Animation

A pampered Chihuahua accustomed to the living the good life in glamorous Beverly Hills must rein in her heiress instincts and rely on the kindness of strangers in order to find her way back home after becoming hopelessly lost in Mexico. Chloe (voice of Drew Barrymore) is a diamond-clad toy dog who favors traveling in her wealthy owner's purse over frolicking in an open park, and Papi (voice of George Lopez) is the kind of independent pup that she doesn't afford a second glance. When a vacation mishap leaves Chloe stranded in Mexico, the Chihuahua who doesn't speak a lick of Spanish must rely on street-smart German shepherd Delgado (voice of Andy Garcia) to guide her back home before she wanders any further south. Meanwhile, brave Papi races to the border intent on proving his love for Chloe by tracking her down and escorting her home in style. Along the way, Papi is joined by an enthusiastic pack of helpful pooches (voices of Luis Guzman, Plácido Domingo, and Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo) a pair of concerned humans (Piper Perabo and Manolo Cardona), an anxious iguana (voice of Paul Rodriguez), and a crafty rat (voice of Cheech Marin). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and based on children's author Chris Van Allsburg's modern holiday classic of the same name, The Polar Express revolves around Billy (Hayden McFarland), who longs to believe in Santa Claus but finds it quite difficult to do so, what with his family's dogged insistence that all of it, from the North Pole, to the elves, to the man himself, is all just a myth. This all changes, however, on Christmas Eve, when a mysterious train visits Billy in the middle of the night, promising to take him and a group of other lucky children to the North Pole for a visit with Santa. The train's conductor (Tom Hanks) along with the other passengers help turn Billy's crisis in faith into a journey of self-discovery. A long-time fan of Van Allsburg's book, Hanks also helped produce the film. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Directed by Brad Bird, The Incredibles revolves around former high-profile superhero Bob Parr (aka Mr. Incredible), who has not-so-successfully settled into suburban life along with his wife and kids under the watchful eye of the Superhero Protection Program. A far cry from the "glory days" during which "supers" were a welcome addition to society, the Parrs' living situation was brought on after a series of superhero-related lawsuits forced them into hiding. When not trying to fight small-time crime undercover with fellow former superhero Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), Parr (voice by Craig T. Nelson) is muddling through the corporate world as a paunchy, emotionally unsatisfied insurance claims adjuster. His family is like any other with some notable exceptions -- his daughter has the uncanny ability to become invisible and create impenetrable force fields at will; his son, Dash, can run at incredible speeds; his wife, Helen (Holly Hunter), is known in super circles as Elastigirl, one of the most respected (and pliable) superwomen of her time. Just when it looks as if things can't get any worse for Bob, he gets a summons to show up at a remote island to receive instructions for a highly classified assignment, which he promptly accepts. Thrust back into the world of fighting crime, the Incredible family is back in familiar territory -- saving the world from Syndrome, a jilted former fan of Mr. Incredible. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

A group of feisty forest critters awaken following the winter freeze to discover that not only has a new neighborhood cropped up during the cold months, but living in close proximity to humans may have its benefits in this computer-animated comedy-adventure for all ages featuring the voices of Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, Avril Lavigne, Eugene Levy, and William Shatner. Despite Verne the Turtle's (Garry Shandling) initial hesitance to breach the formidable foliage that has appeared on his doorstep since last fall, the arrival of fearless raccoon RJ (Willis) and revelation that their new human neighbors throw out enough food in one day to feed a whole forest lead the gang to consider taking the plunge and exploring the snack-filled suburbs. As Verne and RJ learn to work together in taking on their strange new surroundings, Stella the Skunk (Sykes), Hammy the Squirrel (Carrel), Heather the Opossum (Lavigne), and Heather's father, Ozzie (Shatner), join in on the fun by scavenging for Girl Scout cookies and attempting to scuttle past the pesky new suburbanites undetected. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Eccentric inventor Wallace (voice of Peter Sallis) and his faithful if often perplexed dog Gromit are back in their first feature-length adventure from animator Nick Park. Wallace and Gromit have launched a new business venture just in time for a major gardening competition in their neighborhood of West Wallaby. "Anti-Pesto" is a humane pest-relocation service in which Wallace and Gromit capture rabbits and other critters who have been eating the produce from local gardens and give them new homes somewhere else. Business has been going well, and when the woman hosting the garden show, Lady Tottington (voice of Helena Bonham Carter), discovers a massive tribe of rabbits has been making a mess of her garden, she calls in Wallace and Gromit to move the bunnies elsewhere. Wallace is quite taken with Lady Tottington, but he's not the only one -- Victor Quartermaine (voice of Ralph Fiennes) is a slick but arrogant upper-class type who wants to win Lady Tottington's hand (and fortune) and is convinced he can do a better job capturing the rabbits than Wallace. However, Wallace's attempts to brainwash the rabbits away from veggies using his latest invention has disastrous results, and soon Wallace has to deal with a beastly bunny as well as a heavily-armed Quartermaine. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit followed Park's previous film with the duo, A Close Shave, by ten years, and was produced after Park broke through to mainstream success with the feature Chicken Run. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A domesticated grizzly bear finds that there's more to life than being the star attraction of a mountain town nature show when a fast-talking mule deer offers him a crash course in woodland living in Sony Pictures Animation's first full-length animated feature. Raised by kindly park ranger Beth (Debra Messing) since he was a just a cub, 900-pound grizzly Boog (Martin Lawrence) is content to spend his days entertaining Timberline tourists and his nights nestled safely in Beth's luxurious garage. Boog's life is about to get much more complicated, however, when paranoid hunter Shaw (Gary Sinese) returns from a recent foray in the woods with a frightened, one-horn mule deer named Elliot strapped trophy-like to the hood of his truck. Though at first reluctant to answer Elliot's desperate cries for help, gentle giant Boog eventually frees the thankful creature, who in turn decides to teach his hulking friend what it truly means to be free. Subsequently tranquilized and relocated into the wilderness after momentarily reverting to his true animalistic nature, Boog is forced to team with seasoned forest-dweller Elliot in order to find their way out of the woods before hunting season starts and Shaw comes gunning for all creatures great and small. Things are different in the woods than they were back in the safe confines of park ranger Beth's garage, though, and in order to find their way back to Timberline, Boog and Elliot are going to have to rely on the kindness of their fellow creatures, a rowdy and unruly bunch that includes an army of Scottish squirrels led by rogue critter McSquizzy (Billy Connolly), and a productive beaver construction team whose foreman, Reilly (Jon Faverau), is more than willing to lend a helping tail. With hunting season now upon them and time running out as the hunters close in, the unlikely duo of bear and mule deer put their new life lessons to good use by turning the tables on the gun-toting gamesmen, and once again making the woods safe for the furry critters who call the forest home. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A surfing penguin currently riding the wave of success enters his first professional competition in this computer-animated family-oriented comedy from directors Chris Buck and Ash Brannon. Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf) may be a relative amateur when it comes to hanging ten, but he's sure he has what it takes to surf his way to superstardom. With a little help from his cantankerous King Penguin mentor, ex-surfing legend Big Z (Jeff Bridges), and a little encouragement from star Pen Gu Island lifeguard Lani (Zooey Deschanel), there may be hope for this tuxedo-clad wave twister after all. James Woods, Jane Krakowski, Michael McKean, Jon Heder, Mario Cantone, and Brian Benben all lend their voices to this inspirational tale that proves anything is possible when you put your heart and mind to it. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Manny (Ray Romano), Sid (John Leguizamo), and Diego (Denis Leary) may have made it through the big freeze, but when the ice begins to melt, the heroic trio must warn the other inhabitants of their peaceful valley of the coming flood in directors Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha's sequel to the computer-animated 2002 hit Ice Age. As the ice age winds to an end, the animals of the Earth have taken warmly to the melting paradise that surrounds them. Despite the false comfort of a lush valley teeming with vegetation, however, great danger looms just over the horizon. When Manny, Sid, and Diego realize that the miles of liquefying ice overlooking their valley will soon turn from a gentle trickle to a violent force of nature capable of destroying anything and everything unfortunate enough to be in its path, they quickly set out to spread the word and get their endangered friends out of harm's way. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A young baseball fan sets out on a cross-country quest to recover Babe Ruth's stolen bat and restore his father's good name in a computer animated family adventure that shows you're never too young to be a hero. Yankee Irving (voice of Jake T. Austin) may not be the best base-runner in his neighborhood, but his love of the game is about to lead him on the adventure of a lifetime when a legendary baseball bat is stolen from Yankee stadium on his father's watch. Now determined to get back the bat from the crooked security guard who swiped it (voice of William H. Macy) and place it back in the grip of the best hitter in baseball history, young Yankee is about to find out just what it's really like to walk out on the diamond to the sounds of a thousand cheering fans. Filmed under the title Yankee Irving and originally slated to be directed by the late Christopher Reeve, Everyone's Hero was completed by directors Colin Brady and Dan St. Pierre when Reeve passed away as the result of a heart attack in 2004, and features additional voice work by actors Whoopi Goldberg, Mandy Patinkin, Raven, the late Dana Reeve, Rob Reiner, and Brian Dennehy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

An orphan who dreams of someday finding a family to call his own finds his fate taking an unexpected turn when a mysterious stranger named Wilbur Robinson transports him into the future. Based on the book A Day With Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce, Meet the Robinsons tells the story of a boy with a lifelong wish to belong, and shows what happens when he meets an incredible collection of characters who just might have the power to make his wildest fantasies come true. The film's all-star cast of vocal contributors -- including Angela Bassett, Kelly Ripa, Tom Selleck, Adam West, Steve Zahn, and Laurie Metcalf -- brings the world of the future to life as never before seen on the silver screen. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A young girl walks through a secret door and discovers a parallel reality that is eerily similar to the life she already knows, yet deeply unsettling in a number of ways, in director Henry Selick's animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's international best-seller. Eleven-year-old Coraline Jones (voice of Dakota Fanning) is fearlessly courageous, and perhaps far too adventurous for her own good. Coraline and her parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) have recently relocated to Oregon from Michigan. Bored in her new home since her parents are distracted by work and she has yet to make any new friends, Coraline passes the time by exploring her new neighborhood with an annoying local boy named Wybie Lovat (Robert Bailey Jr.). But after paying a visit to her eccentric neighbors Miss Spink (Jennifer Saunders) and Miss Forcible (Dawn French), a pair of aging British actresses, and crossing paths with the outright weird Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane), the precocious young girl becomes convinced that her new surroundings are just as dull as she'd initially suspected. Shortly thereafter, Coraline discovers a hidden door in her new house, and decides to investigate. Venturing into the eerie passageway inside, Coraline emerges into an alternate version of her own reality. At first glance, this strange new world seems even better than the real thing; there her parents aren't distracted by work, and Coraline is always the center of attention. There's even a mysterious Cat (Keith David) that's fascinated by her every move. But when Coraline's button-eyed Other Mother (also Hatcher) attempts to make her stay permanent, the frightened young girl must summon her resourcefulness and bravery in order to find her way back home and save her real family. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

John Cusack leads an all-star voice cast featuring Jay Leno, Molly Shannon, John Cleese, Jeremy Piven, Steve Buscemi, and Jennifer Coolidge in this computer-animated comedy about a gifted scientist who happens to have been born with a most unfortunate deformity. Igor (voice of Cusack) may have been born with a brilliant mind, but unfortunately everyone around him is too distracted by his pronounced hunchback to notice. Forced to serve as a lowly lab assistant to nefarious scientist Dr. Glickenstein (voice of Cleese), Igor longs for the day he will become a mad scientist, take top prize at the Evil Science Fair, and finally win the heart of village vixen Gretchen. Every year, mad scientists from all of the local villages converge on Malaria to compete in the annual Evil Science Fair -- an event that always features an abundance of death rays, earthquake generators, and man-eating plants. This year, Igor's village manages to take the top prize, too. But despite the fact that his lab receives a substantial government reward, the king confiscates the invention to be used in Malaria's defense program. Unlike the other Igors, this hunchbacked genius longs to change the world in ways his master could have never imagined, and when Dr. Glickenstein dies just two weeks before the latest Evil Science Fair, Igor seizes the opportunity to shine.

Carefully covering up Dr. Glickenstein's death, Igor enlists the aid of angry brain-in-a-jar Brian and insecure re-animated rabbit Scamper to create an enormous, hideous creature of unparalleled strength. Trouble arises, however, when the creature turns out to be a female monster with a heart of gold. Unable to comprehend the concept of evil, the creature believes that Igor has named her "Eva," and longs for the day she will become a respected actress. With the Evil Science Fair fast drawing near, Igor has just two weeks to turn Eva the sweetheart into Evil the rampaging nightmare. Now, in order to win the competition, Igor works tirelessly to convince Eva that the Evil Science Fair is actually an audition for a twisted stage version of Annie, and that in order to win the lead role she must immerse herself in the evil character and never reveal her inner goodness. But as the "rehearsals" get underway, the nosy villagers come snooping around the castle, the malevolent Dr. Schadenfreude schemes to claim Eva as his own, and Igor slowly starts falling in love with his creation while realizing that life as a mad scientist may not be so glamorous after all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A diminutive mouse strives to make a mammoth change in his troubled kingdom in this adaptation of author Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning children's book. A long time ago, in the distant kingdom of Dor, a horrible accident broke the heart of the king, left a beautiful princess crestfallen, and filled the townspeople with despair. As the sun disappeared from the sky and the flowers were drained of color, the laughter slowly ceased in this once-magical land. It was into this darkened world that a tiny mouse named Despereaux Tilling was born, and while this virtuous little rodent may have been short in stature, his bravery was ultimately too big for such a small world to contain. An unlikely hero with oversized ears and a discernible wheeze, Despereaux was taken with tales of chivalry, and longed to one day become a noble figure among his people. Sometimes in order to realize their true destiny, heroes must first experience great hardship, however, and when Despereaux fails to adhere to the rigid rules of his society, he is banished from Dor.

Later, while exploring the outer realms, the lonely Despereaux is joined by a kindhearted rat named Roscuro. Roscuro, too, has been excommunicated from his homeland, and still cannot stand to look into a mirror lest he be reminded of his painful past. Later, as Despereaux embarks on a treacherous quest to rescue the endangered Princess Pea, Roscuro is set down the path of self-destruction after receiving a painful rejection from his highness. Now, on their way to realizing their extraordinary destinies, these two unlikely heroes will face off against the malevolent leader of the sewer rats, who is plotting revenge on humans from his subterranean kingdom; befriend a common serving girl who longs to become princess; and meet a whole host of colorful characters that they will never forget. Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, and Tracey Ullman lead a powerhouse cast in this animated feature produced by Gary Ross and Allison Thomas. Also lending voices to the project are Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, William H. Macy, and Christopher Lloyd. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide