Reviews

Okay. I feel bad because I actually enjoyed the first movie and was fond of the books as a child. Aside from which, it's a kid's film so I hate to pick on it. But I'm sorry, this sequel feels incredibly downgraded in every aspect.

The story was fine. The voice acting was awful. I don't know if it was the new director that was brought in or the fact that three-fourths of the Alden children were recast, but the delivery and inflections in every line and reaction were so off. Even Joey King, an otherwise fine actress and the only child to reprise her role from the first film (she plays Jessie), also seemed to have some problems delivering her dialogue effectively. To top it off, the actor playing new character Joe spoke with the inflections of a child born in the Nineties (as opposed to a kid living in the postwar Forties). His language wasn't dated as such, but he definitely sounds more like a product of his time, than Joe's time.

Where a major issue lies with me is the character of Benny. I don't recall the original actor being nearly this obnoxious with the role, but in this one the recast actor shouts literally. Every. Single. Word. I half expected everyone to tell him to STFU, although some characters did acknowledge his outright annoying behavior. And yes, the character of Benny is supposed to be rambunctious and spunky, but not to the point where he's this obnoxious. The story and the film are supposed to have a quiet, timeless feel to it, as with the first film, and here we have this kid shouting every single one of his lines and disrupting what are otherwise charming, pleasant, atmospheric scenes.

The animation looks worse too. While the animation in the first was nothing special, the animation in this one is even more horrendous! Just awkward and ugly from beginning to end.

I gave this a slightly higher score because despite these issues, it is still a harmless film that can be enjoyed by young kids and it is a nice story about the Alden kids' summer trip to the family island and introducing new friends and characters. But do not expect much more than that from this movie. If you can keep this in mind and not hold it to such a high standard, you may actually enjoy this sequel a bit.

I clicked on this thinking it was going to be another Foodfight! (after all, the animation is nothing to write home about). Boy, was I pleasantly surprised.

This film, of course, is based on the very first book of the classic Boxcar Children series. Here is the premise: Convinced that their grandfather hates them, four orphan siblings run away and find a boxcar sitting deep in the woods and make it into a home. Eventually, to ensure their survival, the eldest sibling goes into town to find work and begins helping an elderly couple with outdoor chores, and later enters a race for the chance to win a cash prize. The heart of the movie is the bond between the four siblings (Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny) and the things they experience together as a family.

This movie did a wonderful job of keeping the charm and likability of the novel intact. The main characters are all likable and have distinct, relatable personalities. As with 1973's Charlotte's Web, a couple of liberties were taken, but overall, the film remained faithful to the book. I remember smiling when Benny found his cracked pink cup. That's a little touch many would remember from the book, and it is a cute scene.

The voice work is quite good, especially the kids who played the Alden children. An added bonus is the great JK Simmons in the role of the doctor who employs Henry. Not to be outdone, Illeana Douglas as the doctor's wife and Martin Sheen as Grandfather Alden round out the voice cast quite nicely.

It's always a breath of fresh air to find movies like this that are timeless and don't try to modernize our childhood with adult jokes, trendy catchphrases or scatological humor; they just try to tell a great, simple story that's easy to invest in, with characters you find yourself caring about... just as you did when you read these books in your youth. If you did read the books, or at least the first one, and it's a thing of nostalgia for you, you'll definitely like this movie. If not, I'd still recommend giving it a watch anyway, especially if you have little ones. It's not an epic blockbuster; just a sweet little film that deserves more views.