This past week, we flew out to New York City to immerse ourselves in the world of the new movie, The Kid Who Would Be King. We had watched a sneak preview of this movie a couple weeks prior in LA, but could not wait to hear more about what went into the making of this film, Sir Patrick Stewart speak about being a wizard and go to knight school…not to mention visit the iconic FAO Schwarz for a special The Kid Who Would Be King installment.
Very rarely is there a family-friendly fantasy for younger kids. Most of the films are geared for 13+ and I loved that this movie had incredible CGI characteristics as well as a storyline that my 8 year old was able to follow. I loved that in the most unlikely scenario the kid that was bullied, Alex played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis (son of Andy Serkis) pulls the legendary King Arthur sword, Excalibur and begins an adventure back in time that initially mirrors the comic book.
Director Joe Cornish originally thought up this movie when he was twelve years old. During the press junket, he talked about wanting to make this movie to inspire kids to be kings and queens in their own worlds. More than that, he think its crucial for both adults and kids to cling on to their dreams.
My favorite quote from the movie was by Alex’s best friend Bedders who said, “You can’t give up…it’s not allowed!”
There were so many incredible quotes in the movie but this one stuck out to me because this is so true about life. If we went through our day never giving up, it would be pretty amazing the things we can accomplish. We would push through the hard times and ultimately know that we tried our hardest. This movie definitely shows this throughout.
One of the best takeaways from the press junket was Sir Patrick Stewart speaking about how he was the bully growing up due to domestic violence issues going on in his home. He said that this was the first time he had ever spoken about this so he did not go into too much detail. Ultimately his being a bully is what led him to be the advocate he is today for both victims of domestic violence and bullying. On a lighter note, he shared that he has had to play a merlin and/or wizard on his acting wishlist because he is at the age where all of his friends are playing them and he didn’t want to be left out of the fun.
Final Verdict: I think this is an excellent movie to take your fantasy loving kid who is less than 13 years old. Appropriate for kids older than 13; however, it very enjoyable for the entire family! Go watch it in theaters tomorrow!
