Although Leeds Young Film Festival 2020 has been postponed due to Coronavirus, we want to make sure that you still have the opportunity to watch and discover new films, along with some family favourites.
To help you navigate the world of online streaming we will be suggesting ten films you can watch as a family each Friday, along with where to find them. Some of the films require either a Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+ account but we know most households have at least one of these (and all are offering a free trial before you have to subscribe). We will also ensure that we include some free-to-watch films as well which only requires you to have a TV Licence.
Here are the selections for w/c Friday 15 May.
Animal Farm (All4)
Dirs. Joy Batchelor & John Halas, 1954, UK / USA, 72 mins, Cert U
Based on George Orwell's book, Animal Farm was the first British animated feature film. Partly funded by the CIA, it was created by a company who had made propaganda films throughout the war for the British government.
Unhappy with the way they are being treated by the farmer, a group of animals rebel against him and take over the farm. Initially working together, their revolution is corrupted into tyranny which eventually becomes worse than the human farmer's regime.
The film is an allegory for the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. While not always an easy watch, it remains as relevant today as the day it was written.
Read more on IMDB here.
Labyrinth (Netflix)
Dir. Jim Henson, 1986, USA / UK, 101 mins, Cert U
A much-loved, repeat favourite at LYFF, Labyrinth is a classic fantasy musical from Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, with David Bowie as the iconic Goblin king, Jareth.
Although only receiving a moderate return at the box office it has since become a huge cult favourite with fans of all ages. A sequel has been in discussion for several years but it looks like it may finally be going ahead with Fede Álvarez as director.
After her baby brother is stolen away by goblins, sixteen year-old Sarah must battle her way through the labyrinth to the castle of the goblin king, Jareth, accompanied by a rag-tag bunch of friends she meets along the way.
Read more on IMDB here.
Dragonheart (CH4, Sun 17 May, 1:55pm)
Dir. Rob Cohen, 1996, USA, 103 mins, PG
Loosely based on the Legend of King Arthur, Dragonheart is the tale of a knight who lost his faith and a dragon who is trying to restore his honour.
Tyrannical king Einon hires Bowen, to slay all the dragons in the kingdom after being mortally wounded as a child. Discovering the last dragon, Draco, they team up to destroy the evil king and free the kingdom from his evil grip.
Unusually for a film of this kind Dragonheart paints a beautiful picture of kindness, friendship, love and sacrifice that is uplifting and inspiring.
Read more on IMDB here.
Space Jam (ITV2, Sun 17 May, 2:20pm)
Dir. Joe Pytka, 1996, USA, 88 mins, Cert U
Combining live action and cartoon animation, Space Jam is the fictionalised story of what happened between baseball legend Michael Jordan's initial retirement from the NBA in 1993 and his comeback in 1995. Enlisted by Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes , he helps them win their freedom in a basketball match against the Monstars working for Mr. Swackhammer, the ruthless owner of the intergalactic amusement park Moron Mountain.
A hugebox office success at the time, a sequel starring LeBron James is scheduled for release next year.
Fans of 90's nostalgia should check out the original Space Jam promotional website, which is still exactly as it appeared in 1996.
Read more on IMDB here.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (E4, Sat 16 May, 5:55pm)
Dir. Brad Silberling, 2004, USA / Germany, 108 mins, Cert PG
This adaptation is based on the first three novels of the children's books A Series of Unfortunate Events and stars Jim Carrey as the evil Count Olaf, determined to get his hands on the famliy fortune. Sadly no sequels were made to cover the remaining 10 books although a Netflix TV series which ran for three seasons from 2017-19 did cover the whole of the 13 book narrative.
Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are left orphaned when their house burns down with their parents in it. They are left in the custody of a distant relative, Count Olaf, who only cares about the children for their large inheritance.
Read more on IMDB here.
Frankenweenie (BBC2, Sat 16 May, 11:30am)
Dir. Tim Burton, 2012, USA, 87 mins, Cert PG
Tim Burton returns to the short film he made when he worked at Disney as an animator, expanding the story into a full length feature film, which is also a parody and homage to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
When young Victor's pet dog Sparky is hit by a car, Victor decides to bring him back to life in a macabre experiment. Blackmailed by the other neighbourhood children into reanimating their dead pets and causing mayhem in the town, Victor has to convince the neighbours that despite his appearance, Sparky's still the good loyal friend he's always been.
Frankenweenie was both the first black and white feature film and stop-motion film to be released in IMAX 3D.
Read more on IMDB here.
Zootropolis (Disney+)
Dirs. Byron Howard, Rich Moore & Jared Bush, 2016, USA, 108 mins, Cert PG
Another LYFF favourite the 55th Disney animated feature film, Zootropolis, was a huge box office success earning over $1bn worldwide making it the fourth highest-grossing film of the year.
When Judy Hopps becomes the first rabbit to join the police force she is determined to prove herself. Jumping at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case in which tame animals have reverted to being viscous predators, she is forced to work with Nick Wilde, a wily fox who makes her job even harder.
Known as Zootopia in the USA and several other countries, the name was changed in the UK as there was already an existing line of children's toys called Zootopia, which would have caused licencing issues for Disney.
Read more on IMDB here.
Super Furry Animals (aka Kikoriki: Legend of the Golden Dragon) (Amazon Prime)
Dir. Denis Chernov, 2017, Russia, 79 mins, Cert PG
Previously titled Kikoriki: Legend of the Golden Dragon, this Russian animated action-adventure screened in LYFF 2018 and was followed up with Kikoriki: Deja Vu, which screened at the festival the following year.
The lovably simple residents of peaceful Kikoriki Island are dragged into a madcap adventure packed with plane crashes, mistaken identities, erupting volcanoes and angry primitives on the warpath when their resident scientist invents an amazing device that takes personality traits from one person and swaps them with traits of someone else.
Lots of visual gags and physical humour makes this particularly suitable for very young children.
Read more on IMDB here.
Ready Player One (Amazon Prime)
Dir. Steven Spielberg, 2018, USA / India, 140 mins, Cert 12
Spielberg's adaptation of the famous YA novel takes place in 2045, when much of humanity uses the virtual reality software OASIS to escape the desolation of the real world.
Orphaned teenager Wade Watts finds clues to a hidden game that promises OASIS's ownership to the winner, and he and four allies try to complete it before it falls into the hands of a corporation run by a megalomanical businessman.
For fans of 80s pop culture references click here for a list of ALL the hidden Easter Eggs in the film.
Read more on IMDB here.
Missing Link (Netflix)
Dir. Chris Butler, 2019, Canada / USA, 93 mins, PG
The latest stop-motion film from Laika Studios was a commercial flop and yet received great critical acclaim, an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film - the first non-computer animated film to win. It was due to screen at LYFF 2020 before the event was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Tired of living a solitary life in the Pacific Northwest, Mr Link, who is 8 feet tall and covered in fur, recruits fearless explorer Sir Lionel Frost to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La.
Read more on IMDB here.
