jackson, Samantha Morton as Marylin Monroe and Dennis Lavant as Charlie Chaplin — try to find happiness on a Scottish commune where everyone is famous in “Mister Lonely.”  (May 2) — Ellen Page stars in “The Tracey Fragments” as a 15-year-old girl who goes in search of her missing brother, only to end up naked and wrapped in a shower curtain on the back of a bus. The film is shot in split-screen style. (May 9) — “The Fall” follows the story of a young girl (Catinca Untaru) who, after hurting her arm, meets a bedridden man (Lee Pace) in the hospital who spins wild stories of distant lands that reflect his state of mind. (May 9) — “The Children of Huang Shi” stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers as real-life journalist George Hogg, who, with the assistance of an Australian nurse (Radha Mitchell), saved a group of Chinese orphans during the 1937 Japanese invasion. (May 23) — Julianne Moore stars in “Savage Grace,” a dramatization of the 1972 Barbara Daly Baekeland murder case. Her son, a disappointment to his father, grows close to his mother and the seeds for tragedy are sown.  (May 23) — Colin Firth stars in “When Did You Last See Your Father,” about a man trying to reconcile his relationship with his dad (Jim Broadbent) toward the end of his life. (June 6). — After the death of their father, two sets of half brothers begin a violent feud in “Shotgun Stories.” (June 25)

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