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 you can watch as a family each Friday, 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 5 June.
Panda and the Magic Serpent (Amazon Prime)
Dir. Taiji Yabushita, 1958, Japan, 79 mins, Cert U
The first colour anime film, also known as The Tale of the White Serpent. A newly restored version was shown at Cannes Film Festival in 2019.
Panda romps through a series of adventures in a land inhabited by a dragon god and a snake possessing mystical powers.
At the time the film pushed Japanese animation technology to the limit. The film was a large scale major project, involving a total of 13,590 staff and yet was completed in only eight months.
Read more on IMDB here.
The Rescuers (Disney+)
Dirs. John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman & Art Stevens, 1977, USA, 78 mins, Cert U
Wonderful family animation from Disney. Sadly not as well known or remembered as some of the other Disney classics and yet is one of their best films with an amazing soundtrack including the classic song Rescue Aid Society.
Bernard and Miss Bianca, two New York City mice, are members of the Rescue Aid Society, an international team that operates beneath the United Nations and comes to the aid of those in need. After receiving word that Penny, a young orphan, has been abducted by the evil Madame Medusa, the two set out to bring her back home.
Read more on IMDB here.
Fly Away Home (Sony Movies, Sat 6 June, 11:20am)
Dir. Carroll Ballard, 1996, USA, 107 mins, Cert U
Anna Paquin took this role shortly after winning her Oscar for The Piano, at only 11 years old. It is loosely based on a true story about a scientist who built a light aircraft to help birds migrate south.
Young Amy moves to Ontario to live with her estranged father after the death of her mother. Unable to find any common ground Amy is miserable until she discovers an abandoned nest of goose eggs. She hatches and raises the goslings until they are fully grown. Her father, an aviation expert, helps her lead the orphaned geese south for the winter.
Read more on IMDB here.
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (5 Star, Sat 6 Jun, 5:35pm)
Dir. Peter Jackson, 2001, New Zealand / USA, 178 mins, Cert PG
The beginning of Peter Jackson's 10 hour plus epic that changed the landscape for blockbuster movies and launched the careers of many actors.
Frodo, a young hobbit from the Shire who has found the One Ring that belongs to the Dark Lord Sauron, begins his journey with eight companions across the magical fantasy world of MIddle Earth to Mount Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.
A new TV series based on J.R.R.Tolkein's saga is currently in production.
Read more on IMDB here.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (ITV2, Sun 7 Jun, 6:45pm)
Dir. Tim Burton, 2005, UK / USA, 115 mins, Cert PG
Tim Burton brings Roald Dahl's fantasy story up to date with a new factory, new songs and Johnny Depp as the eccentric Willy Wonka.
Charlie, a young boy from a poor family, along with four other spoilt kids, win a tour of the amazing chocolate factory run by the strange and reclusive Willy Wonka, and his staff of Oompa-Loompas. Along the way the tour doesn't go as expected and Wonka's true reason for inviting them to the factory is revealed.
Rather than rely on CGI, Burton had 40 real squirrels trained from birth for the scene where they are shelling nuts in The Nut Room.
Read more on IMDB here.
Hotel Transylvania (Netflix)
Dir. Genndy Tartakovsky, 2012, USA, 91 mins, Cert U
There are very few 'horror' movies suitable for young children but Hotel Transylvania is a great introduction to the classic monsters including Dracula, Frankenstein and The Mummy without being too scary.
Dracula, tired of seeing monsters persecuted by humans for centuries, now runs a high class resort where creatures can come and relax. When a human backpacker accidentally stumbles across the hotel and shows affection for his teenage daughter, Dracula becomes over-protective of her and goes to ridiculous lengths to keep them apart.
Read more on IMDB here.
Coco (Disney+)
Dirs. Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina, 2017, USA, 105 mins, Cert PG
Pixar's homage to the Mexican Day of the Dead, Coco won two Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Song, as well as winning Best Animated Feature at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes.
12-year-old aspiring musician Miguel is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead, where he seeks the help of his legendary great-great-grandfather to return him to the living world and to reverse his family's ban on music.
The orange flower seen throughout the film is the Aztec marigold (known also as the Mexican marigold or the Cempasúchil). The flower is used in the tradition of Dia de Muertos in Mexico to guide the deceased to the living.
Read more on IMDB here.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Netflix)
Dir. Jake Kasdan, 2017, USA / India / Canada / UK / Australia / Germany, 119 mins, Cert 12
A brilliant reimagining / sequel to the original 90s film, with the boardgame now updated into a multi-player video game. The film cleverly plays with racial, gender and social stereotypes and demonstrates the comedic abilities of Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Jack Black.
Four high-school kids discover an old video-game console and are drawn into the game's jungle setting, literally becoming the adult avatars they chose. What they discover is that you don't just play Jumanji - you must survive it.
If you look carefully the statues in the jungle set are modeled after the board game pieces in the original film.
Read more on IMDB here.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (ITV, Sun 7 Jun, 7:30pm)
Dir. J.A. Bayona, 2018, USA, 128 mins, Cert 12
The fourth and latest installment of the Jurassic Park saga, directed by J.A. Bayona who directed When A Monster Calls (previously recommended on this list) and who will next be directing the Lord of the Rings TV series.
Three years after the Jurassic World theme park was closed down, Owen and Claire return to Isla Nublar to save the dinosaurs when they learn that a once dormant volcano on the island is active and is threatening to extinguish all life there.
Jurassic World: Dominion, the third film in the new trilogy is due out next year.
Read more on IMDB here.
The House with a Clock in its Walls (Amazon Prime)
Dir. Eli Roth, 2018, USA / Canada / India, 105 mins, Cert 12
Eli Roth gained notoriety making extreme horror movies so it was a surprise when he was chosen to helm this fantasy kids' film based on the series of YA novels written by John Bellairs. He does a fantastic job though and delivers a dark fantasy story akin to Tim Burton's The Home for Peculiar Children.
Ten-year-old Lewis goes to live with his oddball uncle in a creaky old house that contains a mysterious `tick tock' noise. He soon learns that Uncle Jonathan and his feisty neighbour, Mrs Zimmerman, are powerful magicians. When Lewis accidentally awakens the dead, the town's sleepy facade suddenly springs to life, revealing a secret and dangerous world of witches, warlocks and deadly curses.
Famed gothic artist Edward Gorey did the illustrations for the novel that this film is based on.
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.
