This isn't a big-production movie. It didn't hit the top of box office sales. It isn't glamorous. But it is a great film.
It is a great movie, not only because it is clean, without harsh or unnecessary violence, without sex, without swearing, and without other vice, but it also gives a good real-world portrayal of life. TV shows and movies almost always show families that are upper-middle-class. The family in this movie is much more realistic. They're not rich, they don't come from influential families, they aren't out-of-the-ordinary. That may sound like a bad thing, but it really is good, as it teaches viewers of all ages that money and prominence aren't everything.
The West Wing, for example, involves staffers of the White House. Government employees do not get paid much, and real White House Staffers have commented that in real life, they can't afford the expensive clothes as seen on the show. Hildegarde doesn't try to make such pretensions. The main character, a very-goodlooking Chris, is seen wearing a shirt that even has a hole.
The plot generally is about kids who venture out to get back their duck, and that of course isn't usual in normal people's lives, but it is still done realistically -- the kids aren't mutants with mighty morphin abilities or anything silly like that.
Yes, this is supposed to be a kids movie, but I'm 21, and I love it. I'm not a weird sort of 21-year-old. I do watch Family Guy and The Simpsons. I almost never see any PG or G movies. I'm not in the target demographic for this movie, but I like it anyway.
