Entertainment
Parents, 'Wonder Park' Looks Like It Will Be Hit Among Older Kids — Here's Why
When an animated feature trailer hits TV screens, it’s inevitable that your kids will start begging to go see it. But even with animation, it’s wise to know exactly what their young minds will be getting into. Are the themes too heavy? Is there anything that might frighten them? These are the questions parents might be asking for one feature that’s about to land in theaters. So, is Wonder Park appropriate for kids under 10? Here's everything parents need to know before it premieres this weekend.
As it happens, it looks like this is one movie you don’t have to worry about for older kids. According to its IMDb page, the movie is rated PG for some mile thematic elements and action, which could be expected from a story about an amusement park. While most older kids will love that kind of energetic story, it should be noted that you, of course, know your child best. So if they’re particularly sensitive, you might want to wait for this to come out on home video where it won’t be as overwhelming as the big screen.
Common Sense Media agrees that the movie “looks OK for older kids” and will have their full review up on Friday, March 15, when it releases in theaters.
Common Sense Media's synopsis of Wonder Park explains that an imaginative girl named June “stumbles on a rundown amusement park in the woods that bursts to life with magic when she arrives. She realizes the park came from her imagination, and, along with several talking animal friends, she sets out to save it from a dangerous darkness.”
That "darkness" might refer to an army of “chimpanzombies” that makes a brief appearance in the trailer, though it doesn’t dwell on their role in the park’s demise. For zombies, they’re pretty cute, and shouldn’t be a problem for most older kids.
At the 2018 Annecy film festival in France, Paramount screened some footage of Wonder Park that delved a little further into the story. According to Variety, one of June’s pastimes with her mother is building miniature amusement parks in their living room — sadly, though, her mother gets sick and has to leave for treatment. As Variety explained, June is heartbroken and loses her sense of creative wonder, but the discovery of Wonder Park revitalizes her and gives her a purpose.
Now, nothing in the trailer gives away a hint of June’s mom’s illness, so it’s possible that in the year since that footage was screened, they’ve altered the story. More likely, though, is that the marketing team chose to focus on the fun side of things and created a colorful trailer that would grab kids’ attention. Mission accomplished.
One of the fun parts of watching animated features is always trying to figure out who the voices are. Wonder Park boasts an impressive lineup, according to its IMDb page, with relative newcomer Brianna Denski as the voice of June, Jennifer Garner as her mom, and Matthew Broderick as her dad. The talking animals are voiced by Ken Hudson Campbell, Kenan Thompson, Mila Kunis, Ken Jeong, John Oliver, and Norbert Leo Butz.
All in all this, looks like a fun time for most kids, though the littlest ones might be a little startled by the fast-paced action.
