In case you missed it, Universal released "Trolls World Tour" for a $19.99 digital rental last weekend, the first major Hollywood movie to pivot its planned theatrical release straight to streaming during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. The sequel to the 2016 musically motivated animated film, featuring the voices of Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, received generally positive reviews, and if you're looking for a special occasion movie night for the little ones, this is just the ticket. The first "Trolls" is available on Amazon for a $1.99 rental too. At least the colorful and trippy animated movies feature a pretty great pop soundtrack.
For kids with culinary interests, the family film "Abe" hits On Demand and Digital this Friday. Noah Schnapp of "Stranger Things" stars as the 12-year-old Abe, who grapples with his identity through his passion for cooking, which he shares on a food blog. Seeking to reconcile his Israeli-Jewish and Palestinian heritage, Abe goes on a self-guided journey exploring fusion food in his native Brooklyn, learning the ropes of the kitchen from a Brazilian chef named Chico (played by Brazilian musician Seu Jorge, of "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou"). This Sundance Kids selection is directed by Fernando Grostein Andrade, and it's a sweet coming-of-age cultural exploration through the lens of food.
If food and cooking sparks some interest in your young ones, there are more options along those lines. There's of course the Disney animated classic about a young rat, Remy, who wants to be a chef, "Ratatouille" (on Disney+ and $2.99 on Amazon/YouTube), or the more fantastical "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" and its sequel, both $2.99 on Amazon and YouTube.
It could also be an opportune moment to check out "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." Both the 1971 version, with Gene Wilder in the Willy Wonka role, and the 2005 version ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") with Johnny Depp as the wacky confectioner, are available to rent on Amazon/iTunes/YouTube for $3.99.
For older kids who may be curious about exploring the food world in more depth, there are two great documentaries on Hulu teens and tweens may want to check out: "Chef Flynn," about a wunderkind teen chef (beware, there is some salty language, as is to be expected in any restaurant kitchen), and "The Biggest Little Farm," about a couple's journey to establish Apricot Lane Farms, a biodiverse farm just north of Los Angeles.
For those parents looking for some free streaming entertainment for kids, the website Tubi (tubitv.com, app also available on Roku/Apple TV) has a lot of offbeat options. There's a whole kids section helpfully divided up into categories like Horses and Ponies, Dinosaurs & Dragons, Games and Sports, Friendly Monsters, and Anime For All, so there's something for every kid.
They also have a ton of throwback fare like classic '80s cartoons: "G.I. Joe," "Transformers" and "Inspector Gadget," and even "Casper and Wendy" cartoons from 1962. They also have the '90s "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" series starring Melissa Joan Hart, and super weird retro movie selections like "Mac and Me," "The Dirt Bike Kid" and 1983's "BMX Bandits" starring Nicole Kidman (her second film role), and bizarrely, the 1987 Sylvester Stallone arm-wrestling movie "Over the Top." Another curious find is the 1965 British spy series "Thunderbirds," filmed entirely with puppets, and the inspiration for 2004's political satire "Team America: World Police" by Matt Parker and Trey Stone. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone if you're trolling the kids section on Tubi for your own entertainment.
