'Chip 'n Dale', 'Madagascar 3' & 'Chupa': 5 must-watch children's movies you can stream

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The picks for this month include the return to Chip and Dale as well as a new dragon adventure, and the third installment of the Madagascar franchise.

The picks for this month include the return to Chip and Dale as well as a new dragon adventure, and the third installment of the Madagascar franchise.

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Chip 'n Dale

Rescue Rangers

Children will learn about the evolution of animation through this hodgepodge-style, but won't know it. The visuals will entertain them. The plot revolves about Chip (John Mulaney), Dale (Samberg), and their estranged friend Monterey Jack, who have been kidnapped by Eric Bana. To solve the crime, they team up with Kiki Layne (a detective). Chip, who sells insurance, still looks like 2D animation from the old days. Dale is a CGI-ed Dale and longs for his glory days. The movie is directed by Schaffer and doesn't take themselves too seriously. There's some silliness mixed in with more elevated humor (as elevated, as possible, for a Lonely Island-directed collaboration) meant to appeal parents. Will Arnett voices the villain Sweet Pete, an old-fashioned Peter Pan with a potbellied.

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Stream

Disney+ (Disney+)

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Madagascar 3

Europe's Most Wanted

Imagine the "Madagascar 3" as "Ocean's Eleven in Monte Carlo" with animated lions, zebras, giraffes, and hippos instead of Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Alex the lion, Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria (Jada Smith), and Melman (David Schwimmer), find themselves in the south of France instead of New York or Africa. Their mission? Their mission? They will encounter obstacles on their journey, such as the animal-control captain Chantel duBois (Frances McDormand). The script was written by Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach, and despite the over-the-top antics that will thrill the children, it also has some clever writing, and a number of endearing moments for older viewers. It's hard to resist an animated scene set to Journey’s “Any Way You Want It.”

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Amazon Prime Video.

"Firedrake The Silver Dragon"

This animated adventure-action tale, based on the Cornelia-Funke novel "Dragon Rider", may not have the Oscar-caliber storytelling and visuals of "How To Train Your Dragon," it will likely entertain children who enjoy a good tale about dragons. The movie starts with the story of how humans and dragons once lived in harmony. But greedy humans turned against them and started a war. The evil Nettlebrand, voiced by Patrick Stewart, was created to eat innocent dragons. They scattered and fled into hiding. As the narrator states, "Nothing is hidden forever." Firedrake, a young dragon (Thomas BrodieSangster), and his forest friend Sorrell (Felicity jones) set off to find the mythical place in which dragons could exist without fear of Nettlebrand. On their journey, they encounter an orphan named Ben (Freddie Highmore), and some humans that aren't quite as evil as they thought. This film teaches kids about courage, honesty, and acceptance.

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Netflix.com (Stream it.

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Chupa

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Don't let your kids know that the original legend depicts the chupacabra as scaly, reptilian creatures that eat livestock. Director Jonas Cuaron, son of

Oscar

Alfonso Cuaron (winner of the Academy Award) transforms the chupacabra to a cute, furry, wingless creature. Your kids will want one for a pet. Alex (Evan Whitten), a young boy, visits his grandfather and cousins (Demian Bichir) in Mexico. He discovers this creature in a shed. The chupa is seen in a sequence which appears to be a nod to Elliott finding E.T. The film is set in a shed in the backyard, and follows a familiar plot of a lonely boy (Alex, who has been bullied at school), and a misunderstood being finding strength through friendship, while fighting evil forces. In this case, Christian Slater plays a callous, cruel poacher. The storyline is not revolutionary, nor is the younger Cuaron, but it has moments of tenderness and suspense that will charm children and teach them about acceptance and empathy.

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Netflix.com (Stream it.

'Earwig and the Witch '

Goro Miyazaki is the son of Oscar-winning director Hayao (Spirited Away, "Howl's Moving Castle") Miyazaki. The computer-generated animation from Studio Ghibli, originally created for Japanese television and re-voiced by an English-speaking cast. The story is about an orphaned young girl named Earwig, played by Taylor Paige Henderson. Her rock star biological mother leaves her at the orphanage's door. Earwig, who becomes Erica in the film, is eventually adopted by a witch named Bella Yaga and her demon companion Mandrake (Richard E. Grant). Erica doesn't want to be adopted but she does. Erica is put to work by the witch, helping her with potions and magic spells. Along the way, Erica finds out that she has magical powers. This movie is based off a book by Diana Wynne Jones of the same name. Although the plot and visuals aren't as good as those in most Studio Ghibli films, it will entertain children who enjoy a good witch story.

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(Stream it on HBO Max.

This article was originally published in

The New York Times

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