Shorts

The "one-man film crew" that is Robert Rodriguez (writer, director, producer, co-editor, composer) returns to his love of kids' imagination in this loopy funfest. Partly inspired by Rodriguez's own five children, the boisterous adventure is perfectly attuned to its audience, who no doubt will spend the entire 89 minutes laughing in delight at a booger monster, a girl bully turning into a male-swatting wasp, an army of crocodiles, parents literally stuck together, a boyfriend told to grow up (he ends up a giant), and much, much more.

Rodriguez's homegrown special effects aren't anything to write George Lucas about, but kids will be too busy reveling in the slapstick antics to notice that the walking CGI crocodiles are kind of unsophisticated. Instead, audiences will focus on the goofy, tween-targeted action. Anchoring the ensemble are newcomer Vanier (a Christina Ricci lookalike) as the deliciously named Helvetica -- even her own pop calls her "Hell" -- and veteran Bennett (who stole an early scene in Star Trek as the young James T. Kirk). Their appealing characters are two of the many reasons kids will love this unpredictable, pleasantly zippy adventure.