Hayden Panettiere Movies

John Lasseter, director of Pixar's movie phenomenon Toy Story, has set new standards in computer animation with this effort, another Disney-released children's epic entitled A Bug's Life. Blending classic Disney storytelling characters and the mysterious underground world of bugs, Lasseter has created a film that can be enjoyed by all audiences, and another franchise in the process. A Bug's Life is a computerized retelling of the Aesop fable The Ant and the Grasshopper, made as a cartoon-short by the one-and-only, Walt Disney, in the mid-'30s. However, A Bug's Life has modernized the story with many new twists and celebrity voices. The story focuses on a colony of ants who seasonally gather food for themselves and a wild gang of rowdy grasshoppers. When bumbling worker ant Flik (David Foley) destroys the food supply, the angry grasshoppers, lead by the maniacally warped Hopper (Kevin Spacey), threaten to kill the ants if they don't produce a new supply of food by the time they return -- an impossible feat. Flik leaves the anthill in search of help in the form of bigger bugs, and to wage war against the grasshoppers. What he doesn't know is he has actually discovered a group of down-on-their-luck traveling circus insects in need of a job. When the ants realize that their heroes are really circus performers (and the circus bugs realize these grasshoppers are really big and mean), the situation goes from bad to worse. Ultimately, the ants use their large numbers to overcome the grasshoppers. ~ Chris Gore, All Movie Guide

The second direct-to-video sequel of the hit teen cheerleading film Bring It On, Bring It On: All or Nothing concerns one Britney Allen, who must make new friends when her rich family moves into less desirable environs. She attempts to make the cheerleading squad of her new school, but butts heads with the popular, manipulative girl who is the captain of the troupe. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Walt Disney Pictures redefined computer animation with this technically accomplished fantasy of prehistoric life, combining live-action backgrounds with computer-generated animals. After a pterodactyl snatches a dinosaur's egg and accidentally drops it while flying away, the egg is rescued by a family of lemurs, who keep it warm until it hatches. They raise the baby dinosaur, named Aladar, as one of their own, and as he grows to adulthood, Aladar protects the primates that he has come to regard as his family. When a giant meteor appears in the sky, packs of dinosaurs have no idea what to make of the strange fiery light, but Aladar and the lemurs are convinced that they must escape to a safer place before the huge flaming stone destroys their home, leading Aladar to encounter his own kind for the first time. D.B. Sweeney provides the voice of Aladar; other actors in the voice cast include Joan Plowright, Julianna Margulies, Alfre Woodard, and Ossie Davis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The NBC series' first season begins with the origin stories of several lonely, disconnected people who learn they're destined to become superheroes. At the center of the unfolding tale is Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia), a nurse haunted by cryptic dreams who believes he's meant to do great things with his life. Peter tries to convince his politico brother Nathan (Adrian Pasdar), who is running for the U.S. Senate, that something strange is happening to both of them, but Nathan is adamant about maintaining a low profile and keeping his personal life out of the press. Meanwhile, a Texas cheerleader (Hayden Panettiere) discovers she's completely indestructible, but she's in for an even bigger shock when she realizes her family is hiding a dark secret. Over in Los Angeles, a beat cop (Greg Grunberg) develops the ability to read minds, and an Internet stripper (Ali Larter) begins to manifest a murderous alternate personality. And in Tokyo, bored cubicle drone Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) is desperate for the kind of adventures found in comic books and Star Trek. (In a sly in-joke, Hiro's father shows up later in the season and is portrayed by Star Trek alum George Takei.) Hiro's wish is miraculously granted when he develops the ability to travel through time and space, teleporting himself instantly from a Tokyo subway to Times Square. But Hiro's elation quickly turns to fear when he witnesses a nuclear explosion lay waste to New York City. Upon teleporting home, he realizes he's just seen a glimpse of a catastrophe that will happen in a few weeks unless he can stop it. Heroes from across the globe gradually meet up and form alliances as they try to prevent the nuclear attack and fight back against a shadowy, superpowered serial killer known as Sylar (Zachary Quinto), who is able to murder the would-be superheroes and steal their abilities in the process. ~ Jack Rodgers, All Movie Guide

When a geeky high-school valedictorian throws caution to the wind by expressing his love for a popular cheerleader during his graduation speech, life finally starts to get interesting in this coming-of-age comedy adapted from the book by journalist/author/screenwriter Larry Doyle. Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) may have brains to spare; it's guts that he lacks -- or at least, he did until today. Stepping up to the podium to deliver an inspirational speech to his graduating class, Denis decides that the time has finally come to call out his classmates on their peccadilloes and declare his love for the prettiest girl in school -- Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere). Much to Denis' surprise, Beth responds by accepting an invitation to a party at his house later that day. But Beth's meathead boyfriend, Kevin (Shawn Roberts), is none-too-pleased that his high school prize is mingling with the biggest dweeb in school, and when Kevin shows up at his house and tears the place apart in a fit of rage, Denis, his best friend Rich (Jack Carpenter), Beth, and her friends Cammy (Lauren London) and Treece (Lauren Storm) all pile into Beth's car and flee for their lives. For four long years Denis sat silently behind Beth in class, pining for a way to make his love known. Now, over the course of one long night, Denis will finally get to know the girl of his dreams better than he ever thought possible. If he manages to survive until morning, it's sure to be the story of a lifetime. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Following their television series Home Improvement and the features The Santa Clause (1994) and Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), the actor/director team of Tim Allen and John Pasquin collaborate once again on this high-concept comedy. Allen stars as Joe Scheffer, a nice guy video specialist for a Minneapolis pharmaceutical company who's plodding through both his thankless job and an unhappy divorce from his ex-wife Callie (Kelly Lynch). When Joe brings his daughter Natalie (Hayden Panettiere) to the office with him on Take Our Kids to Work Day, he's humiliated in a spat with company bully Mark McKinney (Patrick Warburton) over a parking space. It's the last straw for the mild-mannered Joe, who challenges McKinney to a rematch, hires a has-been action movie star (Jim Belushi) to instruct him in martial arts, and pays a stylist to make over his wardrobe and hair. As Joe's image improves and the big day approaches, he finds his new self-respecting stance has positive effects in both the workplace, as he lands a long-overdue promotion, and in his romantic life, as both Callie and a cute "wellness coordinator" (Julie Bowen) start warming up to him. The levelheaded Natalie, however, seems to prefer the previously non-confrontational dad she already loved. Joe Somebody (2001) is the feature debut of screenwriter John Scott Shepherd, who actually worked as a corporate filmmaker in Minneapolis. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Rather surprisingly inspired by a true story, this made-for-cable movie stars Joely Richardson as Laren Sims, a career con artist who jumps probation and takes it on the lam with her long-suffering young daughter, Haylei (Hayden Panettiere). Using a stolen car and stolen credit cards, Laren ends up in Las Vegas, where she manages to persuade wealthy lawyer and horseman Lucas Mckenzie (Colm Feore) into marriage. Careful not to reveal her sordid past to her new husband, Laren insists to the doubting Haylei (who has been violently opposed to the marriage from the start) that she intends to turn over a new leaf -- and further, that all of her past crimes were committed out of love for her daughter! The trail of lies begins to unravel when Laren's previous life comes back to haunt her, leading inexorably to murder. Lies My Mother Told Me premiered March 7, 2005, on the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide