With the hopes of continuing the Despicable Me franchise, Universal felt it could find success by making a film that put just about all of its focus on the minions that were introduced in those earlier pictures. Not only that, but the aptly named Minions is a prequel that shows us all how these lived before joining the ranks of …

Pixar is no longer in a slump. While we hold the animators to nearly unattainable high standards, we only do so because of their impressive legacy. Starting with Toy Story, followed by Monsters Inc., and solidified by Up, Pixar set an exceptionally high bar for itself. Their recent offerings were solid (Monsters University, Brave, Cars 2) but failed to reach …

When it comes to movies for young kids, certain standards hold true. Farts are funny. Kids saving the day are better than letting adults always rule, but in the end you still need your mom. Aliens are better when cute. Home takes these, and many other principles for children’s movies, and assembles them into a perfectly charming though uninventive family …