‘THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN’
Rating: PG for mild thematic elements and brief language
What it’s about: A childless couple discover their ideal child growing in their garden.
The kid attractor factor: Cute kids doing cute things, a touch of magic.
Good lessons/ bad lessons: “It’s a hard world to be different in."
Violence: Death.
Language: The mildest of mild profanities.
Sex: A bit of tweenage flirting.
Drugs: None.
Parents’ advisory: Suitable or all ages, though kids 9 and older will get more out of it.
‘PARANORMAN’
Rating: PG for scary action and images, thematic elements, some rude humor and language.
What it’s about: A boy who hears and sees dead people is a town’s only hope when witch trial victims return to life to terrorize the place.
The kid attractor factor: Stop motion animation, a “Coraline"/ “Corpse Bride" scary sensibility.
Good lessons/ bad lessons: Fear makes “stupid people do stupid things," like accuse others of witchcraft.
Violence: Some scary stuff involving witch trials and the dead returning to life.
Language: A couple of mildly off-color double entendres.
Sex: Sexual preference as a punch line.
Drugs: A few drunks show up.
Parents’ advisory: Too scary for the very young, but an edgy animated treat to anybody older than 8.
