I really don’t have much history with Astro Boy, but the movie looks like a lot of fun! It’s a CGI-animated movie coming to theaters Oct. 23, 2009.

“Astro Boy” began as a Japanese manga series and TV show first broadcast in Japan from 1963 to 1966. The story follows the adventures of a fictional robot named Astro Boy and lots of other fun characters, too.

The movie is set in futuristic Metro City, where Astro Boy (voiced by Freddie Highmore) is a young robot created by a brilliant scientist named Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive “blue” energy, Astro Boy has super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed, and the ability to fly.

The young robot goes on a search which eventually leads him back to Metro City to save everything he cares about.

“Astro Boy” also features the voices of Kristen Bell, Bill Nighy, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, and Eugene Levy.

Images: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

"Imagine That" is a predictable movie, but it also has some sweet moments of father-daughter bonding.

Eddie Murphy plays Evan Danielson, a successful financial executive who spends more time crunching numbers than with his 7-year-old daughter Olivia (Yara Shahidi). He’s divorced from Olivia’s mom, Trish (Nicole Ari Parker), and the two share custody. 

When Evan gets a chance to move up in his company, he has a crisis of confidence that affects his work. It doesn’t help that he has to compete for the new job with his company rival, Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church).

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My pal Julie Bonner, who blogs at DisneySociety.com, had an opportunity to talk with Yara Shahidi, the girl who plays Eddie Murphy’s daughter in "Imagine That."

The movie hits theaters tomorrow, June 12, and Yara had some fun things to say about it. Have you seen the trailer with the pancake scene? That was her favorite scene (it would have been mine, too!).

She said that Eddie Murphy didn’t actually eat the pancakes; instead, he threw them over his shoulder and pretended like he ate them. I can totally see him doing that.

Read Julie’s interview here, and see what Yara had to say about Queen Latifah and  learning karate, as well as her philosophy: "If you don’t enjoy it, then don’t do it."

My kind of girl! Check out her official site, and watch the trailer below:

Image Credit: © 2009 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Where’s Waldo? With Universal Pictures! The studio has picked up the movie rights to the classic children’s book series, and they plan to make a live-action family film.

Illustrator Martin Handford is the man behind the popular character, a guy dressed in a red-and-white shirt, wearing glasses and carrying a walking stick. The challenge is to find Waldo on book pages crowded with colorful characters and scenes.

Previously at Paramount and Nickelodeon, the movie project has bounced around until landing at Universal. The original project centered on Waldo, now 30, who traveled through time after accidentally activating a time machine.

Universal will partner with producer Illumination Entertainment, whose animated "Despicable Me" is set for a 2010 release with Steve Carell and Jason Segel lending their voices to the movie.

Image: Amazon.com; Source: Hollywood Reporter

Kids, pirates, and sweet bayou creatures populate this fun family movie with a message.

THE DVD: In "Labou" (on DVD May 19, 2009), three unlikely friends get lost in the Louisiana bayou while searching for the dreaded ghost of Captain LeRouge, whose treasure-laden ship was lost more than 200 years ago. With the help of a magical swamp creature named "Labou," the kids stay one step ahead of two crazy oil moguls, but can they find the treasure and save the swamps before it’s too late?! Read more here.

THE GIVEAWAY: I have one copy of "Labou" to give away. To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday, May 23, 2009. Be sure to include a valid email address. A winner will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winner for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!

After the jump, check out some clips from "Labou"…

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Here’s a fun DVD for anyone who loves sweet family stories involving cute animals.

THE DVD: "Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts" (new on DVD May 19, 2009) stars Kyla Pratt  (Hotel for Dogs, Fat Albert), who returns as animal whisperer Maya Dolittle. Maya’s off to college when a Hollywood starlet seeks her out to help with her depressed Chihuahua. But when she experiences the excitement of Hollywood, Maya’s plans for college get put on the backburner. With her faithful sidekick, Lucky, Maya sees past L.A.’s rich and famous and stays true to what’s really important in her life. Read more here.

THE GIVEAWAY: I have one copy of "Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts" to give away. To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday, May 23, 2009. Be sure to include a valid email address. A winner will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winner for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!

After the jump, check out clips from "Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutt"…

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"A Plumm Summer" is one of those sweet little movies that will probably fly under the radar of most DVD watchers. It’s a home-spun tale reminiscent of the live-action Disney movies of the 60s, only with an edge to it.

Based on a true story, the movie takes place in a small town in Montana, where kids wait impatiently to see a green marionette named Froggy Doo and his buddy Happy Herb on TV every day at 3 PM. All the kids LOVE Froggy Doo, especially Rocky Plumm (Owen Pearce), whose older brother Elliott (Chris Kelly), can’t understand the obsession at all.

When Froggy goes missing from the TV station one day, the FBI’s attempts to recover the missing frog go nowhere. So Rocky convinces Elliott to start their own investigation into the disappearance. With help from a cute neighbor Haley (Morgan Flynn), the group set out to find the frog.

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The first trailer for Disney’s "The Princess and the Frog" aired during Friday’s episode of "Wizards of Waverly Place." The animated fairy tale centers on a young princess named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose – love her in HBO’s "The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency") who lives in the French Quarters of New Orleans during the Jazz Age.

Directed by Ron Clements, the Disney romance features the voices of Terrence Howard, John Goodman, Keith David, and Oprah Winfrey. It’ll hit theaters just in time for Christmas, on Dec. 11, 2009.

If you’re old enough to remember "The Wonderful World of Disney," which used to air every Sunday night and featured the likes of "Charlie the Lonesome Cougar" and other furry and feathered friends, then you’ll get a kick out of "Earth."

Disney is resurrecting the concept of documenting animals in the wild (or maybe they never stopped). There’s another feature film coming in 2010 called "Oceans."

The trailer for "Earth" said the movie would follow the lives and migration paths of four animal families, and I guess it did. I saw it with my two kids – 11 and 14 – and we came out of the theater going, "Ok, now which were the four families they followed?" The reason is because while it did focus on specific families, there was a lot of content about the other animals and plant life in the family’s particular region of the world.

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One of the happiest scenes from "Hannah Montana: The Movie" is where Miley Cyrus gets onstage at the barn party and does the "Hoedown Throwdown." Of course, the entire crowd picks it up immediately (gee, you’d almost think they practiced it beforehand!), and the whole place is rocking in no time.

Ok, so I’ve got the scoop on how to do the "Hoedown Throwdown," thanks to Walt Disney Studios UK. Check it out below with guides Miley Cyrus and her choreographer, and let me know if you and your kids master all the moves!