Take the Family to the Movies

When it comes to family movies, there often seems to be a dry spell in theaters during the late winter and early spring. No worries, there’s a great lineup of family movies over the next two months.

• Thor opened this past weekend. This action-packed film is based on the god of thunder who is forced to live among humans on Earth after his arrogance reignites an ancient war in his world. This one is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence.
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides comes out May 20. Johnny Depp again plays Captain Jack Sparrow in the fourth installment of the popular Pirates’ series. This also has a PG-13 rating.
• After the success of Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks couldn't stop at just one. Kung Fu Panda 2 will be out May 26, joining Po with a group of new kung-fu masters.
• X-Men First Class will come to theaters Friday, June 3. This prequel to the original X-Men movie is the fifth in the series and shows Professor X and Magneto before they were arch enemies. This one is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence
• Lovers of the Judy Moody book series will be thrilled to hear that Judy Moody and The NOT Bummer Summer is opening June 10. Third-grader Judy, her brother Stink and their Aunt Opal are all featured in the film.
• Another popular comic book hero, The Green Lantern, hits the big screen June 17. The movie follows a pilot who gains superpowers through a mystical green ring and then joins others charged with keeping peace in the universe.
• Young kids will enjoy Mr. Popper’s Penguins, which is based on a children's book originally published in 1938. Opening June 17, Jim Carrey stars as a house painter who suddenly inherits six penguins and turns his home into a winter wonderland.
• Lightning McQueen is back with new adventures in the computer-animated 3-D film, Cars 2. Disney debuts this sequel to Cars (which was released five years ago!) June 24.

Watch here for more summer movie previews. With July and August bringing Harry Potter, The Smurfs, Spy Kids, a Planet of the Apes movie and more, this truly is a great summer for family flicks. Check out The Internet Movie Database for more information on these movies and other upcoming films.