Young Audiences
Age recommendations and/or ratings are noted but please use your own best judgment — you know yourself and your children best. For relatively unbiased reviews of all types of media and help figuring out what’s appropriate for your kids check out Common Sense Media.
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Two of a Kind and the Give ‘Em a Hand Band
Tickets: $8.50. 4+. 60 min.
- Sat, Feb 4, 2:00 pm
Two of a Kind and the Give ‘em a Hand Band presents an interactive family concert and album-release event, celebrating the release of their 8th CD, “Sing Me Your Story.” Two of a Kind is David & Jenny Heitler-Klevans, an award-winning, nationally-touring husband and wife duo based in the Philadelphia area. David and Jenny will be joined by “The Give ‘em a Hand Band” featuring Chico Huff (bass), Grant MacAvoy (drums), Hope Wesley Harrison (vocals), and David & Jenny’s identical twin sons Ari (French horn, vocals) & Jason (trombone, vocals).
The Secret of Moonacre
Directed by Gabor Csupo. UK. 2008. 8+. 103 min. eOne. Blu ray.
- Sat, Feb 18, 2:00 pm
Based on the book The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge (JK Rowling’s favorite childhood book!). More»
Turtles Can Fly
Directed by Bahman Ghobadi. Iran. 2005. 12+. 98 min. IFC Films. DVD.
- Sat, Feb 25, 2:00 pm
“In the makeshift refugee villages of northern Iraq shortly before 2003′s U.S.-led invasion, parentless children spend their days collecting landmines and awaiting information on the impending war. With no responsible adults to guide or shelter them, the kids—led by a precocious boy named Satellite (Soran Ebrahim), whose skill with technology makes him a vital member of the temporary community—toil and suffer in quiet, resigned to their bleak fate as dispossessed orphans in a land bereft of familial and national unity, and Turtles Can Fly focuses its even-keeled gaze on these lost, physically and emotionally crippled youngsters with understated sympathy. More»
Balloon Freak John Cassidy
Tickets: $8.50. 6+.
- Sat, Mar 3, 2:00 pm
John Cassidy, our most popular kids performer at the Colonial, is an eccentric comedian whose bizarre antics have earned him widespread acclaim as one of the most original and unique performers today. He has also made numerous television appearances having appeared on such popular shows as Live with Regis and Kelly, NBC’s Today Show and Martha Stewart Living and regularly plays Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City and his native Philadelphia. John also holds several Guinness World Records for speed in balloon sculpting. You can learn more about John and check out some amazing videos and photos online at johncassidy.com.
Looney Tunes
6+. Approx. 75 min. 35mm.
- Sat, Mar 10, 2:00 pm
Selected cartoons from the Warner Brothers catalog featuring Bugs Bunny.
Darby O’Gill and the Little People
Directed by Robert Stevenson. US. 1959. 6+. 93 min. Buena Vista. 35mm.
- Sat, Mar 17, 2:00 pm
Albert Sharpe is an Irish caretaker whose tendency to spin the blarney causes no one to believe him when he becomes the guest of the Leprechauns in their underground home. Great special effects create a timeless atmosphere of charm and fantasy. Also starring Sean Connery. (TLA Film & Video Guide 2002-03)
Superman
Directed by Richard Donner. US. 1978. PG. 143 min. WB. 35mm.
- Sat, Mar 24, 2:00 pm
“Superman was an extraordinarily expensive film, and on the whole the money was well spent. Perfect casting and stunning special effects combine to relate the origins of the famous DC Comics here. More»
Shine and the Moonbeams
Tickets: $8.50. 60 min.
- Sat, Mar 31, 2:00 pm
Take five outstanding NYC musicians with eclectic musical tastes and influences, combine their unique perspectives, add a backing band, and witness the result: a soulful, groove-heavy R&B musical extravaganza in a rock and roll package, capturing the sweetness, uncertainty, and simplicity of youth. Shine and the Moonbeams is family music’s first soul band. Shine sings “Wake Up Baby!” on Dan Zanes recent album Little Nut Tree; and Zanes will be releasing Shine’s first album in 2012.
“There was something in the performance touched folks emotionally.” Out with the Kids raved that Shine and the Moonbeams’ songs were “heartfelt, insightful and emotional, with brilliant musicianship to boot.” – Zooglobble More»
Stand By Me
Directed by Rob Reiner. US. 1986. 12+. 89 min. Sony. 35mm.
- Sat, Apr 7, 2:00 pm
“The line between sappy and sweet is a razor-thin one. We’ve all been held hostage by coming-of-age stories that shamelessly cudgel us into sniffling submission. And while they might succeed in making us reach for the Kleenex, we rarely feel good about it afterward. Then there’s a movie like Stand by Me, which gets your tear ducts working honestly. More»
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Directed by Mel Stuart. US. 1971. 8+. 98 min. Warner Bros. 35mm.
- Sat, Apr 14, 2:00 pm
Audiences young and old enjoy this larkish musical/fantasy featuring precocious children and childlike adults. Gene Wilder stars as the eccentric candy maker searching for the child who will inherit his fantastic factory. For a contrarian, but not completely off base, review check out Chuck Bowen’s on SlantMagazine.com.
The Princess Bride
Directed by Rob Reiner. US. 1987. 8+. 98 min. Fox. Blu ray.
- Sat, Apr 21, 2:00 pm
“Writer William Goldman’s love story of a farm boy-turned-swashbuckling hero, the princess he rescues from an arranged marriage, and the friendships and revenges the two encounter along the way recreates the high-flying milieu of a Fairbanks or Flynn adventure yarn, placing it within the narrative frame of a grandfather reading a storybook to his sick grandson. More»
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Directed by Robert Stevenson. US. 1971. G. 117 min. Buena Vista. 35mm.
- Sat, Apr 28, 2:00 pm
“When a mail-order apprentice witch (Angela Lansbury) is saddled with three sibling refugees from London during World War II, the outlook is grim. But the kids soon discover her secret and sign on for adventure in the name of England. With the aid of a magical bed, they track down her fraudulent headmaster (David Tomlinson) to find the spell that will aid the Allies. Fascinated that she has actually achieved results with his lessons, he joins forces. The quintet does battle with corrupt booksellers, animated-lion royalty, and, eventually, invading Germans. More»