Kari Wahlgren Movies

The classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale gets a lavish CG makeover as directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno team up to tell the tale of a fair-haired beauty (voiced by Mandy Moore) with long-flowing locks, a gallant hero with a heart of gold, and the evil witch who plots to keep these lovelorn innocents apart. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A group of kids defend their Maine vacation home from knee-high alien invaders in this adventure comedy for the entire family. When Michigan native Bethany Pearson (Ashley Tisdale) arrives home after a secret outing with her boyfriend (Robert Hoffman), her father, Stuart (Kevin Nealon), decides that it's high time for a family vacation. Packing up the car with wife Hannah (Ashley Boettcher), teenage son Tom (Carter Jenkins), and big sister Bethany in tow, Stuart invites the extended family to join them at the vacation home for some much-needed R&R and sets his sights on Maine. Much to Tom's dismay, Bethany's stuck-up boyfriend, Ricky (Hoffman), even manages to wrangle an overnight visit. Shortly after the Pearsons arrive at their sprawling summer home, however, things start to get strange. As dark clouds start to swirl overhead, four glowing objects blast through the sky on a collision course with the Pearsons' roof. But these aren't your typical meteors, because inside dwells tough-talking alien commander Skip, muscle-bound weapons specialist Tazer, lethal female Razor, and geeky four-armed techie Sparks. Before long, the aliens have taken Ricky over via a powerful mind-control device, and announced their intentions to claim Earth for the "Zirkonians." While the adults are completely oblivious to the extraterrestrial threat, the kids fight to save the planet with a little help from Sparks, the alien tech-specialist and one nonhostile invader. John Schultz directs a script penned by British scribe Mark Burton (Wallace & Gromit). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Shrek and Fiona's (Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz, respectively) fairy-tale wedding has gone off without a hitch, yet just as the beaming newlyweds prepare to enjoy their blissful "happily ever after," the sudden death of King Harold (John Cleese) finds everyone's favorite ornery ogre being reluctantly fitted for the royal crown. Troubled to learn that not only will he be compelled to rule Far Far Away, but that he and Fiona are also expecting a little ogre, Shrek determines to track down his new bride's rebellious cousin, Artie (Justin Timberlake) -- the one true heir to the throne -- in order to focus on fatherhood without the added distraction of having to preside over the kingdom. As Shrek sets out with faithful companions Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) to locate the medieval high-school slacker and bring him back to become the reigning sovereign of Far Far Away, handsome snake Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) slithers back to the castle in the company of the dreaded Captain Hook (Ian McShane) to stage a diabolically timed coup and assume control of the throne. Now, as Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots do their best to wrangle up the feisty Artie, Fiona must enlist the aid of fighting princesses Snow White (Amy Poehler), Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri), Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph), and Cinderella (Amy Sedaris) to barricade the castle and fend off Prince Charming's invading army of fairy-tale villains until her beloved husband can return with the cavalry to save the day. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

More TV animation from the folks at DC Comics, The Legion of Super Heroes concerned a group of crimefighters from the 31st century who at the outset of the series traveled backward some 1,000 years to enlist the legendary Superman in their battle against such villains as the Emerald Empress and the Fatal Five. Unfortunately, the futuristic Legion traveled a bit too far back, and thus met Superman when he was still the youthful Clark Kent, as yet unaware of his "Man of Steel" destiny. Despite this setback, the crimefighters whisked Clark to their own time, there to indoctrinate him in the duties and powers of superheroism, and to clue him in as to what his own career had in store for him. Taking their marching orders from the Mission Monitor Board on behalf of the United Planets, the Legion numbered such members as field leader Lightning Lad (aka Garth Ranzz of the planet Winath), who was able to summon up lightning bolts; Saturn Girl (aka Irma Ardeen of the moon of Titan), who practiced telepathy and mind control; Bouncing Boy (aka Chuck Taine of Earth), capable of inflating himself to monstrous proportions; Phantom Girl (aka Tinya Wazzo), a "Princess Leia" type from the extra-dimensional world of Bgztil, who could pass through solid matter; Timber Wolf (aka Brin Londo of the planet Zunn), a "Wolverine"-style lycanthrope; Brainiac 5, the youngest and smartest of the group, whose robotic powers embraced the ability to transform into weapons, vehicles, and the like; and the self-explanatory Triplicate Girl. Though fast action was the order of the day, the series possessed a refreshingly hip, comic slant, typical of the work of main designer and producer James Tucker. Legion of Super Heroes joined the CW's "Kid's WB" Saturday-morning cartoon lineup on September 23, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Katsuhiro Otomo, director of the groundbreaking anime feature Akira (1988), returns with this visually striking fusion of the past and the future. It's the Industrial Age in England, reimagined, and various and sundry inventors and scientists are arriving in Britain to hawk their products while capitalism rears its ugly head. A gadget-happy British lad named Ray (voice of Anna Paquin) receives a mysterious package from his grandfather Lloyd Steam (Patrick Stewart) -- a tiny ball that turns out to be an engine toting immense power. As it happens, several of these little balls run the O'Hara pavilion, a massive, mobile fortress. Ray later discovers that his dad and grandfather are located inside of the pavilion; his dad, Eddie, has become mesmerized by O'Hara and subject to their whims, while Lloyd suspects that O'Hara may want to use the balls for nefarious purposes, and tries to put a definitive end to those plans. Indeed, the O'Hara people soon take over the Great Exhibition and turn it into a veritable circus for weapons dealers. Meanwhile, Ray starts to develop feelings for a young girl named Scarlett O'Hara. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Despite its target audience, the tale of Peter Pan offers a plethora of darker implications ranging from the natural fear of aging and responsibility to discovering sexuality despite the strong inclination to resist all that clashes with youth. A far cry from Steven Spielberg's Hook, director Damion Dietz taps into this seldom seen side of Pan in Neverland. When a seductive Peter Pan (Rick Sparks) and his vocally reluctant sidekick Tinkerbell (Kari Wahlgren) convince adopted siblings Wendy (Melany Bell), Michael (Marcus Reynaga), and John Darling (Wil Wheaton) to join him in Neverland, they had no idea that their destination was a deteriorating amusement park serving as home to scads of confused and startlingly attractive youths. Once there, the Darling family becomes victim to Chief Hook's (Gary Kelley) plot. Obsessed with the youth and beauty of Peter Pan, the disgruntled park maintenance man (Kelley) jumps at the opportunity to kidnap the lost boys after Tinkerbell reveals their location in a drug-induced stupor, realizing that only such an action would prompt a face-off with Peter. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Making its Japanese TV debut on July 3, 2002, the half-hour anime series Witch Hunter Robin was assembled by the prolific cartoon-merchandising combo of Sunrise/Bandai. The premise was predicated on the knowledge that witches still existed in the modern world, with rogue witches being the most deadly and dangerous of the species. The international organization SOLOMON was dedicated to hunting down and destroying these witches, using as its principal weapon a substance called Orbo which contained the witches' evil powers long enough to allow the "good guys" to triumph. The Japanese branch of SOLOMON, known as STNJ, was under the leadership of short-tempered Chief Kosaka. The newest member of this branch was Robin Sena, a girl named for the King of the Witches. Because of her awesome ability to control the element of fire, Robin had been raised in a monastery to keep her protected from the world -- and vice versa. Although a welcome addition to STNJ, Robin has to constantly monitor her powers lest they destroy both herself and her new co-workers. Others on the STNJ team were Robin's partner Amon, whose punkish demeanor kept hidden a number of dark secrets; Doujima, a lazy young lady who landed the job because of family connection; Karasuma, who could sense positive and negative vibes (which came in handy when detecting SEEDS, or potential witch families); Michael, who managed to avoid execution after hacking into STNJ's computer by agreeing to join the organization -- and to remain under "house arrest" all the while; Robin's roommate, Touko; and rookie member Sakaki. Also on hand was Robin's mentor, a mysterious lawyer named Nagira. In America, the 26-episode Witch Hunter Robin was added to Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" schedule on February 16, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi