Playmobil: The Movie (2019)

It’s difficult turning beloved toys into big-screen movies. But not impossible … as German toy brand Playmobil mixes live-action and animation for a fun, light adventure for kids.

It follows teen Marla (Anya Taylor-Joy from The Queen’s Gambit) as she cares for her little brother Charlie (Gabriel Bateman) after their parents die. He has a knack for finding trouble, while she errs on the side of being too serious. Charlie transports them into the Playmobil world after breaking into a museum at night, and the pair must help the Playmobil toys defend themselves against everything from Vikings, to aliens, to dinosaurs!

It didn’t do so well at the box office but that doesn’t mean it’s bad – in fact, the animation is top-notch. The script is a ton of fun, and you’ll hear voices like Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and singers Adam Lambert and Meghan Trainor.

Nell Minow from rogerebert.com says: “It’s not a spoiler to say the message is that we should be open to adventure and play.”