Penguins of Madagascar, Big Hero Six, Earth to Echo, and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (all 2014)

“Penguins of Madagascar”  … I saw it to take my niece and nephew out. Ehh. Have you seen the “Madagascar” films from DreamWorks? The zoo animals who ditched the Bronx for Africa? Pretty funny, the first one. Since then? Yawn. Snooze. Get me out. This fourth entry and add-on to a TV series focuses on sidekick comic-relief characters of wise-ass penguins who muck about in the Marx Brothers vein. New Yorker humor abounds. This is their origin tale. Cause we need that. The Penguins join a MI6 type group led by wolf Benedict Cumberbatch to take down power-mad octopus John Malkovich and we get jokes that play on actor names: “Nicholas, Cage them!” and “Helen, hunt them down!,” and oh my God, an hour in I pled for it to end, and it would not, and my nephew and niece loved it and I Give Up! C- 

Meanwhile, Disney, with no small help from Pixar, has CGI animated film “Big Hero Six,” based on a new-to-me Marvel comic for youngsters that pings “Scooby Doo” with boots, capes and robots. Our lead hero is Hero (Ryan Potter), a teen living with his aunt and older brother in a futuristic mashup of San Francisco and Tokyo. Hero is a budding roboticist with a punk-rebel streak who graduated high school at 13 and takes on college at 14 after a minor scrape with the law for amusing back-alley robot fights, only to suffer a devastating personal loss. Brother dies in a fire. Ouch. With the help of a cute puffy robot nurse named Baymax –- who looks like Shmoo on steroids and full of air and built by the dead older sibling -– Hero investigates the fire and finds himself a super villain right out of a four-color comic book. The simple story aims young with some edgy humor (there’s a stoner kid who’s far more a stoner than ever was Shaggy) but its charms are strong and its “Stargate” references worthy of fan-fiction tribute. B

Speaking of childish films, “Earth to Echo” is a fast-paced, found-footage jumpy cam version of “E.T.” meets “Goonies” as a group of school kid pals find a robotic alien near their housing development. The one their being forced out of. (That was the kick-off of “Goonies,” recall?) Using iPhones and video cameras to record their every moment to save Echo -– he’s metallic, bur cute, chirping, and a bit void of personality -– the kids run up against Big Brother villains, find a female pal along the way, and in a funny moment, find the cool older brother asleep in a bathtub as a party. They take his car. Harmless and sweet, I think my young self would have grooved to the film’s adventure. Even if the stomach and brain of my current body fell camera seasick. One of the boys, Reese Hartwig, eerily reminds me of a school friend. B

Another flick I took the niece and nephew to is “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” the third and apparently final entry in the comedy-adventure series with Ben Stiller –- he once long ago of grungy grown-up films -– as a guard at the New York Museum of Natural History. You know the drill, right? Sun goes down, the exhibits come alive, Easter Island head, dinosaur, Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), and cowboy (Owen Wilson) included, all mucking about, making “education” fun. And action packed. Here, the magical stone that powers our heroes is dying, and Stiller must zip away to London’s history museum to save the day. Why? Um, up ticket sales in Europe? It’s only mildly funny, despite a great M.C. Escher gag that plays like a classic 1980s A-Ha video and a cameo from a winking X-Man. Dan Stevens (“Downtown Abbey”) impresses as Lancelot. Williams? My heart breaks again. RIP. B-

The Croods (2013)

In “The Croods,” Dreamworks’ sticks a Griswald-like family in the Stone Age, cave people still moping around with no fire and staring helpless as the land mass known as Pangaea breaks apart to form what we now recognize as Earth. (Try explaining this to your 4-year-old.) Plot: Ignorant dad (Nicolas Cage) is scared of all things new, while teen daughter Eep (Emma Stone) is ready to explore and push pop’s rules off a cliff. So, yes, it’s “Brave” B.C., with the inevitable scene where grumpy dad admits he’s wrong, and spunky kid is right. A genre staple as old as cave drawings, for sure. We’ll see it again. But even “Croods” cannot carry its story to the finish, switching midway from Eep’s perspective to the father’s. (It’s all so beware-climate-change liberal heavy-handed, even I blanched.) Much of the animation surprises, though: Prehistoric pets are imagined outside the box and will delight children and adults, and a gag involving early photography got this shutterbug laughing. The rest: Forgettable. C+

Turbo (2013)

“Turbo” must have started from a resentful marketing meeting at Dreamworks, one where all the writers, animators, and ad guys took a resentful look at Pixar’s much-celebrated filmography and figured, “Let’s mash some shit up.” So “Turbo” is a “A Bug’s Life” crossed with “Cars,” the tale of a lonely garden snail (Ryan Reynolds, in voice, not a costume, silly) who dreams the life of a race car driver before an accident – he’s doused with nitrogen oxide from a hot rod -- makes him as fast as a lightning bolt. And it’s off to the races for him, his Debbie Downer brother (Paul Giamatti) on his tail, literal and figurative. Along the way, our snail boys meet up with two Hispanic taco vendor brothers (Michael Pena and Luis Guzman) who share a mirrored relationship, one dreaming big, the other always ready to down every hope. Let it be clear: I love that a major animated film stars American immigrant characters, but, really, taco vendors? Taco vendors?!? OK. Breathe. My nephew loved it. Does my Debbie Downer take matter? Well, yeah. The animation and voice talent (Giamatti!!) hit big, but this tale is as predictable as left turn, left turn… B

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)

Who knew Dreamworks’ animated adventure-comedy "Madagascar" (2005) would churn out two sequels and a cartoon series? The first movie was solid fun as four Central Park Zoo animals -– a lion (Ben Stiller), a zebra (Chris Rock), a giraffe (David Schwimmer) and a hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) -– and a pack of penguins made a break for freedom and ended up in, well, Madagascar. The sequel was a cash-grab mess. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" is marginally better as our heroes make a break for, well, Europe, as a means to get back to NYC. They join a circus train and bring on the wrath of a rabid animal control officer (Frances McDormand). The animation veers from wildly imaginative (Rome!) to a 3D gonzo neon acid trip for children too young to know the meaning of acid trip. As with most Dreamworks works, the movie relies on sight gags, but the creators trash their best idea: A tiger who can jump through a wedding band. McDormand’s villain is a hoot, yes, but the sight of her taking a saw to the hero lion’s neck veers close to Daniel Pearl territory. B-

Puss in Boots (2011)

Antonia Banderas as Puss in Boots was the best gag in the latter “Shrek” films, boring affairs that smelled of hastened scripts and all eyes on boosted 4Qs at Dreamworks. Luckily, the stand-alone film of “Puss in Boots” – the Latin Lover kitty stars, with no ogres or talking donkeys about – stands on his own four legs despite the studio curse of all jokes and flimsy story. Puss teams with Humpty Dumpty to score the golden goose from “Jack and the Beanstalk” fame. Salma Hayek voices a femme fatale, and Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris play a redneck Jack and Jill. A flashback is dull, Jack and Jill are after-thoughts, and Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) is a shell, but the writers clearly love cats, and they pitch gags galore as Puss breaks his cool to chase a light or give himself a bath at the most dramatic moment. The “camera” has fun as we weave around this CGI world, over a bridge, and later up a beanstalk. Cat nip for feline lovers. B-

How to Train Your Dragon and Despicable Me (2010)

I avoided “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Despicable Me” in theaters for no other reason than I was bored with CGI animated films. My error. From Dreamworks, “Dragon” is not just a great animated film, it’s a rousing adventure yarn that made me feel 10 again, when I saw “The Never-Ending Story” and wanted a furry, white dragon all my own. Here, a boy (Jay Baruchel) befriends a sleek dragon in an ancient Viking town where every resident fears the beasts as accursed flying killers. “Dragon” soars with beautiful writing, a wildly fun music score, and wonderful characters. Mind-blowing fact: Cinematographer Roger Deakins consulted on the amazing visuals. “Despicable” is a flat-out satirical comedy in spirit with a classic Mel Brooks comedy for the first-grade set. Steve Carell is marvelous as an old European-accented evil mastermind who goes all soft over three orphans as he schemes to steal the moon. It’s deviously funny and smart, but not mean-spirited. The onscreen crimes are hilarious. Dragon: A Despicable: A-

Shrek (2001)

After nine years, “Shrek” still is Dreamworks’ best animated film. Here’s a tale that can play in the same park as MVP Pixar, even as the filmmakers (many ex-Mouseketeers) give a swift, knowing and hilarious kick to Disney’s sparkly animated shins. Every animation junkie young and old knows the plot backward: Shrek (Mike Myers, going Scottish) is a green ogre who finds himself on a classic fairy tale princess rescue mission as part of a deal to get his swamp back from a tiny tyrant (John Lithgow, deliciously sinister). “Shrek” spoofs and dissembles every fairy tale even as it gleefully plays by the genre’s rules. It also is the only Dreamworks film I’ve seen that builds a story on and around strong characters, ones with heart and brains, not just lazily hangs a plot on snarky cynical jokes. Eddie Murphy as Donkey is genius. He’s firing on all cylinders and having a blast. How can that not be infectious? A

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)

“Monsters Vs. Aliens” follows the exact sandwich construction of many a Dreamworks production: Lots of sight gags piled on top of film spoofs piled on sight sags, with the story as garnish.

It is funny, and the animation is delightful (dig the fur!), but I spent more time guessing the famous voices (Rainn Wilson!!) of the moment than taking any real interest in what was happening on screen. Two days later, I had to IMDB the film to make sure it wasn’t called “Aliens Vs. Monsters.” It’s that memorable.

Here, a bride (Reeese Witherspoon) is struck by a meteor on her wedding day and grows large, Large, LARGE before her fiancé and family. Now a freak -- a monster -- she is captured by Uncle Sam and tossed into a Monster Mash military prison with a glob, a talking man-sized insect and a lizard dude from the Black Lagoon. Enter the aliens (Wilson is the leader), cue the hero Monsters, and we have ourselves a story idea. Add in a “Close Encounters” music gag, and we have a film.

In a stellar year for animation (I love “Coraline,” and “Up” is another Pixar gem) being funny and well-animated no longer cuts it. Not unless it’s Saturday morning TV. Watching most any Dreamworks film (not all) is now akin to watching a child drag his plastic chair to the adults table for dinner. Even if he can look everyone in the eye, he still can’t keep up with the conversation. B-

Up (2009)

"Up" continues Pixar's domination of not just the animation genre, but maybe every Hollywood studio. What other studio consistently puts out such high-level works of art that touch ever genre and age-level?

I love "Toy Story," "The Incredibles" and "WALL-E," and "Up" is in their league. Some scenes rise above their level in pure smartness and pitch. It's not a typical children's film, but a beautiful romantic film about an old man's (Voice of Ed Adsner) love for his dead wife. Heavy, eh?

There are funny talking animals, a pint-sized sidekick in the form of a quasi-Cub Scout (Jordan Nagai) and lots of slapstick. But there's also death and the sad reality of an old man left alone. It will make you cry.

The film starts with a boy watching newsreel film of a Howard Hughes/Douglas Fairbanks-like explorer globetrotting the world. The hero, though, is lambasted as a fake by the news reels and disappears. The little buy meets a like-minded girl, they grow up, fall in love and marry. They are childless, struggle with money and grow old. She dies. Almost all of this is told in wordless, glorious music provided by Michael Giacchino ("Lost" and "The Incredibles" -- give this guy an Oscar and a Grammy).

Facing eviction from his ancient house, the old man ties thousands of balloons to his home and flies away to South America, the dream spot of he and his now-gone bride. The Cub Scout is a stow-away, hiding on the porch. To give more away will spoil the film.

The entire film is a visual delight, with the rising of the home on all those balloons one of the great moments in animation -- the colors of the balloons vibrate and reflect a rainbow of wonder. Christopher Plummer grounds the film as a late-coming villain who is Pixar's greatest show of greed and evil yet. Dig the scene where he knocks mock skulls of prior victims of a table. Wow.

All praise to directors/writers Pete Docter and Bob Peterson (the latter who voices the scene-stealing dog, Dug.) Pixar films are built on beautifully told stories with heart and then fabulous jokes (Squirrel!!) with voice talent that isn't built on casting top stars, but the right voices. There's hardly a star here. Take that over most Dreamworks films that have flimsy stories built on jokes with highly paid voices hired to cover up the mess.

"Up" is a gem, I can't wait to see what Pixar has next. A

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)

Even at just more than 80 minutes "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" seems a padded, toss-off of the 2005 original. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith return as the voices of a lion, a giraffe, a zebra and a hippo, respectively. In the original, they went from New York to Madagascar for the comedy. Here, it's Madagascar to Africa. Yawn. The jokes, for the most part are OK funny, but they prop up the mediocre story. Typical Dreamworks. A great animated film (Pixar) has brilliant jokes built upon a solid story. The climax is so lame it needs a song on the soundtrack to limp by. The animation is top notch, naturally. But, who cares. C+

Ice Age (2002)

"Ice Age" is a cute but marginal CGI cartoon about a bickering woolly mammoth and a sloth caring for a human toddler while finding his family. The animals fare way better than the humans, in animation and plot. The few sly jokes about evolution, spaceships and mortality are for adults, and will go over the heads of children. The poop jokes are entirely for children, and will bore adults. The star and saving grace of "Ice Age" is a mute, always perplexed primitive squirrel driven nuts by an acorn. I swear the whole film is filler built around him. Ray Romano stars, voicing a woolly mammoth. Far more advanced than Ray. C+

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

I wasn't keen on seeing "Kung Fu Panda." The previews made it look like a bad "Kill Bill" spoof, and I'm dead tired of the animated spoof genre. So, I was stunned to love this Jack Black-voiced animated film about a hefty Panda who finds his kung fu fantasies coming true. The plot is simple: Chinese Panda Po (Black) diligently but unhappily works in his father's noodle shop until he is inexplicably tapped as the Dragon Warrior by the town's kung fu mystic guru. Tasked with training Po to fight a greatly feared enemy are Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and the Furious Five (Angelina Jolie, Davis Cross, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen and Lucy Liu).Black, by the way, seems perfect for animated films. He has an outsized persona that can grow bewildering on screen, but behind a microphone and with a Panda taking the place of his body, he's never been more ... human. B+