Welcome to the It List Summer Guide edition, where we share the team’s picks for the best in entertainment as the weather heats up. Pick it weekly list here for the latest releases that we can’t wait to watch, stream, listen to, read and binge.
Summer blockbusters don’t have to be all gunfights and explosions. Sometimes a trip to the movies for a family meal is the ideal way to spend a hot summer day or night.
To do this, you need to go in knowing that the mini spectators in your life will indulge in snacks that are probably on your no-fly list at home. They can even be served in very expensive collectible buckets that cost more than a month’s worth of school lunches. The benefit is spending an hour and a half of your day without answering questions (Shhh – watch the movie!) or be your child’s personal assistant because they will (hopefully) be transfixed by what’s on the big screen.
They have fun – and so do you as you relax for a brain break, which is a win-win for the whole family.
Here’s what we’re seeing this summer.
Emotional release
Our pick: Inside Out 2
-
Why watch? In the sequel to Disney Pixar’s hit 2015 animated film, Riley is a teenager in the midst of puberty with Joy and the gang helping her. Navigate the emotional overload in your head.
-
Directed by Kelsey Mann, the sequel has some more complicated emotions added to the mix: Anxiety, Boredom, Embarrassment, Envy, and scene-stealing Nostalgia create new core memories for Riley – including some she’d probably rather forget.
-
An emotional battle ensues between the original five feelings and the newcomers as they fight for control of the hockey-loving teenager.
-
The original was all humor and heart – and the sequel won’t miss a beat.
-
Plus, there are some great takeaways: Puberty is a wild ride, so why not poke fun at the messiness of life?
-
Also helping young people (and older people) label the emotions that can wreak havoc within us all can make life’s ups and downs a little easier to navigate.
Release date of: June 14
Assessment: PG
Runtime: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Stars: Amy Poehler is back voicing Joy with some of the newcomer emotions played by Maya Hawke (Anxiety) and Ayo Edebiri (Envy).
Tried and true
Our pick: Despicable Me 4
-
Why watch? My favorite evil, from Universal’s Illumination, it is the highest-grossing animated film franchise of all time. We rely on the same quality, humor and good-hearted messages in the last installment.
-
Mega-villain turned secret agent Gru (Steve Carell) and his ladies – wife Lucy and adorable adopted daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes – welcome a new addition, baby Gru Jr., who doesn’t seem convinced of dear old dad.
-
Gru also encounters a troublesome enemy, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), who seeks world domination. Mwahaha.
-
The bandit is accompanied by his girlfriend, Valentina (Sofia Vergara), who creates problems, leading Gru’s crew to flee.
-
The banana-loving Minion scene stealers – who transform into “Mega Minions” after taking super serum – are back with their slapstick comedy, even if we have no idea what they’re saying.
-
The humor is light and cute and doesn’t ask much of viewers, young or old, to sit back, relax and enjoy the show.
Release date of: July 3
Assessment: PG
Runtime: 1 hour and 35 minutes
Stars: Kristen Wiig returns as Lucy, Miranda Cosgrove as Margo and Joey King as Poppy.
The easy LOLs
Our pick: O Garfield movie
-
Why watch? You buy your tickets knowing full well that you’re committing to a movie about a sarcastic, lazy orange cat who likes lasagna and hates Mondays.
-
The Sony Pictures animated filmwith Chris Pratt voicing the title character, it tells the origin story of Garfield (baby Garfield!) before adopting his human, Jon, and introducing the feline’s estranged father, stray cat Vic (Samuel L. Jackson).
-
The indoor cat goes on an outdoor adventure – with his doggy brother Odie – temporarily giving up a life of luxury to join Vic on a heist that sees them face off against a villainous Persian cat named Jinx (Hannah Waddingham ).
-
The story is cute, silly and makes adults who watched the original films or grew up reading Jim Davis’ comic books nostalgic.
-
It’ll also make you hungry, so maybe see this one at a restaurant serving pizza.
Release date of: May 24th
Assessment: PG
Runtime: 1 hour and 41 minutes
Stars: The star-studded cast also includes Snoop Dogg as Snoop Catt, as well as Nicholas Hoult (Jon), Brett Goldstein (Roland), Cecily Strong (Marge) Bowen Yang (Nolan).
A big dose of nostalgia
Our pick: Harold and the Purple Pencil
-
Why watch? It is an animated/live-action fantasy film based on Crockett Johnson’s 1955 book of the same name, which spawned a series of children’s books, a TV show, and a fan base.
-
Young Harold creates his own world of wonder when everything he draws with his purple crayon comes to life.
-
An Adult in Sony Pictures FilmPlayed by Zachary Levi, he enters the real world, where his drawing tool still works, with both good and chaotic results.
-
The message that “anything is possible”, with an emphasis on using imagination, is powerful.
-
Wear purple and channel your inner child for this day at the movies, where daydreaming is more than okay
Release date of: August 2
Assessment: PG
Runtime: 1 hour and 32 minutes
Stars: Zooey Deschanel as Harold’s new friend in the real world, as well as Lil Rel Howery (Moose) and Jemaine Clement (Gary).
The TV Movie That Allows for Adult ‘Me Time’
Our pick: Descendants: The Rise of Red
-
Why watch? No one needs to leave the comfort of their couch for the fourth film in the Disney franchise, which is streaming.
-
It’s a spin-off of the first three, with new characters, and your tween will be watching (probably more than once) and singing worm songs all summer long.
-
Though Dove Cameron’s evil will be missed, There are new characters leading the dramaincluding Red, daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe, daughter of Cinderella, who team up to travel through time and change the course of history.
-
Adults watching will be enchanted by the on-screen reunion of Brandy Norwood and Paolo Montalban as Cinderella and (now) King Charming from the 1997 live-action film Cinderella.
-
But adults really don’t need to watch it, which is why we’re all for this movie. While your child streams, it’s a perfect time to spend some alone time.
Release date of: July 12th on Disney+ and August 9th on Disney Channel
Assessment: G
Stars: China Anne McClain (Uma) and Melanie Paxson (Fairy Godmother) reprise their roles and Rita Ora joins as the Queen of Hearts.
Looking for more summer fun? Check out our guides:
