As school holidays mean an influx of children needing entertainment (and parents needing to be in a dark, air-conditioned space for an hour or two), the new cinema releases this week include several animated films. Though, not all of them are suitable for the little ones!
For parents of very small kiddos, you can look forward to Hitpig! and Niko Saves Christmas, while older teens, and their parents, can enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. There’s also an exclusive anime event with Solo Leveling – ReAwakening.
In deference to the festive season, Ster Kinekor’s Throwback Cinema release this week is the Will Ferrell classic Elf. You can also watch André Rieu’s 2024 Christmas Concert: Gold and Silver, screening at limited locations at both Ster Kinekor and Nu Metro. Alternatively, settle in for jazz-pop sensation Laufey’s A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl. And Bollywood fans have actioner Pushpa 2: The Rule to check out in Hindi and Tamil.
An anime fantasy set 183 years before the events covered in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003), The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Brian Cox), a legendary king of Rohan, and his family, as they defend their kingdom against an army of Dunlendings. Gaia Wise stars as Helm’s daughter Héra, while Miranda Otto returns as Éowyn, who narrates the film. Acclaimed animator Kenji Kamiyama directs.
Based on the 2014 graphic novel by Richard McGuire, drama Here is produced and directed by Robert Zemeckis, who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth. The story covers events that take place on a single piece of land – and its inhabitants – spanning the distant past to the 21st Century, told in a non-linear fashion and often using split-screen. Serving as a Forrest Gump reunion of sorts, Here stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, and Kelly Reilly.
Arriving a month after its US cinema debut is Hitpig! Taking place in a futuristic cyberpunk world, Hitpig (Jason Sudeikis), a bounty hunter pig, sets out to capture an elephant named Pickles (Lilly Singh), but they find themselves on a crisscrossing adventure instead. Rainn Wilson, RuPaul and Andy Serkis also lend their voices to this animated comedy.
Niko is a reindeer with a big dream: he wants to join Santa’s flying team! But along the way, he faces lots of challenges that lead him on an exciting adventure to save Christmas. As he travels, Niko learns how important friendship is and discovers that it’s okay to be himself.
For fans of anime Solo Leveling comes Solo Leveling -ReAwakening – a theatrical experience which features a recap of the first season, coupled with an exclusive sneak peek at the first two episodes of Season 2, which is scheduled for release in January 2025. Over a decade after ‘gates’ connecting worlds appeared, awakening ‘hunters’ with superpowers, weakest hunter Sung Jinwoo encounters a double dungeon and accepts a mysterious quest.