Tara Strong Movies

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

A team of "sub-zero heroes" band together to save a human infant in this digitally animated feature from Oscar-winning director Chris Wedge, whose unique lighting software (called "Ray Tracing") sets his visual style apart from earlier CGI efforts. Twenty thousand years ago, the Earth is overrun by freezing temperatures in an Ice Age that is sending all manner of critters scattering in the path of encroaching glaciers. When a lost human infant is discovered, an unlikely quartet of misfits forms to return it to its mother: Manny, a depressed woolly mammoth (Ray Romano); Sid, a fast-talking sloth (John Leguizamo); an acorn-crazed squirrel named Scrat (Wedge); and the devilish saber-toothed tiger named Diego (Denis Leary). Before they can complete their mission, the reluctant compatriots will brave pits of boiling lava, dangerous caverns of ice, and even a traitorous plot within their midst. Ice Age (2002) also features the voices of Jack Black, Jane Krakowski, and Goran Visnjic. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

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