A few weeks ago Jaxon and I were invited to view a special screening of a new movie coming out on DVD called, The Koala Kid. The event was presented by one of my absolute favs, Jenni Pulos from Bravo’s Flipping Out, so I was all psyched to go. I’m always a little skeptical about trying out new independent films on kids. Me, personally, I’m all about the indie flick…but kids are a little bit harder to sell on the indie side. In a world saturated by Disney, Nickelodeon & Warner Bros. it can be hard for the little man to catch the attention of a three year old when Brobee is flashing his muted smile and flaying his arms all over the place. So needless to say I was a bit nervous about taking Jaxon to a private screening with the star of the film not knowing how he would react.
However, I clearly had nothing to worry about. This movie was a hit with Jax. Not just because it had furry animals with funny accents. And not because it was playing Men At Work’s Land Down Under…yes that is one of Jax’s favorite songs, do not judge him! He is a new millennium baby with an 80’s baby soul! Anyway, it was none of that, that caught his attention, it was the actual movie. The story was good.
The Koala Kid is about an Albino Koala who is just trying to fit in. To do so, he joins the circus and during travel he is lost with two companions in The Outback. While in The Outback his friends come up with a scheme to create a character that shows strength and bravery through photos to send back to The Circus as good publicity for a possible center ring show. However, this Koala, Johnny, has created the persona The Koala Kid. As The Koala Kid, Johnny ends up in real life danger and his true test of bravery and loyalty is put to the test. The characters were relatable and it was hilarious! Absolutely hilarious! Jaxon had that giggly, hard laugh out loud laugh. I liked it because it was a subject that is definitely needed today in a world taken over by social media and false personalities. The message was about how it is always better to be yourself while touching on bullying, sharing, respecting others and what being brave truly means. I also loved that the movie didn’t have to many moments where it went over the kid’s heads. They were engaged the entire time. Jaxon has since watched his DVD three times and laughs every time! We love The Koala Kid!
On a side note, Jax fell in love with Jenni Pulos! She was just as sweet & charming in person as she seems on television. She has a great new CD out for kids called, Old School Beats For Kids, which he loves and I highly recommend. But that is another post for another day!
