Rodents make for good friends. Disturbing, yes, but apparently true. A naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation showed off a kind-of-adorable rat at the premiere of The Nut Job and said while one would not want to cuddle up with a rat roaming the sewers, a domesticated rat actually makes a good pet. Certainly The Nut Job’s rat Buddy is a loyal, supportive, got-your-back friend to Surly the Squirrel, but still, my family won’t be adopting Buddy or any of his friends. Ever.
Our Top 5 Rodent-y Sidekicks:
1. Timon (Nathan Lane), The Lion King. The world was introduced to the magic that is the meerkat with the wisecracking Timon, who taught us all to "hakuna matata."
2. Hammy (Steve Carell), Over the Hedge. Hammy’s every move is a testament to why kids can never catch squirrels. Especially if the squirrel has caffeine.
3. Mort (Andy Richter), the Madagascar movies. King Julien can’t shake Mort, the big-eyed mouse lemur who answers the question: can a creature be simultaneously adorable AND annoying?
4. Simon and Theodore (Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney), Alvin and the Chipmunks. Alvin may get the blame for all the mischief, but let’s be honest, Simon and Theodore are enablers.
5. Rhino (Matt Walton),Bolt. This hamster is such a scene stealer, Disney gave him his own short film.
Here are three movies to see this weekend with your family.
The Nut Job. Hungry animals woefully behind on storing nuts realize one little nut store could feed the whole park. Heist ensues. Great for elementary school-age kids.
Walking with Dinosaurs 3D. The rare movie for really little kids, we watch fantastically animated dinosaurs come to life, play and battle in a way that’s fierce but not scary.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This film may be about a daydreamer, but it applies to screen-addicted kids who loathe to leave their rooms. It demonstrates that the path to enjoying life is to actually do things.
Will kids like these movies? The answer is at KidsPickFlicks.com, where all kids are movie critics.
