As soon as Kayley says those words in the animated movie “Quest For Camelot” (G), we knew she was gonna be a kick-butt heroine. And with every move she makes in the new Warner Bros. film, she gives powerful new definition to “girl power.” (We’d like to see a certain group of female British singers make their way through a forbidden forest with dragons and villains nipping at their platform-shoed heels…)
The strong-willed Kayley has always dreamed of following in the footsteps of her father, a knight at King Arthur’s roundtable. (And we love it that not one person in the film tells her she can’t cuz she’s a girl.) She gets her chance when she meets up with Garrett, a young guy whose blindness has led him to isolate himself in the forest. Together, they go on a quest to stop the evil Ruber from capturing King Arthur’s magical sword, Excalibur.
Scoop Trooper Michelle W., 13, caught a screening of the film and was pleased. “I liked seeing a girl as a hero, rather than seeing a guy,” she said. “It was nice to see a change.”
Think boys would go for this girl-centered movie? “Yeah, I think they’d like it too,” Michelle said. “It had lots of action.” (In fact, the flick has so much fire-breathing, heart-pounding, evil-guy action that we wondered if really little kids would be frightened. Michelle agreed. “If I would have taken my 3-year-old brother, he would have gotten scared.”)
Michelle’s cousin, Valerie Z., 12, figured that anybody, young or old, would like this movie – and then she remembered the ogre, who might be scary for little kids. Still, the movie isn’t all fright bites. As Valerie put it, “It was funny when the dragons were singing.”
She was talking about Devon and Cornwall, who are basically two heads on one dragon; they do mean Elvis and Sonny and Cher imitations. Candace J., 9, got a kick out of the goofy guys too. “When they kissed, it was funny.” (You have to see it, really.)
We won’t tell you how the film ends, but we’ll give you a hint: It comes this close to looking like it’s gonna toss in a stereotypical female happy ending… and at the last minute saves the day with a lovely twist.
More Top Picks Best Down Jackets
Speaking of happy endings, Jade B., 9, came away from the screening with some words of wisdom: “I learned you can be anything you want if you try hard.”