Tara Strong Movies

Hurricane Norman hits Quahog, destroying much of the neighborhood. The Drunken Clam, which has been the hangout of Peter (voice of Seth MacFarlane) and his friends for years, is spared, but they're aghast to learn that it's been sold and turned into a British pub. Peter returns home to complain to Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) about the "lousy, limey, tea-sucking British bastards," only to find that the pub's new owner (and his new neighbor), Nigel, has dropped by for a visit. He even has a little daughter, Eliza (voice of Tara Strong), who quickly becomes an irritant to Stewie (MacFarlane) with her strong Cockney accent. "Maybe you and your friends can find somewhere else to act like idiots," Lois suggests to Peter. After an abortive visit to The Cherry Pit, which turns out to be a lesbian bar, the boys decide, as Peter puts it, "to fight the British and drive them back to whatever country they came from." Inspired by the revolutionary colonists of old, they go to Quahog Harbor and dump the pub's ale supply into the ocean. Later that night, the pub is burned down, and a drunken Peter can't account for his actions. Soon, he and his friends are thrown in jail, where Joe (voice of Patrick Warburton) runs into a vicious criminal he helped put away. Lois and the other wives soon realize that Nigel himself was responsible for the fire, and set out to bring him to justice. Meanwhile, Stewie is teaching Eliza proper English. In the original broadcast, FOX cut out a scene at the pub, in which Peter is told that in Britain, "fag" means "cigarette" and responds by referring to one of the pub's patrons as a "cigarette." ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Master animation director Hayao Miyazaki follows up on his record-breaking 1997 opus Princess Mononoke with this surreal Alice in Wonderland-like tale about a lost little girl. The film opens with ten-year-old Chihiro riding along during a family outing as her father races through remote country roads. When they come upon a blocked tunnel, her parents decide to have a look around -- even though Chihiro finds the place very creepy. When they pass through the tunnel, they discover an abandoned amusement park. As Chihiro's bad vibes continue, her parents discover an empty eatery that smells of fresh food. After her mother and father help themselves to some tasty purloined morsels, they turn into giant pigs. Chihiro understandably freaks out and flees. She learns that this very weird place, where all sorts of bizarre gods and monsters reside, is a holiday resort for the supernatural after their exhausting tour of duty in the human world. Soon after befriending a boy named Haku, Chihiro learns the rules of the land: one, she must work , as laziness of any kind is not tolerated; and two, she must take on the new moniker of Sen. If she forgets her real name, Haku tells her, then she will never be permitted to leave. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Most of the 16 episodes seen in season two of The Fairly OddParents consist of two short segments per half hour. This year's exceptions include the Yuletide special "Christmas Every Day" (originally telecast a few months before the season proper began in March of 2002) and the Halloween outing "Scary Godparents." Among the misadventures experienced by ten-year-old Timmy Turner and his eccentric wish-granting fairy godparents Wanda and Cosmo are: "Boys in the Band," in which Timmy's terrifying babysitter Vicky kidnaps pop star Chip Skylark (voiced by *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick); "Boy Toy," which finds Timmy collaborating with his "Crimson Chin" action figure to foil Vicky's equally odious kid sister Tootie; "Action Packed," the episode that asks the question, "What if real life were one long action movie?"; "Timvisible," in which Timmy is rendered invisible to avoid Francis the Bully -- and nearly loses out on a much-coveted school award as a result; and "That Old Black Magic," pitting Wanda and Cosmo against the dreaded Anti-Fairies who erect the Fountain of Bad Luck on Friday the 13th. Other second season highlights: Timmy is turned into a fairy and Cosmo and Wanda are rendered "normal" in "A Mile in My Shoes; Timmy's parents morph into superheroes in "Mighty Mom and Dyno Dad"; our hero stands in for an ailing John Hancock at the 1776 Declaration signing in "Twistory"; April Fool, Fairyworld's leading standup comic ("What's up with that??"), wreaks havoc in the real world in "Fool's Day Out"; vapid boy-band singer Chip Skylark meets his match in equally airheaded Skip Sparkypants in "Shiny Teeth"; Wanda goes the Ferris Bueller route in "Wanda's Day Out"; and the series' familiar characters assume new roles in the old frontier in "Odd, Odd West." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The most adorable little superheroines in all of Townsville make the jump to the big screen in this feature-length animated adventure based on the popular Cartoon Network series The Powerpuff Girls. Brilliant scientist Professor Utonium (voice of Tom Kane) is performing an experiment in his lab when Jojo, a monkey trained to assist the professor, accidentally drops a bottle of hyper-powerful Chemical X into a mixture of sugar, spice, and everything nice. To the professor's surprise, what should emerge from the subsequent chemical reaction but three little girls: bright and practical Blossom (voice of Cathy Cavadini), sweet and sunny Bubbles (voice of Tara Strong), and tomboyish Buttercup (voice of Elizabeth Daily). Professor Utonium discovers that the girls have remarkable powers and super-human strength, and he hopes they'll be able to improve life in the crime-infected City of Townsville. However, after their first day at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten with Ms. Keane (voice of Jennifer Hale), the girls learn that having super powers can be both a blessing and a curse. Rejected by their classmates and quite unhappy, the girls are easily swayed when Mojo Jojo (voice of Roger L. Jackson), a superintelligent monkey in a turban, asks them to help him with a campaign to save the city. What the girls don't know is that Mojo Jojo is actually the monkey who once assisted the Professor; now he's embraced evil and hopes to use the Powerpuff Girls as part of his criminal scheme to wrestle control of Townsville away from the dense but well-meaning Mayor (voice of Tom Kenny). The Powerpuff Girls Movie was directed and co-written by Craig McCracken, who created the original television show as well as writing most of the episodes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A freewheeling animated spoof of the "hard-boiled private eye" school of fiction, Fillmore revolves around the adventures of seventh grader Cornelius Fillmore, a safety monitor in an extremely accident-prone middle school. Under the guidance of safety chief Vellejo, and with the help of sidekick Ingrid Third, Fillmore wages endless war against those who would despoil the sacred walls of learning with graffiti, or who would leave oil-soaked rags in the vicinity of matches, or who would operate a baseball-card black market threatening the financial well-being of his fellow students. As in most cartoon series of the era, this one abounds in pop-culture spoofs, notably a Silence of the Lambs takeoff involving a grafitti artist who'd been sentenced to permanent detention. Created by Scott Gimple of Disney's Pepper Ann fame, Fillmore joined the ABC Saturday-morning lineup on September 14, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two of the most popular animated series on the children's cable network Nickelodeon get wrapped up in one big-screen package in this comedy-adventure, featuring the characters from Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. Drew and Didi Pickles (voices of Michael Bell and Melanie Chartoff) decide to take a special vacation with their children, Tommy (voice of Elizabeth Daily) and Angelica (voice of Cheryl Chase), with their friends (both grown-ups and toddlers) coming along for the ride. However, the ship Drew has chartered isn't especially seaworthy, and their party ends up stranded on an uncharted island in the Pacific. The kids figure the day is saved when they discover that famous explorer and television personality Sir Nigel Tornberry (voice of Tim Curry) is also on the island with his family, but after he gets a world-class knock on the head from a coconut, Nigel's upper intellectual register gets knocked out of commission. The Rugrats are then forced to turn to Nigel's daughter, Eliza (voice of Lacey Chabert), who not only knows the wilds, but can talk to animals, which comes as quite a surprise to Spike (voice of Bruce Willis), the Pickles' family pooch. Rugrats Go Wild also features the voice talents of LL Cool J, Cree Summer, Nancy Cartwright, Jack Riley, and Flea. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Part of the Animatrix series of animated shorts set in the universe of the Wachowski brothers' The Matrix, Final Flight of the Osiris comes from Andy Jones, the animation director on Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Beginning with a playful sparring session with erotic undertones, the film tells the story of the last moments of the crew of the hovercraft The Osiris. When the crew spots a group of Sentinals approaching, it's a race against time to contact their brethren in the last city of Zion (via the Matrix) before the machines attack their ship. Kevin Michael Richardson and Pamela Segall are among those who provide voices. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

This 3D-animation children's series was staged in flashback form, as an elderly pig regaled his grandchildren with stories of his youth on the Raloo Farm in Ireland. Among the many friends of young Piggley Winks were Wiley the Sheep (his voice provided by the legendary Mel Brooks), Dannan the Duck, and Ferny the Bull. The object of the series was to teach the kids at home how to find creative solutions to problems, and to respect the wisdom of their elders. These were driven home on each episode with a live epilogue featuring soccer star Cobi Jones. Its title derived from the leading character's favorite slang expression, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks was first seen over the PBS network on September 7, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Of the 17 half-hour episodes produced for season three of The Fairly OddParents, most contain two short, self-contained segments per show. This year's exceptions include the season opener, "Information Stupor Highway"; the Valentine's day show "Love Struck"; and "The Secret Origin of Denzel Crocker," the life story of the nasty teacher who is obsessed with proving that ten-year-old Timmy Turner has a pair of winged fairy godparents named Wanda and Cosmo. (Which, of course, Timmy does!) Highlights of the third season include "Movie Magic," in which Timmy wishes to be transformed into an "auteur" to impress the haughty Trixie Tang; "Most Wanted Wish," illustrates the perils of wanting to be "wanted"; "This is Your Wish," with Cosmo's magical mom wreaking havoc; "Engine Blocked," wherein Timmy is transformed into his dad's sportscar; and "Beddy Bye," featuring the voice of Jackie Mason as the Sandman, who is so mad he could plotz when Timmy wishes for a world without sleep. Also: Timmy uses an enchanted microphone to expose the evil of his babysitter Vicky in "Microphony"; comic book superhero The Crimson Chin (voiced by Jay Leno) is pitted against his liquidy adversary H2Olga in "Crime Wave"; Timmy's wish for complete silence backfires when he can't warn Dimmsdale of an approaching meteor in "Pipe Down!"; a Darth Vader action figure is not only brought to life, but repulsively replicated by a magic copying machine in "Hard Copy"; and Timmy's neighbors face the dual threat of an avalanche and the Abominable Snowman in "Snow Bound." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Teen Titans--Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire--continue to save the world from various and sundry super-baddies, and to squabble amongst themselves like the overgrown kids that they are, in the second season of the cartoon series bearing their name. In the first of the season's 13 episodes, Starfire is hurtled two decades into the future in pursuit of time-travelling felon Warp--and comes face to face with Robin's "older self" Nightwing. And that's only the beginning, folks, only the beginning! The Titans mistake Beast Boy for a green alien dog, and vice versa. The half-human side of Cyborg clashes with his half-robot side durng a battle with giant robot Atlas. The world of horror films collides with reality (or at least, cartoon reality) when Titans Tower becomes the repository of the Teen Titans' worst fears. The deadly criminal Killer Moth threatens to decimate the city-- unless Robin agrees to escort the Moth's daughter Kitten to her prom! The moment Starfire begins obsessing over her looks, her looks turn around and nearly destroy her. The Master of Games pits the current Teen Titans against several of their comic-book predecessors in an alternate dimension. And Robin comes to regret a visit from his "number one fan" Larry the Titan. There's also a poignant--and ultimately terrifying--plot thread involving Terra, a strange, telekinetic girl who wants to join the Titans, but may not yet have full control over her awesome (and potentially apocalyptic) powers. Terra is given the opportunity to prove her mettle Titans' arch-enemy Slade--and later, Terra and Beast Boy become an "item". Alas, the relationship sours in a spectacular fashion, as demonstrated in the season's slam-bang two-part finale, which proves beyond doubt that Hell hate no fury like a Terra scorned! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The initial season of the animated reality-show spoof Drawn Together consists of eight episodes, each one savagely parodying the clichés and stereotypes of both the "reality" and "cartoon" genres within the context of several washed-up animated celebrities forced to live together under the same roof. In the opening episode, "Hot Tub," Disneyesque Princess Clara manages to lay a racist slur upon Hanna-Barbera-esque Foxxy Love, while video-game hero Xandir reveals himself to be a closet gay. In "Clara's Dirty Little Secret," it is revealed that the titular heroine has been cursed by her wicked stepmother to suffer from tentacled monster living in her -- uh -- privates. Xandir finally comes out in "Gay Bash," while foulmouthed prankster Spanky Ham exploits the Pokémon-derived Ling-Ling. Bitchy Betty Boop sound-alike Toot Braunstein grows more obese than ever, stiff-necked Captain Hero finds out that he enjoys bondage, and the SpongeBob-ish Wooldor Sockbat is bullied into helping Spanky capture Princess Clara's timid woodland friends in "Requiem for a Reality Show." Next, "The Other Cousin" finds Clara's well-named relative Bleh paying a visit. In "Terms of Endearment," Captain Hero's X-ray vision gives Foxxy a brain tumor. The whimsical Spanky finally goes too far when he takes a dump on a pizza in "Dirty Pranking Number 2." And in the finale, subtly titled "The One Wherein There Is a Big Twist," Drawn Together meets The Apprentice as Machiavellian billionaire Bucky Bucks plays one roommate against the other. Through the season are sprinkled innumerable "inside" references to cartoon history, a plethora of gratuitous sex gags, and even guest appearances by the likes of Elmer Fudd and Snagglepuss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fighting a never-ending battle against the forces of evil--and their own immaturities, insecurities and petty jealousies--Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire return for a third season of the animated Teen Titans. In the season opener, Cyborg, disguised as a muscleman named Stone, infiltrates the H.IV.E. Academy, breeding ground for the evil Slade's minions. The mission succeeds in utterly decimating H.I.V.E. , a victory that may prove Pyrrhic when several surviving academy members mount an undersea counteract against the Titans in a later episode which features "guest hero" Aqualad. Elsewhere: Robin must battle his alter ego Red X, and his own guilt for making Red X the crazy mixed-up character he has become. Starfire surprises everyone when she announces plans to marry a man she's never met. Beast Boy's obsession with computer games causes Cyborg to be infected with a virus that causes him to berserk--and later in the season, Beast Boy experience another personality makeover when he's drenched in toxic waste. The Titans' long-dead enemy Slade apparently returns to life--or is it merely Robin's delirium that has brought about this unholy resurrection? Raven a rendezvous with a magician she frees from one of her books; and later,the less benign illusionist the Amazing Mumbo sucks the Titans into alternate world reminiscent of the Krofft Brothers' Lidsville! Retro villain Mad Mod returns to crash the Titans' 4th of July party and hurtle the U.S. back into the British Empire. And the Titan's unofficial pet Silkie the silkworm, introduced the previous season, turns out to be one of those domestic creatures that becomes more unmanageable (and more dangerous) when it's off its feed. The two-part season finale marks the formation of a new team, Titans East, comprised of DC Comics veterans Speedy and Aqualad, and Spanish twins Mas Y Menos; alas, their crimefighting activities are severely curtailed after a brainwashing session with the sinister Brother Blood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide