Although Leeds Young Film Festival 2020 has been postponed due to Coronavirus, we want to make sure that you still have the opportunity to watch and discover new films, along with some family favourites.
To help you navigate the world of online streaming we will be suggesting ten films each Friday that you can watch as a family, along with where to find them. Some of the films require either a Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+ account but we know most households have at least one of these (and all are offering a free trial before you have to subscribe). We will also ensure that we include some free-to-watch films as well which only requires you to have a TV Licence.
Here are the selections for w/c Friday 26 June.
Toy Story (Disney+)
Dir. John Lasseter, 1995, USA, 81 mins, Cert PG
It's hard to believe that it's been 25 years since the first outing of Woody, Buzz and friends. Pixar's first film is unique in so many ways - the first fully computer animated film, the fitrst animated film ever to be nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar and the only animated film in the top 100 best films as listed by Empire magazine.
Having been his owner's favourite toy for years, Woody, an old-fashioned cowboy doll is put out by the arrival of new shiny space toy, Buzz Lightyear. When their rivalry results in them being separated from Andy and the rest of the toys, they must work together to find their way back and ensure they don't become 'lost toys'.
The film required 300 computers to render the animation and, depending on its complexity, each frame took from 45 minutes up to 30 hours to render. There were 114,240 frames of animation in total making up 77 minutes of animation.
Read more on IMDB here.
Shrek (ITV2, Sun 28 Jun, 5:00pm)
Dirs. Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson, 2001, USA, 90 mins, Cert U
Voted one of the best family films, Shrek's popularity is, in part, due to the mix of jokes aimed at both children and adults.
Shrek, an ogre, embarks on a journey with a donkey to rescue Princess Fiona on behalf of the vile Lord Farquuad and regain his swamp, which has been overrun with magical creatures. During the adventure Shrek falls in love with the princess, who is harbouring a secret that will change his life forever.
There have been three direct feature-length sequels, as well as two shorts (available on Netflix) and the spin-off film Puss in Boots (repeated on E4 this weekend). A fifth sequel was announced in 2016 but is currently on hold.
Read more on IMDB here.
13 Going on 30 (ITVBe, Sat 27 Jun, 8:00pm)
Dir. Gary Winick, 2004, USA, 98 mins, Cert 12
There have been many films that portray children becoming adults with hilarious results including Big, Freaky Friday and more recently, Shazam.
On her 13th birthday Jenna Rink wishes that she was older. Miraculously, her wish comes true and the the next day Jenna wakes up 17 years later as a 30-year-old woman.
Jennifer Garner gives a dazzling performance as the high-spirited Jenna and the film will leave you entranced by events that can happen only in the movies.
Read more on IMDB here.
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Netflix)
Dir. Steve Box & Nick Park, 2005, UK / USA, 85 mins, Cert U
Wallace and Gromit return to the screen in their first feature-length episode, in a parody of classic monster movies and the Hammer House of horror films.
When a huge vegetable-ravaging beast destroys the plots right before the Giant Vegetable Competition, Lady Tottington asks Wallace and Gromit, who are running a humane pest-control business called Anti-Pesto, to track the creature and rescue the village. Also on the beast's trail is the nefarious Victor Quartermaine, who'd rather shoot the beast and secure the position of local hero.
The film is still the second-highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time behind Chicken Run, another Aardman film.
Read more on IMDB here.
Big Eyes (Film4, Sun 28 Jun, 5:05pm)
Dir. Tim Burton, 2014, USA / Canada, 106 mins, Cert 12A
Our Tim Burton film recommendation this week sees him move away from his usual arena of dark fantasy films to biographical drama, based on a true story.
The film is about the life of American artist Margaret Keane - famous for painting and drawing portraits of people with big eyes. It follows the story of Margaret and her husband, Walter Keane, who took credit for Margaret's phenomenally successful and popular paintings in the 1950s and 1960s. It follows the lawsuit and trial between Margaret and Walter, after Margaret reveals she is the true artist behind the paintings.
Sales of Margaret Keane paintings soared ahead of the release of the film and small paintings sold for $8,500 a piece. Director Tim Burton owns an extensive collection of her work.
Read more on IMDB here.
Goosebumps (5Star, Sat 27 Jun, 10:00am)
Dir. Rob Letterman, 2015, USA, 103 mins, Cert PG
Based on the hugely successful children's horror book series of the same name, a Goosebumps movie first began development in 1998 with Tim Burton attached as director. Over the years the rights have changed hands many times with the script for this version finally materialising in 2012.
A teenager teams up with the daughter of young adult horror author R. L. Stine after the writer's imaginary demons are set free on the town of Madison, Delaware.
One critic describes the film "as if Nickelodeon produced Cabin in the Woods - but it's a never-boring trip to a world, where stories and imagination are powerful tools, that just might inspire kids to do the scariest thing of all: pick up a book."
Read more on IMDB here.
Hotel Transylvania 2 (Netflix / ITV2, Sat 27 Jun, 5:05pm)
Dir. Genndy Tartakovsky, 2015, USA, 89 mins, Cert PG
Dracula and his daughter Mavis return in this spooky animated comedy sequel set seven years after the original film, which sees the hotel now open to human guests.
Mavis and Johnny now have a young son named Dennis, whose lack of any vampire abilities worries his grandfather Dracula. When Mavis and Johnny go on a visit to Johnny's parents, Drac calls his friends to help him make Dennis a vampire. Soon, things turn upside-down when Drac's old-school human-hating father Vlad unexpectedly visits the hotel.
A third film, Hotel Transylvania: Summer Vacation came out in 2018 and a further fourth installment is due in 2021.
Read more on IMDB here.
Zoo (Amazon Prime)
Dir. Colin McIvor, 2017, UK / Ireland, 97 mins, Cert PG
Zoo is based on a true story set in Ireland during World War II and part of the movie was filmed inside the real Belfast zoo.
As the Belfast Blitz ravages the city, a lonely widow and awkward teenager with misfit friends take an elephant named Buster from the city zoo, and hide it behind their row house.
The real-life Denise died in 1997 and a small stone elephant was placed on her grave in memory of her actions during the Belfast Blitz.
Read more on IMDB here.
A Wrinkle in Time (Disney+)
Dir. Ava DuVernay, 2018, USA, 109 mins, Cert PG
Leeds Young Film has always showcased new films from around the world that are culturally diverse and tell stories from a wealth of different voices. We believe that it is important that young people see themselves represented on screen and recently created the list of Black Lives Matters: Family Films to inform and show positive black representation on screen. As a commitment to continuing to recommend diverse films we're recommending A Wrinkle in Time this week, the Disney film directed by Ava DuVernay (who also directed Selma) and starring a diverse cast including Oprah Winfrey.
Following the discovery of a new form of space travel as well as Meg's father's disappearance, she, her brother, and her friend must join three magical beings - Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which - to travel across the universe to rescue him from a terrible evil.
As an added bonus watch the cast and crew do their 'mannequin challenge' on set during filming in 2016.
Read more on IMDB here.
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (Amazon Prime)
Dirs. Will Becher & Richard Phelan, 2019, UK / France / Belgium / USA, 86 mins, Cert U
Newly arrived on Amazon Prime, this is the second Aardman Animation film to make the recommended list this week alongside Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
When Lu-la, an alien with amazing powers, crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun the Sheep goes on a mission to shepherd the intergalactic visitor home before a sinister organization can capture her.
The film contains lots of in-jokes and references to other sc-fi movies and TV series including The X-Files, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek, Doctor Who, The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Alien, The Jetsons and many more.
Read more on IMDB here.
Repeats
Some of the films that we've recommended on terrestrial TV over the last few weeks are repeated again this weekend. Here's another chance to catch them if you missed them first time round.
