Finding Entertainment Appropriate for Kids – ‘Snow White,’ ‘Monsters vs. Aliens,’ & More

“Finding Entertainment Appropriate for Kids,” or FEAK, runs every Friday and discusses places – mainly the movie theaters – where parents can look to find things for their kids to watch over the weekend.

After the fantastic weekend last week for family movies, this weekend is exactly the opposite. There is exactly one film going into wide release, “Couples Retreat,” and while it’s a totally harmless romantic comedy that isn’t as bad as the commercials make it look, it’s not appropriate for anyone under 13.

So, what to do with the little ones this weekend? Well, there’s always the previous standbys. “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” is a pretty awesome movie for the whole family, the “Toy Story” 3D Double Feature is only playing for another week before going the way of the dodo, and the Lebron James documentary “More Than A Game” expands to several other markets (see a full list of theaters here).

Other than that, it’s a great week to revisit the classics. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was finally give the big time, special edition treatment by Disney DVD this week. And the original Disney animated film has never looked better, especially on Blu-ray. Some of the extras on the DVD include documentaries on a possible sequel that never happened, the animation, a sneak peak of “The Princess and the Frog,” a revolutionary look inside Hyperion Studios called “The One That Started It All” and much more.

In addition to that, last week, one of the most popular animated films of the year, “Monsters vs. Aliens” was released on DVD and your kids will eat it up. It is nowhere near as adult friendly as other animated films this year like “Up” or “Meatballs” but the story of a woman who gets hit with a meteor and becomes a giant, is very kid friendly. She teams up with a bunch of other monsters, such as a blob voiced by Seth Rogen, to battle aliens who want to take over the world and the over the top hijinks ensue. You might be bored, but your kids won’t be.

Finally, this weekend (Friday at 8pm on Disney Channel) also marks the season premiere of the Emmy winning Disney show “Wizards of Waverly Place.” This is by far one of the best, and most popular, shows on TV for the entire family. I’m curious to see how that film incorporates the fantastic movie that aired earlier this summer. My guess: it won’t.

Next week, we’ll be back to discuss “Where the Wild Things Are.”