My Inner Child in 2022

by: Steven McGee

What's up spoiler fans!? This year has been a great year for movies in general. As an adult sometimes I just would like to feel like a kid again. Comic book movies, anime, and video games sometimes just don't fill that void for me. Sometimes I just wanna sit down and watch a good family-friendly movie and I'm going to discuss them all here because my inner child has been eating! At the end of this article, I rated all of the movies I have seen thus far with my 🔥rating system.

This year started with some hype and greatness as we got the 2nd installment of the Sonic franchise. Seeing Knuckles played by Idris Elba on the big screen screamed out to my inner child. The CGI was done really well again and I can't wait to see the next one in which we will get ...(Careful4Spoilers) Shadow! This wasn't the only movie with a critter that we received this year though. Chip n' Dale: Rescue Rangers was also released on Disney+ and was it a treat. John Mulaney and Andy Samberg had great chemistry. I didn't know what to expect but nostalgia sold me on the movie out of the gate. It turned out to be really funny and I really like how they modernized an older cartoon with today's world. We also got a special guest appearance from "Ugly Sonic". That made these two movies a great paring to start off the year.

Ok so let's dive into some of the fully animated movies now because this year has been stacked! We started the year off with a surprise drop that I had no idea was coming with the 4th installment of Hotel Transylvania by Adam Sandler. I have been a fan of this series and was not expecting to get another one. Pixar's release "Turning Red" was an absolute beast. See what I did there? I loved this movie a lot and I have my own theories of underlying messages that were for the parents of daughters in the film. Let’s just say "Turning RED". Hopefully, you all got that. Showing how they deal with changes as they grow up is something I thought was a great message for us overthinkers. I could be wrong but I doubt it. We then got the movie "The Bad Guys" starring Sam Rockwell. Let me tell you something spoiler fans, this was legit great. If you are a fan of kid movies this gives you everything you want. I remember reading this graphic novel to my kids and I will say that it held up to my expectations. It gave me everything I needed with a redemption story and a surprise villain.

 The summer is where I was legit overjoyed. Summer started with "Lightyear" starring Chris Evans and Keke Palmer. Though Lightyear is not doing as well sales-wise because like most we expected a Toy Story movie. It was a pretty good story. Had Pixar called this movie "Space Ranger" and didn't use Toy Story references I’m sure it would have been better received by audiences. This movie was actually pretty freaking good and it sucks that it’s not getting the recognition it rightfully deserves. That being said, it wasn't the best summer kid flick because that crown belongs to Steve Carrel in "Minions: Rise of Gru". I have enjoyed Despicable Me and I legit wondered how they could keep the magic of the little girls and Gru seeing that the child voice actors would have to grow up. Giving a Minions spin-off and the 2nd installment of said spinoff has been a chef's kiss of a transition. The Minions themselves gives you the cuteness you may have missed with the girls and adds some funny chaos. I honestly think this is the family movie of the year with only one movie to rival it which I will reference later. Next up we were given "Paws of Fury" starring Michael Cera and Samuel L Jackson. This was a pretty fun movie and I would like to see Michael Cera dive more into voice acting. It really fits him and I think he did a wonderful job portraying an unsure of himself dog coming into himself as a Samauri. Also this summer we got Dewayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart teaming up again to give us Super Pets. These two actors seem to just have it. The chemistry and friendship are uncanny and we get great performances from a movie that I was unsure about. The movie itself I would say had a pretty good script in a heavy-loaded summer. The performances of these two really drive the movie. Rounding out the summer is Rise of the TMNT on Netflix. Look turtle fans we are continuing to eat. I am gonna be completely biased and tell you to stop what you are doing and go watch this movie right now! I originally was turned off by the differences between the brothers when the series was first announced but it has been excellent and so was this movie I mean wowwwww!

So last but not least we have to talk about the movies that I am super stoked about. They haven't yet been released but I will definitely be giving my thoughts on them as they release. First, let's talk about the movie that I think will rival Minions as a family movie of the year. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is set to release in December. Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek will both return and I'm already geeked. The first movie caught me by surprise at how utterly hilarious it was. Spinning off from Shrek I honestly and truthfully didn't think it would be good and I am so glad I was wrong. This is by far my most anticipated family movie of the year and I can't wait. 

Next up we have "Pinocchio" with Tom Hanks as Gepetto and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket. Ummm yes, please. Now hear me out, I know how we are feeling about some of the Disney live-action films but I think this one works. We deserve more Joseph GL. Gives us more Hollywood. Last but not least we can not leave this article without speaking on the 2nd installment of a cult classic "Hocus Pocus 2". Yes, it is happening! A lot of people don't think you should touch something that is great as the original was. I say if you can guarantee you aren't going to ruin the franchise and bring us something great I'm all here for it. Every Halloween there are certain movies you just have to watch. Getting a part 2...I’m here for it!

As you can see I am very enthusiastic about family movies. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk! Below will be my rating on a scale of 0-5 🔥s. Until next time spoiler fans Scubasteve out!

Sonic 2 - 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers - 🔥🔥🔥

Hotel Transylvania 4 -🔥🔥🔥

Turning Red -🔥🔥🔥🔥

The Bad Guys -🔥🔥🔥🔥

Lightyear -🔥🔥🔥

Minions: Rise of Gru -🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Paws of Fury -🔥🔥🔥

Super Pets -🔥🔥🔥🔥

Rise of TMNT -🔥🔥🔥🔥