Film

The Smurfs 2

The Smurfs 2 is a live-action/CGI hybrid that drops tiny blue creatures into Paris for a rescue mission. It's a bright, quick-moving film designed for younger kids and the tolerant adults shepherding them. Think Saturday morning cartoon but on a cinema screen, with enough slapstick and colour to keep fidgeting to a minimum. Neil Patrick Harris supplies more charisma than the plot strictly requires.

TMDb rating2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a bright, silly caper where the gags land with a light touch and the Paris setting adds a bit of gloss to the slapstick, and you don't need the plot to do much heavy lifting.

Skip it if you need the jokes to land sharply, since much of this is broad physical comedy strung through a busy story that rarely pauses for breath.

What it asks of you: At 105 minutes, it runs brisk and bright, a cartoon with quick cuts between two worlds that wants you to accept its logic without fuss and keep up.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Paddington 22017

A live-action/animated adventure that actually earns its heart. Perfectly calibrated for kids and adults, funny without talking down, visually inventive, and genuinely moving. This is what The Smurfs 2 was aiming for.

But If you need something that respects your intelligence above all else, it's still a children's film first. The warmth can feel a touch heavy-handed.

Paddington 2 poster

Enchanted2007

A princess cartoon character lands in modern-day New York and has to navigate a world that doesn't work like fairy tales. Amy Adams is radiant, the jokes land for both kids and parents, and it genuinely commits to its premise instead of winking at it.

But The musical numbers might test your patience if you're not already onboard with that kind of thing. It's earnest in a way that doesn't suit everyone.

Enchanted poster

The NeverEnding Story1984

A boy discovers a magical book and gets pulled into its world. Visually strange and genuinely eerie in places, with practical puppetry and effects that still hold up. It takes fantasy seriously without losing wonder.

But It's slower than modern kids' films and some of the creature design is unsettling rather than cute. Also, that horse scene haunts people.

The NeverEnding Story poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Smurfs 2

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Last Unicorn1982

Both use live-action/animation hybrids to blur reality and fantasy, but where Smurfs aims for frictionless fun, The Last Unicorn lets the mixture feel genuinely unsettling. It shows what the technique could be.

A mythical unicorn sets out to discover if others like her exist. Animated and live-action footage mixed, strange and melancholic, genuinely eerie in places. Jeff Bridges sings. It's utterly unlike anything else and completely committed to its strangeness.

But It's visually dated, narratively slow, and carries a sadness that doesn't resolve into cheerfulness. Kids expect heroes to be happy at the end; this one doesn't quite deliver that.

The Last Unicorn poster
More like this (8)

Wreck-It Ralph2012

A video game villain wants to be the hero. Bursting with invention, character, and heart, with jokes nested at multiple levels. Ralph's arc is genuinely moving and the world-building is meticulous and fun.

But The third act trades storytelling subtlety for plot mechanics. If you don't have nostalgia for '80s arcade games, some references will float past.

Wreck-It Ralph poster

How to Train Your Dragon2010

A Viking boy befriends a dragon instead of killing it. Gorgeous animation, a genuinely affecting relationship between the two leads, and action sequences that feel earned. It expands rather than shrinks as it goes.

But The Scottish accents can be thick. Some combat sequences are quite intense for very small viewers.

How to Train Your Dragon poster

Clueless1995

A Beverly Hills teen plays matchmaker. Endlessly quotable, genuinely clever, visually sumptuous, and affectionate about its characters rather than mean to them. Holds up as both comedy and satire.

But It's teen comedy from the '90s with all that implies. If broad humour about high school hierarchies feels dated to you, nothing here will change that.

Clueless poster

The Lego Movie2014

A prophecy, a chosen one, and a sentient Lego minifigure. Relentlessly busy, genuinely funny at multiple registers, crammed with detail, and surprisingly ambitious about what it's saying beneath the toy product placement.

But The constant barrage of jokes and references means some land and some miss. The frenetic pacing exhausts some viewers.

The Lego Movie poster

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse2018

Miles Morales discovers he's Spider-Man and meets other Spider-People from other dimensions. The animation is stunning and genuinely inventive, the humour is sharp, and it respects its characters while remaining visually dazzling.

But The art style is deliberately fractured and layered, which some find disorienting rather than impressive. Requires familiarity with Spider-Man lore.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse poster

Shrek2001

An ogre rescues a princess who isn't what he expected. A fairy tale deconstruction that's genuinely smart and funny, with real heart beneath the jokes. Eddie Murphy is committed and hilarious.

But The pop-culture references have dated badly. Some of the humour feels broader and cruder than contemporary family films.

Shrek poster

The Secret of Roan Inish1994

Both traffic in wonder and magical beings in the real world, but Roan Inish treats magic as something earned through belonging and history rather than spectacle. It's the serious version of the same impulse.

A girl returns to an Irish island to uncover her family's magical past. Steeped in folklore and atmosphere, it's a slow-burn mystery with real magic embedded in credible detail. Fiona Shaw is extraordinary; the cinematography is luminous.

But Nothing explodes. It's measured and patient, filmed like a folk tale rather than a plot to be rushed through. Modern kids often find it boring.

The Secret of Roan Inish poster

Howl's Moving Castle2004

A woman learning her value and belonging within a magical household, but where Smurfette's arc is plot-driven and resolved by others' affirmation, Sophie's transformation comes from within. It's character over spectacle, showing what that story could become when taken seriously.

A young woman is cursed and joins a wizard's household to break the spell. Miyazaki's animation is breathtaking, the romance is genuinely tender, and the plot rewards attention. It finds heartbreak and joy in the same moments.

But It's a Studio Ghibli film, so it assumes patience and emotional intelligence. The pacing is deliberate and the ending is ambiguous. Some find it too quiet.

Howl's Moving Castle poster

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