Yippee! Summer vacation is finally here! Let the fun begin!

But wait a minute! Fun in this blazing sun? I doubt it....

So what to do when it is too hot for a picnic or sport outing? Well, find a cool spot, like a movie theatre. And this summer you have loads of reasons to visit a cinema and chill out with some movie magic as many amazing children’s movies are releasing and in Pakistan too.

There are plenty of sequels, animated adventures, superhero action and thrilling adventure flicks with star casts that are all set to break some box-office records.

Read along and discover the treat this summer holds for you and do mark your calendars so that you don’t miss the blockbusters. The movies have been slotted into two sections — those for the younger ones who like some animated fun and then movies that tweens and teens will enjoy more.

The Angry Birds Movie (May 20)

This 3-D animated big screen adventure of one of the world’s most popular video games sets the tone for all the fun that this summer of entertainment promises to be.

We have already printed the review of this movie but for those who missed it, here is what you need to know about it.

The story is set on an idyllic island that is home to happy birds, except for four very ‘angry birds’ that includes our hero Red (Jason Sudeikis). Trouble in the flightless birds’ paradise arrives in the form of a bunch of pigs pretending to be friendly and fun, but end up stealing the most precious thing on the island — the birds’ eggs!

The box office verdict so far is in favour of these birds.

Finding Dory (June 17)

Pixar has made the fans of Finding Nemo wait too long for a sequel — 13 years — and now the wait is finally going to be over with Finding Dory all set to hit the screen soon.

Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks would be reprising their roles as Dory and Marlin, respectively, and this time it is Dory who will go in search of her family with Marlin and Nemo. But being the forgetful fish that she is, Dory can recall only parts of her childhood and the resulting search is what the adventure is all about.

This movie needs little advertising for who hasn’t seen and enjoyed Finding Nemo and who doesn’t want to watch its sequel?

The BFG (July 1)

The BFG, or The Big Friendly Giant, is based on the popular Roald Dahl book of the same name about an old giant with a soft heart.

A fantasy adventure directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg, is a fitting way to remember the person who wrote wonderful stories for children and the stories are as exciting to read for the young readers of today as they were in his time. This year also marks the 100th birthday of Roald Dahl.

The film stars Oscar-winner Mark Rylance as the elderly giant who prowls the streets and blows dreams into children’s minds. One day he kidnaps Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) from her orphanage but he does so to do some good — to help him stop some bad giants from eating up children.

The Secret Life of Pets (July 8)

This animated talking-animal comedy is supposed to be a movie for the whole family. Especially a family that likes pets.

Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) is a well-loved and pampered dog living with his humans in New York City. But his human, Katie (Ellie Kemper), loves dogs so much that she brings another one home — a giant shaggy dog Duke (Eric Stonestreet) and Max is one mad dog now!

The two are captured by Snowball (Kevin Hart), a crazy bunny with an army of unwanted pet goons who want to make the lives of happily owned pets miserable.

Ice Age: Collision Course (July 22)

How can a summer of big kids’ movies be complete without an Ice Age adventure? So we’ll have the fifth instalment of the Ice Age series and a sequel to Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), with Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Keke Palmer, Jennifer Lopez and Chris Wedge reprising their roles from the previous instalment.

Natural disasters are set to threaten Earth and again Manny (Ray Romano), Sid (John Leguizamo), Diego (Denis Leary) and friends are on the run, looking for a safe place. There will be many new characters too and many Ice Age series fans will be queuing to watch it.

Tweens and teens

Captain America: Civil War (May 6)

Still haven’t seen Civil War? What are you waiting for?

This 13th Marvel Universe movie is really about war, but of a different kind — all the superheroes are at war with each other! Captain America and Iron Man are against each other and the rest of the Avengers gang has to choose sides. Tough, isn’t it?

We’ve already reviewed it and given it thumbs up, and everyone is also talking about it, so let’s not go into what you all already know — that this one is a must-see action movie!

X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27)

Releasing on the same day as Alice Through the Looking Glass, this ninth instalment of the X-Men series is for action fans.

The ancient cyber-mutant Apocalypse has woken up and he plans to destroy the world and make it again in the way he wants. It is now up to the X-Men to stop him from destroying mankind.

Alice Through the Looking Glass (May 27)

A sequel to the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland and based on Lewis Carroll’s story Through the Looking-Glass, Alice Through the Looking Glass sees the return of Alice (Mia Wasikowska) to Underland to rescue the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) from Time (Sacha Baron Cohen).

As lavishly made as all Walt Disney movies are these days, we expect this one to be as good as the first movie and with an ensemble cast like Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Rhys Ifans, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen and the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall, it should make for interesting viewing.

The film is dedicated to the memory of Alan Rickman (Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series) as it was his last movie appearance.

TMNT: Out of the Shadows (June 3)

The turtles are back! This time their adventure is more thrilling and the enemy more threatening!

The turtles have to save themselves and their beloved New York City from two mutants, Rocksteady and Bebop, who have been especially created by Dr Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) to defeat the turtles. And controlling these two evil henchmen is Shredder, the nemesis of Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo.

Expect more computer-generated action and typical turtle humour that older kids would relate to more.

Ghostbusters (July 15)

This is a reboot of the classic 1984 supernatural action-comedy of the same name. While the old one had males as the main leads, here there are four female comedians, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones starring in the main roles.

Living in Manhattan, they discover that ghosts have invaded their beloved city and they get into action as the ‘Ghostbusters’ to save their city from the ghost invasion.

The humour here is likely to be a bit mature for younger kids, but the older ones and their parents are sure to enjoy it.

Independence Day: Resurgence (June 24)

Aliens are once again set to take over and destroy Earth in this sequel to the blockbuster Independence Day.

As sequels have to be bigger and more intense, Independence Day: Resurgence promises to be both, with a bigger fleet of mean aliens heading back to Earth to do the job they failed to finish the last time. Except Will Smith, most of the original cast is back, along with newcomers Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Sela Ward, etc.

Pelé: Birth of a Legend (May 6)

Are you a Ronaldo or Messi fan? If you have a hero among the current bunch of footballers, then you need to know a real legend — Pele. And the way to discover the guy who is undoubtedly considered as the greatest footballer of all time, is to watch the biopic Pelé: Birth of a Legend.

The movie chronicles his early life and rise as a shooting star and first World Cup victory at 17. Set in the slums of Brazil, it offers football fans an introduction to an international sports icon.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 28th, 2016