CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S THE IMMIGRANT

Charlie Chaplin, the best silent comedian and silent actor of all time. He's on top of the other great ones such as Buster Keaton and Harold Lyold. He doesn't just star in his films as his character the Tramp, he also writes and directs his films.  He even does well as an actor in modern films as well ("The Great Dictator" for example). I enjoy him so much that I'm going to review my first Chaplin film...


This film is only 20 minutes long and when I usually review a short film, I review the other short films that the comedian actor was also in that year and post it as one review. Chaplin was in three other short films the year this film came out. However, since this is my first Chaplin film, I feel like this film should stand alone as one review and just be the focus. Don't worry I will, eventually review his other three films made that year, that is if I can find them. Let's not waste anymore time, ON WITH THE REVIEW.

"The Immigrant" is Chaplin's comedic way of showing the arrival of Immigrants through the eyes of his character, the Tramp. The first half of the film is showing the struggle of Immigrants on the boat ride to "The Land Of Liberty", while the other half shows our main character broke and hungry. Throughout the film he has a love interest played by Enda Purviance, who's also struggling with survival in America.

Chaplins portrayal of life on the boat to America at first looked serious. We see Immigrants on a rocky old boat, starving and looking ill, then we see the back of an Immigrant who looks like is throwing up but once he turns his face to the audience, we find out it's the Tramp looking happy and doing something completely different. Once you see him, you know everything's going to be alright. Chaplin uses many clever jokes for the boat ride to America scene, such as the boat rocking back and forth; the gambling that Immigrants secretly did on the ship; and he even makes fun of the Immigrants on the boat.

When we see the tramp arrive in America being broke and hungry, he finds a coin on the street and goes to eat at a restaurant. However, the head waiter played by Eric Campbell, is a huge man who never smiles, beats up people who can't pay the bill and strangely has something on his face which I can't tell if it's make up or a huge unibrow. The Ttramp lost his coin and tries to figure out ways of not getting beat up by this man. This whole restaurant scene is probably the cleverest and funniest not being able to pay the bill scene ever. Chaplin basically uses nearly everything from the book, and the directing and timing for the scene works so well that it's hard not to laugh or smile.

The love between the Chaplin character and the Purviance character is the only amount of seriousness that this film has. Chaplin makes fun of basically all the Immigrants on the boat except for the love interest and her mother. Her mother's ill; she gets pick pocketed by another Immigrant; and becomes just as poor as the tramp. The love between them isn't strong but it works because they're both broke; they're living in an unfamiliar environment; and all they have is each other; the things that the Tramp does for her is so sweet that it brings out that Charlie Chaplin charm.

The film doesn't use too much title cards for what they're saying but it still tells the story and makes the audience understand what's going on. The only problem I see in not using the title cards is they don't really explain too much why an artist out of nowhere is approaching the couple. I'm assuming it's because he wants them to pose for a picture but it's not explained. The cinematography is decent and really helps capture the humor. My favorite shot is when the Immigrants on the boat see the statue of liberty, why, because it brings its "Proud to be an American" feel. 

This film is one of Chaplin's best. The humors clever; the love subplot is charming; and in a way the film has a bit of a historical feel. The only thing I wish to see in the film, is the love being explored more and seeing the Tramp go to Ellis Island to take those Immigrant tests, think about the humorous things that Chaplin can do with it. The version I watched uses music and sound effects and personally I think helped gave the film it's comic atmosphere. It's funny without the sound too but I strongly suggest you look for the sound version to not only breathe in more of the comic atmosphere but to also get the feel of watching a silent film in theaters. If you haven't seen a Chaplin film before, I strongly suggest you start by watching this.

RATING 5/5

DISNEY'S SIMPLY MAD ABOUT THE MOUSE

Disney, an extremely creative company filled with memorable characters; dark and twisted villains; timeless stories; and wonderful animation. One of the biggest reasons why we remember Disney is the songs. The songs are catchy, beautifully written, and give their films such great atmosphere. The only time when their songs stink is when they're usually covered by an artist. Most of the cover versions of Disney songs stink because you either get a crappy pop artist to sing them and butcher the magic out of them; or you get a great artist who doesn't bring the same feeling you get when hear the original. Some artists such as Elton John, Phil Collins and Randy Newman do write the songs for the films and bring the Disney spirit but that's very rare. However there is one video out there where artists and Disney cover songs mix well together and that video is...

This is a video I grew up watching as a kid where I was introduced to great artists while listening to my favorite Disney tunes at the same time. This video is just a complication of Music Videos with no story and with the exception of my review on "Moonwalker", "UHF" and that ugly long 3D film that should just show the Music Video instead having a crappy story “Captain Eo”, this is the first time I'm just reviewing Music Videos. I will be rating each Video individually, so let’s not hold up the magic, ON WITH THE REVIEW...

THE INTRODUCTION

The video opens with a vault door magically opening, which I'm guessing is the Disney Vault. Inside the vault, we see various props, posters, and song sheets from Disney animated films. We then see a drawing of Mickey from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" come to life and make the room come alive by making pictures moving; music notes flying around the room; and song sheets floating. This an extremely cool way to open the video. The music starts out calmly but once Mickey uses his magic the music sounds hip and cool (And not in the annoying and desperate way either). The effects for the things coming alive in the room are impressive but I wish they did more, but hey "What you see is what you get".

Throughout the video as we're going into different Music Videos, we follow a flying music sheet that's flying over scenes and backgrounds of Disney films which is an amazing effect. As we see it flying, we hear the opening to start the next video, and while we're hearing the music being build up to start the next video; we see the song sheet magically show the title of the song. It's one of the best transition scenes I have ever seen.
It’s a great opening to the video, and the transitions to each Music Video is really creative.

RATING 5/5

"WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR" SUNG BY BILLY JOEL


"When you wish upon a star" is Disney's theme song that came from the film "Pinocchio" sung by that loving cricket, Jiminy Cricket. It's a timeless heart warming tune that'll be around forever.




The artist who covers the song is Billy Joel, who has written great songs such as "Still Rock N Roll To Me", "Uptown Girl" and the classic song "Piano Man". He had worked with Disney before, by writing and singing the song "Why Should I Worry" in "Oliver and Company", while also serving as the voice of Dodger. He's a great artist but does he due justice to the song he's covering?

Well as the song opens, he puts a new opening into the song that I thought was cleaver. The opening lyrics is "When a star is born, they receive a gift or two. One of them is this, they have the power to make a dream come true"; and then he starts singing the original lyrics. The song uses a jazzy tune that makes the song just as powerful as the original. The jazzy piano playing and trumpet solo always haunts me every time I hear this song; and Billy Joel puts a lot of energy and heart in his singing and as a result makes the song the greatest Disney cover song in Disney music history. 

The video takes place in an animation studio as we see animator Sam Cornell see a drawing of Billy Joel come to life and show us classic scenes from Disney films. The animated Billy Joel looks beautifully drawn and can be very life like at points. The scenes when he’s walking around scenes from Disney films actually look like he's there. The montages of the scenes from Disney are wonderfully edited together and the scene when he's flying out of the paper is really impressive. I also love the designs they created to give the video it's being an animator feel. In fact, when I watch the video with the song, I feel like the message Billy Joel is trying to give in this video is "The animators are the huge reason why the Disney films are so important and the reason why they do this job is because they have a dream to create all this and see it come alive. Don't just wish upon a star; make your dream happen like this guy (The Animator)". 

It’s a wonderful Music Video and the greatest cover on the song ever.

RATING 5/5

"ZIP A DEE DO DAH" SUNG BY RIC OCAESEK


"Zip A Dee Doh Dah" is another one of Disney's catchiest and timeless songs that's not just one of Disney's best songs but also won the Oscar for "Best Song".





Ric Ocasek from the band "The Cars" sings a cover on this timeless song. Is it as amazing as Billy Joel's cover on "When you wish upon a Star" or is it a failed attempt?


Ric Ocasek turns this timeless melody into a modern rock tune and does it work? It actually does, it doesn't just sound like a modern rock version of the song, it also brings the same magical, relaxing feeling as the original. Ric Ocasek singing is great; the back up vocals is nice; and the guitar riff is cool. The only problem I have with the cover is the background sounds. Some of it has its "Wonderful Day" feel but most of them have a very surreal feel. If you watch the video those sounds match the atmosphere of the video but if you listen to it without the video it feels out of place.

The video is basically just Ric Ocasek singing and walking into scenes from Disney films (Mostly scenes from "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Pastoral Symphony" from "Fantasia"). The special effects just like Billy Joel's music video are outstanding. I really feel like Ric Ocasek's walking around in these scenes singing to the characters he sees. It not just that one of effect, they also uses many different kinds of special such as putting his face on various animated characters; duplicating himself; throwing in added props, and they all work.

It's a very surreal video but everything works. The special effects are great; the cover of the song is rockin; it’s seriously just as amazing as Billy Joel's music video.

RATING 5/5

"WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF?" RAPPED BY LL COOL J


Disney's "The Three Little Pigs" cartoon. A cute cartoon with cute characters; a scary but comedic villain; a story that never gets old; and a song that's as catchy as "Zip A Dee Do Dah".


LL Cool J raps out the story with this memorable tune. Remember when I talked about artists ruining Disney songs with covers, this is one of them. I like LL Cool J but this cover on the song and retelling of the story has to be one of the worst versions ever.

His rapping is so fast that it's hard to understand the story; in fact, he never even finishes the story. The back up vocals for the lyric "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" sounded cool at first but then got so annoying that I wanted to shout "STOP YOU'RE DESTROYING A GREAT SON!". The beat started out nice but then got completely out of tune. The music video felt so rushed and fast paced that it's nothing but break dancing; neon lights; and sexy singing girls, as LL Cool J is posing in every shot. There’s nothing in it that feels as Disney-ish as the last two videos. The only part of the video I liked was the transition to it. It's night time, then the sun comes up in New York City (From "Oliver and Company") and we go to a low part of the city and everything’s in black and white to show how low this part of the city is and the music video itself.

What can I say; it’s a worst cover on a cute song and is a very boring video, that lacks the Disney magic.

RATING 1/5

"I'VE GOT NO STRINGS" SUNG BY THE GIPSY KINGS


"I've got no strings" is Pinocchio's trade mark song that can only be sung by the puppet himself Pinocchio.
 
A Spanish band called "The Gipsy Kings" decided it was time to push Pinocchio out of the way and make the song there's. Do they succeed?

The song is sung in Spanish but it's still very catchy. The rhythm is great; the guitar playing brings it's Spanish feel; and it is sung in nice harmony. The video is just full of animation of Spanish people dancing as the band plays. While it started out nice, it then became so boring that I wanted to stop the video thinking that "I have seen enough".

It’s an interesting video and a good cover; but it all gets boring fast. Pinocchio it still is and always will be your song.

RATING 2/5

"THE BARE NECESSITIES" SUNG BY HARRY CONNICK JR
 

"The Bare Necessities" the catchiest song to come out of "The Jungle Book" on top of "I Wanna Be Like You".


Modern day swing singer Harry Connick Jr. decides to do a cover on the song.  Will this be a good Disney cover like Joel and Ocasek or will it fail like LL Cool J's and The Gipsy Kings?

Harry Connick Jr. makes this song his own but still keeps it true to the original. He mostly uses the same lyrics and the same tune, but puts more swing and jazz into it than the original. This is the best cover of the song I have ever heard and is actually catchier than the original. As a kid I sang "The Bare Necessities" in the tune of Connick Jrs. version than the Baloo and Mowgli version; and you know what, I still do. I mean his singing brings back the swing of the old days; the horns playing in this song are unforgettable; and it gets better every time I hear it.

The music video however, I don't see the connection to the song. It starts out with a party in his mansion but then the Repo Company comes in and takes everything away including his guests. What does this have to do with the song? The only special effects they use in this video are floating bubbles but the effects for them are so cheap that it looks out of place. Harry Connick Jr. throughout the video also looks like he's just posing for the camera instead of singing; in fact, he actually does pose for a brief second towards the end of the video.

The cover is swingin' but the video’s dumb, but with that said, I still found it fun to watch.

RATING 3/5

"THE SIAMESE CAT SONG" SUNG BY BOBBY MCFERRIN


"The Siamese cat song" is the villain song in "Lady and the Tramp". A catchy song even if the design for the cats does look like an Asian stereotype.


Bobby Mcferrin, the guy who told us to "Don't Worry, Be Happy" does a cover on this villain song but sadly fails.

When I hear the song, odd and surreal images are going through my head and the last thing that I think about while hearing it is cats. In fact, the music video is nothing but surreal images and not a single cat is shown. What really give me the creeps about the video are the two separate hands conducting the song, they look really creepy. The special effects for the surreal images are good but to be honest they're really boring.

 This is sadly a Music Video that just depends on special effects, than the song that the artist is singing, and really everything about this video is boring. The cover is boring and the visuals are boring.

RATING 1/5

"KISS THE GIRL" SUNG BY SOUL 2 SOUL
  

"Kiss the girl", a very romantic song and is beautifully written and composed.



Soul 2 Soul did a cover on this song. I hope it still has it's romantic feel.

Soul 2 Soul took away the romance from the song and popped it up. Like most pop covers on Disney songs, they stink and never work. To my surprise this cover actually worked. It's not good, I mean it's missing the romance but it's not bad. The music’s catchy; the harmony's ok; and the singing's nice.
The music video takes place on a small Island and under the sea showing under water scenes from Disney films. The montage of those clips are good especially when you see it through a "View Master", however the scenes when they're in a scene from a Disney film looks like they're in front of a green screen than being actually in the scene. Also the background vocalists coming out of water look just as cheap as the bubbles in Harry Connick Jrs. music video. The lead singer just like most artists in this video looks like she's posing for her looks and beauty. The only part of the video I thought was kind of cool aside from the montages is seeing the musician on the Island change instruments.

While not a good video, it’s not bad either; it’s ok, leaving me with mixed feelings. There’s no romance but the song is still catchy; the effects are cheap, but they’re not horrible either.

RATING 3/5

"A DREAM IS A WISH" SUNG BY MICHAEL BOLTON
 

"A Dream is a wish" is the most powerful song in "Cinderella" that has a very true meaning.


Michael Bolton ends the video by singing a cover on this beautiful song. Will he put as much heart as Cinderella did?

I'm not crazy about Michael Bolton even though I like his voice, but this is a song I get emotional towards when ever I hear it. His singing in this song is so powerful that it really makes the message stand out. The song also has an orchestra to bring its romantic feel. The music video is nothing spectacular; it's just basically seeing him recording his song in the studio in front of the orchestra while romantic clips from Disney films are playing. There are scenes when’s he's standing in front of a background in a Disney film, but you can tell he's in front of a screen. The montage of clips from Disney films are edited together so nicely that it's just touching. There's also a bit of dancing in the video. When they show clips of the Disney Prince and Princess dancing together, you see a live young couple dressed up dancing together. The choreography is nice and the background design is pretty.

Michael Bolton did a powerful job covering the song and the video is very romantic, as well as bringing that Disney spirit.

RATING 5/5

THE ENDING OF THE VIDEO

The flying song sheet goes back into the vault; the magic ends ;and the room where the vault has been turned into a garden ending with a jazzy instrumental of "When You Wish Upon A Star". What a wonderful ending.

RATING 5/5

CONCLUSION

Some of the videos do fail and some of them work.

The videos that completely bombed 

"WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF?" RAPPED BY LL COOL J

"THE SIAMESE CAT SONG" SUNG BY BOBBY MCFERRIN

The videos that did a great cover on the song, but didn't have a good video representing the song.

"I'VE GOT NO STRINGS" SUNG BY THE GIPSY KINGS

"THE BARE NECESSITIES" SUNG BY HARRY CONNICK JR

"KISS THE GIRL" SUNG BY SOUL 2 SOUL

The best videos that did great on both sides of the coin

"WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR" SUNG BY BILLY JOEL

"ZIP A DEE DOH DAH" SUNG BY RIC OCAESEK

"A DREAM IS A WISH" SUNG BY MICHAEL BOLTON

It's defiantly better then that B.S. Disney Mania series and I wish they would release it on DVD someday.

OUR FRIEND MARTIN

 I happened to bump into a film that I haven't seen since the 5th grade and since it's "Black History Month", I thought it would be appropriate to review it to honor one of America's greatest heroes Martin Luther King Jr.. Here's my review on the one hour TV film...




An African American kid named Miles (Voiced by Robert Richard from Nickelodeon's "Cousin Skeeter") is a student who's failing school, but can redeem himself if he gets an A+ on his Martin Luther King Jr. project. He and his friends go on a class field trip to Dr.King's house which has been made into a museum about Dr.King's life. The museum curator, Mrs.Peck (Voiced by Whoopi Goldberg) resets Dr.King's old watch and sends Miles and his friends back in time to key points of Dr.King's life and to an alternate future.

Our main characters throughout the film are ok, but are very forgettable. Miles is the typical character who starts as a cocky, annoying kid and will eventually learn to appreciate what history has done for us, can't be any more predictable then that. I'm sorry, but he's just too predictable and just plays the same old average kid you see in every educational adventure film. The character is boring, his personality is bland and his motivations for time traveling is taken straight out from other time traveling films. There's really nothing new about his character. He has some emotional moments but those scenes are shown very briefly and are at times horribly acted out. His friends are just as boring and predictable as him. His best friend Randy (Voiced by Lucas Black) is the annoying kid who likes to be cool; his project partner Maria (Voiced by Jessica Marie Garcia) is just the typical smartass; and his bully Kyle (Zachary Leigh) is the same old usual undeveloped stereotyped bully who by the way has a running gag that's just desperate for at least one chuckle.

Our main characters are a complete bore but is the supporting cast any good. Well, most of the supporting cast is just a bunch of celebrities that are being paid to make a cameo, however, with the exception of Martin Luther King Jr. there are three characters that show up a lot. Let's start with Whoopi Goldberg's character Mrs. Peck the museum curator. Her character is basically the Miss Frizzle of the story, the one who takes the kids to where the education is. The odd thing about her is for some reason you know she has everything planned out and just by looking at her you also have the feeling that Miles and his friends aren't the first ones to get into this special part of the tour. I also find her a bit mysterious because we don't know her back story or how she got the time traveling watch and when we're in the alternate future we never see her. After all these years of not seeing this movie, she's the only one I remember well and the only celebrity I recognized in this film. Whoopi Goldberg's voice acting is good, her dialogue is well written and she can sometimes sneak in a joke.

The second supporting character Mrs.Clark (Voiced by Susan Sarandon) is just as interesting as Mrs.Peck.  When I first saw her, she spoke to me as the same old teacher we see in almost every educational film. As the film kept getting further, she started showing a personality. The best scenes that show her character are the time traveling scenes. When the kids see the famous "I Have A Dream Speech", we see her as a young teenage hippie showing her love for peace. When we see her in the alternate future, she acts like a person who lost all her spirit and acts like all the people in the alternate time period, but still tries to defend African Americans. Those scenes show what a free spirited person she is and show that she'll always will be defending African Americans for peace. Susan Sarandon's voice acting is great and fits the character.

Our third supporting character is Mile's Mom (Voiced by Angela Bassett). Her performance is just as boring as Miles and his friends. She's forgettable, she isn't interesting, and feels like a thrown in character because we need to show who watches over Miles. However, I did find her performance affecting in the alternate future scene, but at the same time, I felt like it was played out in a very dull way.

As for the rest of the supporting characters they're all memorable and each of them do a great job with their voice acting. Samuel L Jackson as Martin's friend Turner puts a lot of spirit in his character. Danny Glover as the Train Conductor who tells Miles friend to move into the white section of the train, acts very humble, also bringing up the topic, why whites and blacks don't associate in the south. James Earl Jones as Martin Luther's Dad, plays the role very powerful, but for some weird reason reminds me of his character Mufasa from "The Lion King". When young Martin, thought about what his farther has told him in about serving his fellow man and seeing his father's image in the clouds, I was expecting him to say "Remember who you are". Edward Asner as Mr.Harris did an extremely shocking performance in the alternate future scene.  The only characters I didn't like was John Travolta as Kyle's Dad (A character you can run the film without) and Richard Kind as the crazy bus driver (Who is just in the film as an unfunny running gag, and makes you wonder who was dumb enough to give him a license). 

Now that I talked about the characters, let's talk about how they explore the history of Martin Luther King Jr., is it educational and is he shown as a great man like everyone says he is? Let's start when the kids see him as a teenager.  When we see him at age 12 (Voiced by Theodore Borders) he acts like the average African American kid, but he still shows the side of him we're all familiar with. The historic event that the kids enter is the small event (That most of us probably heard when we were first learning about him in elementary school) when he and a couple of white kids play Baseball. The animation for the baseball scenes are drawn out neatly, but sadly put in a few unfunny future jokes. The scene when the mother stops the mixed race kids from playing together, is played exactly how I pictured the game being stopped when I was a kid and let me tell you it's sad to watch, especially when she says the word "Negro".

When we see Martin at the age of 15, he's just as wonderful as he was at the age of 12. They really portray him as a very kind hearted man. This whole sequence when he's with our main characters and his family made me shed a tear drop, it's really a heartwarming scene. Do you know what the shocking part is? Martin's 15 year old self is voiced by Steve Urkel from the show "Family Matters" and he voiced young Dr. King so well that I was shocked when I saw the actor's name on the credits. He doesn't even sound like Urkel at all, can you imagine if he did? So where's the history in this visit? Well, we're not only introduced to Dr.King's Family but we also learn about Martin's schooling and the time of racial segregation shown in shocking documentary footage.

Our next trip is when we see Martin at age 26 (Voiced by Star Trek's very own LeVar Burton). Again, another voice actor who does an amazing job at portraying Martin. This visit shows us when he becomes a reverend and talks about using non-violence as the tool for freedom (Which sends shivers down my spine). The animation in this visit takes a bit of a Ralph Bakshi style by mixing Animation with live action documented footage. When Martin uses Gandhi as an example as a non violent hero, we see Gandhi's image over a house and see African American folks dropping their weapons. What made the mix of animation and live action footage really intense, is when we see the non-violent protest sequence. While we see cops and fireman beat up and arrest non-violent protesters, the scenes cuts back forth from animation to live action documented footage and with those scenes together really makes the scene emotional and hard to watch.

Our last visit in the past is the famous historical event when Martin gives his famous "I Have A Dream Speech". This scene to me is the highlight of the film. We see a lot of effort being put into the animation; the design for the event is amazing; we hear the real sound footage from Martin's speech and they did a tremendous job mixing the live footage from the real speech with the animation. What's also great about the scene is we actually see these boring kids have a bit of development in their character. Aside from using the real sound recording for Martin's speech, they did use a voice actor for when Martin sees the kids before he makes his speech. The guy they got to do the voice is Dr.King's son Dexter King, whose voice really does resemble his fathers.

Our final visit in time is the alternate future when Miles takes 12 year old Martin to the future to not only save him from being assassinated but to also show him how cool his time period is. Unfortunately, everything in his time period has been changed; his friends (Who for some reason are affected by the change when they travel through time, except for Martin and Miles) have changed for the worst and is now a world full of racial hatred because Martin wasn't there to make a stand in the "African American Civil Rights Movement". This whole sequence is basically the "Pottersville" sequence from "It's a Wonderful Life" and to be honest, I think this was one of the best adaptations to that scene from the film next to the alternate timeline with Biff from "Back To The Future Part 2" (Which by the way, the time travel logic in "Back To The Future" really differs with the logic here, and I'm not talking about what they use to time travel) . What makes it shocking is this is how the world was in history and sadly still is in some parts of America to this day. It also shows without Martin Luther King Jr stepping up to the plate America would still probably be what it was decades ago. This part doesn't just show the racial prejudices happening to African Americans, but also shows the racial prejudices happening to other races such as the Spanish and the Jews for example. We even see documented footage of racial segregation, hate signs and symbols as Miles and young Martin walk across the footage in depression. This whole sequence reminds me of all the equal benefits we have today and without them this is what the world would be like. I do question why the friends who time traveled with Miles and Martin have changed, instead of seeing it as an alternate future as well, but the emotion and sadness of what happened to these characters are strong enough to make you overlook this flaw.

I'm not going to tell you how the film ends, but I will tell you it's a bit corny but can be very inspirational to the younger viewers. What I found very emotional at the end is how they portrayed Martin's death. I'm not going to tell you how they did it, but I will say what they did for his death was all they needed to do.

Aside from the lame main characters, horrible jokes, and some useless cameos, the film really does its job of portraying the story of Dr.King. The story is predictable, but still has a great moral and great educational value on Dr.King. The animation is good and mixes extremely well with the live footage. The voice acting for the supporting characters and Martin is acted so well that they don't sound like the actors portraying their voices. This has to be one of the best educational biography films for kids I have ever seen. What I personally think would work better is if they just did an animated bio film on Dr.King's life instead of making it time traveling adventure film. Then again, you do need some kind of bate to make an animated educational film or TV show for kids and to do that you need to have some kind of fantasy adventure, if it's fun and educational that's what counts and believe me it was all that, just bad characters. For elementary school teachers or parents who are reading this review defiantly show the kids this film if you can find it. It's very educational and if Martin were alive to see this film, I'm sure he would be proud.

RATING 4/5