A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones

The original legend of the chupacabra paints these mythical creatures as scaly reptilian monsters that drink the blood of livestock - but don’t tell your children that part.

There are positive lessons about bravery, honesty and acceptance, so if your kids are in search of a new dragon adventure, this one’s worth a look. Along the way, they meet an orphan boy named Ben (Freddie Highmore) and encounter some humans who aren’t as malicious as they’ve been told.

But, as the narrator says, “Nothing remains hidden forever.” Enter the young dragon Firedrake (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), who sets off with his forest buddy Sorrell (Felicity Jones) to find a mythical place where dragons can exist freely, without the fear of Nettlebrand or evil humans. A villainous monster called Nettlebrand (voiced by Patrick Stewart) was created to devour innocent dragons, so they all scattered and went into hiding, cast out and unable to do things that dragons do best, like breathe fire. As the movie begins, we’re told that once upon a time, humans and dragons lived in harmony, but the humans became greedy and declared war on all dragons. ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’īased on the Cornelia Funke book “Dragon Rider,” this animated action-adventure tale doesn’t possess the Oscar caliber visuals and storytelling of “How To Train Your Dragon,” but it’ll likely entertain young viewers who love a good dragon tale. It’s a fun, fast-paced action comedy, with Will Arnett voicing the villain Sweet Pete, a scruffy, potbellied Peter Pan who looks like he’s seen better days. The movie, directed by Schaffer, doesn’t take itself too seriously, so there’s a silliness mixed with some more elevated (as elevated as a Lonely Island collaboration can be) humor meant to appeal to parents.

Chip sells insurance and still looks like old-school 2D animation, while Dale has had “C.G.I. They team up with a detective (Kiki Layne) to solve the crime. The plot revolves around Chip (John Mulaney) and Dale (Samberg), who, after being estranged, reunite in Los Angeles because their old friend Monterey Jack (Eric Bana) has been kidnapped. They’ll just be entertained by the visuals.

The hodgepodge style gives children a crash course in how animation has evolved over the years - but they probably won’t realize that. It’s a live-action/computer-generated hybrid that brings in characters from the worlds of Lego, “Peter Pan,” “Sonic the Hedgehog” and more. Disney’s TV show “Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers” ran for only three seasons, from 1989 to 1990, but the comedian Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island collaborator Akiva Schaffer are bringing the odd-couple chipmunks back together for a new generation.

A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones