Wonder Park, Nickelodeon’s new animated film, tells the story of a young girl with a big imagination. As the opening credits roll, we see 10-year-old June creating a magical theme park with her mom. The audience is immediately reminded of the importance of a child’s imagination. Childhood, is, after all, a time when anything can happen and time seems endless.
After June’s mother becomes sick and leaves for treatment, June stops playing with their amusement park model, Wonder Park. Worried about June, her dad sends her to math camp with her school friends. Shortly after boarding the bus, June makes her escape, worried about how her dad will manage with no one to make his breakfast or do the dishes. On her hike home, June finds that her model amusement park has come to life, but has been taken over by an army of “chimpanzombies.” The leader of the park, Peanut, has taken to frantically counting candy in a deserted cabin.
Wonder Park is an imaginative movie reminiscent of Pixar’s Inside Out, with a gaggle of interesting characters centered around a little girl’s imagination. Unlike other kids movies that have come out recently, the film doesn’t have much for adults, but the kiddos next to me were cheering, laughing, and attentive through the whole movie.
At just short of an hour and a half, Wonder Park is great for any age kiddo, and serves as a reminder that a child’s imagination is magical and worth holding onto into adulthood.
Release date: March 15
Rating: PG
