Okay, so us single guys don’t get it. I prefer “Top Cat.” But little ones are entranced by Pokemon. And this newest sequel may be the best yet. With its jazzy score, life lessons about working together and your ability to become anything you want to be, this fast-paced animated children’s film from Warner Brothers is not just an exercise in violence. Talking to parents, I found that Pokemon stimulates the imagination of tiny tots and it serves to give the family something to discuss. Discuss? That’s right.
I attended the screening with a friend of mine, also a reviewer, and his two boys, ages five and six. He told me that there are games, posters, cards, video games and, of course, a television series. My friend and his wife once bet that they knew the names of more Pokemon than the other. She knew 120 characters. He knew 121. “We’re sick, aren’t we?” he asked me. “No, you’re parents.” I responded. “Good parents.”
If you think the constant battling is too aggressive, you might want to have your kids pass on this action cartoon. But our group found it fast paced, skillfully drawn, and with an involving story. Pokemon still rule.