Kids World (film)

Plot

12-year-old Ryan Mitchell (Blake Foster) and his friends Stu (Anton Tennet) and Twinkie (Michael Purvis) are tired of being told what to do. They have to do their homework, eat their vegetables, wear a coat when they go outside, wear a helmet when they ride their skateboards, and aren't allowed to come and go as they please like their older brothers and sisters. One day, Ryan and his pals find an ancient Native American burial ground, where they discover a magical wishing glass. Using the glass, Ryan wishes that all the grown-ups and teenagers in the world would simply disappear—and suddenly, his wish comes true! It's party time for Ryan and all his friends, until they discover there's a fly in the ointment—the moment anyone turns 13, they suddenly vanish!

Reception

Variety panned the film calling it "Charmless and exceptionally tasteless pre-teen time-filler", and "the sort of movie that seems conceived more out of tax-credit incentives than from any real desire to engage children's imaginations." The story is set in Oregon but, as exemplified by the principle cast's accents, shot in New Zealand. The work of writer Michael Lach and director Dale G. Bradley was pointed out as a "slack setup, in which recycle decades-old cliches about why kids don’t get along with their parents." They found Christopher Lloyd's presence as a mentally handicapped man with the mind of a child inexplicable, in that it was a "thankless role, which requires little of him, except to sit on a porch, playing a didgeridoo (another good hint that we’re not really in Oregon) until, in a few moments of convenient lucidity, he helps to save the day."

Conversely, Australia's Urban Cinefile gave a positive review, offering that it was "refreshing to see a film where kids actually behave like kids", calling the film old fashioned, "in that it relies on its storyline and engaging performances by a terrific young cast". They felt the film was a colorful adventure for pre-teens and that it was "jam packed with humour, action and enough twists and turns to keep us engaged. [sic]" The also felt the music score was both fast paced and up-beat, and praised the entire cast, noting that Christopher Lloyd's character was credible.

Awards and nominations