Before you hit theaters to see the remake of this 1990 movie, why not check out the original live action first? (Especially if you have little ones who aren’t yet ready for the PG-13 version hitting theaters).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie is the live-action, feature film adaptation of the cult comic book and the popular animated television show. After prolonged exposure to radiation, four teenage turtles–Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello–have mutated into ninjas and have begun living in the sewers of a large city. Under the guidance of a ninja master Splinter the Rat and television reporter April, the Turtles embark on a mission to run crime out of the city and battle the warlord Shredder.

If your kids just can’t get enough of the Ninja Turtles, why not revisit the original animated series? Running from 1987-1996, there are nearly ten years of episodes of these crime fighting turtles to keep your kids in all of their teenage terrapin glory. Rated G.

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land’s fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal – an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces a battle with the invading king’s successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom – and perhaps to Maleficent’s true happiness as well. Rated PG.

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Awaken your senses to the majesty of SLEEPING BEAUTY, Walt Disney’s classic fairy tale. SLEEPING BEAUTY will transform your home into a fantastic world your family will want to experience again and again. After being snubbed by the royal family, a malevolent fairy (Maleficent) places a curse on Princess Aurora, which only a prince (Prince Phillip) can break, along with the help of three good fairies (Flora, Merryweather, and Fauna).

Based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault, and with an orchestral score that blends famous themes from Tchaikovsky’s ballet, this was Walt Disney’s most lavish and expensive animated feature to date. Before you hit the theaters to see Maleficent in action, introduce her to children with this 1959 Disney classic animated film.

It’s been five years since Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid (America Ferrera), Snotlout (Jonah Hill) and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island’s new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons. Parents, keep a listen out for Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig, and Djimon Hounsou, who also lend their voices to Dragon characters. Rated PG.

While we’re looking at sequels this month, for our “oldie-but-goodie” pick, there was a unanimous vote for this particular sequel, a childhood favorite of the JoFrost.com web team.

Ghostbusters II

Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis take up their proton packs once more to battle the forces of evil in Manhattan! After waging a war on slime that cost New York City millions, the Ghostbusters find themselves out of business until an ancient tyrant, preparing a return to the Earthly domain through his portrait at the Manhattan Museum of Modern Art, sets his sights on Dana Barrett’s baby as the new home for his wicked soul! With the help of the Museum’s possessed curator, he plans to turn New York into a really scary place to live! Now only the Ghostbusters can save New York City, by turning paranormal pest control into an art form! Rated PG.

RIO 2

The entire cast of the animated smash RIO returns in RIO 2, and they are joined by a new flock of top actors and musical talents. Rich with grandeur, character, color and music, RIO 2 finds Jewel (Anne Hathaway), Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and their three kids leaving their domesticated life in that magical city for a journey to the Amazon. They encounter a menagerie of characters who are born to be wild, voiced by Oscar nominee Andy Garcia, Oscar/Emmy/Tony-winner Rita Moreno, Grammy winner Bruno Mars, and Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth. Rio 2 is rated G.

THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER

Stop the presses! The crime of the century has occurred, and investigative reporters Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo are out to crack the case in this song-filled, star-studded extravaganza directed by the legendary Jim Henson. Our heroes arrive in London to interview Lady Holiday (Diana Rigg), a high-fashion designer whose priceless diamond necklace has just been stolen. But when Kermit mistakes lovely receptionist/would-be model Miss Piggy for her aristocratic employer, it’s love at first sight. Unfortunately, Lady Holiday’s scheming brother (Charles Grodin) is also wooing the sultry swine — so he can frame her for another brazen jewel heist! Now it’s up to Kermit and his Muppet pals to clear Piggy’s name and catch the real culprits. Packed with music, remarkable production numbers, and hilarious cameo performances (including John Cleese, Peter Falk, Jack Warden, Robert Morley, and Peter Ustinov). The Great Muppet Caper is the wackiest story ever told! The Great Muppet Caper is rated G.

Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine-the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit the Frog-and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. The film stars Tina Fey as Nadya, a feisty prison guard, and Ty Burrell as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon. Rated PG.

Newly arrived in California from New Jersey, teenager Daniel (Ralph Macchio) almost immediately runs afoul of karate-trained high school bullies. He is rescued by Japanese janitor Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita), who agrees to teach Daniel how to harness karate for good instead of brutality. The film culminates in a championship karate bout, pitting Daniel against his sworn enemy Johnny (William Zabka) — the cruel and thuggish boyfriend of Ali (Elisabeth Shue), with whom Daniel has fallen in love (and vice versa). Real-life karate champ Chuck Norris was offered the role of Kreese, the sadistic coach who goads Johnny into fighting dirty, but Norris turned down the role, refusing to be shown utilizing his skills negatively onscreen. Vastly popular, The Karate Kid spawned three sequels of rapidly descending merit, as well as a Saturday-morning cartoon series. Rated PG.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Mr. Peabody (voice of Ty Burrell) , the most accomplished dog in the world, and his mischievous boy Sherman (Max Charles) , use their time machine – the WABAC – to go on the most outrageous adventures known to man or dog. But when Sherman takes the WABAC out for a joyride to impress his friend Penny, they accidentally rip a hole in the universe, wreaking havoc on the most important events in world history. Before they forever alter the past, present and future, Mr. Peabody must come to their rescue, ultimately facing the most daunting challenge of any era: figuring out how to be a parent. Together, the time traveling trio will make their mark on history. Rated PG.

 The Goonies

Adapted by Chris Columbus from a story by Steven Spielberg, the film follows a group of misfit kids including such second-generation Hollywoodites as Josh Brolin and Sean Astin as they search for buried treasure in a subterranean cavern. Here they cross the path of lady criminal Mama Fratelli Anne Ramsey and her outlaw brood. Fortunately, the kids manage to befriend Fratelli’s hideously deformed but soft-hearted son John Matuszak, who comes to their rescue. Rated PG.

Two great picks this month, something new and something old…

The Lego Movie

Chris Pratt stars as the voice of Emmet. Will Ferrell stars as the voice of his primary adversary, President Business, an uptight CEO who has a hard time balancing world domination with micro-managing his own life; while Liam Neeson voices the President’s powerful henchman, known as Bad Cop/Good Cop, who will stop at nothing to catch Emmet.

Emmet’s fellow travelers include Vitruvius, an old mystic (voiced by Morgan Freeman), a tough-as-nails Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), who mistakes Emmet for the Savior of the World and guides him on his quest, a mysterious Batman (Will Arnett), a craggy, swaggering pirate obsessed with revenge on President Business (Nick Offerman), and a sweet loveable member of the team (who holds a powerful secret), and The Spaceman Benny. The Lego Movie invites fans of the popular toy to experience their visually unique world as they’ve never seen before. Rated PG.

The Neverending Story

Bastian Barret Oliver is dealing with his mother’s recent death. His father Gerald McRaney is an imperious sort who continually lambastes Bastian for daydreaming and falling behind in school. On top of his father’s badgering, he has to contend with a bunch of school bullies waiting for him in the schoolyard. One day he decides to play hooky and walks into a strange bookstore, where in the attic, he discovers a book called “The Neverending Story.” As Bastian reads the book, he’s enveloped in the unfolding tale. A sickly child-like empress Tami Stronach from a land called Fantasia is concerned about who will take over the land if she dies. She decides it is best for Fantasia if she remains alive, so she dispatches a young warrior named Atreju Noah Hathaway to find a cure for the empress’s malady. It turns out the land is consumed with a plague called The Nothing, generated by blighted dreams and hopeless fantasies. As Atreju continues onward to search for a cure for The Nothing, he encounters an assortment of strange creatures. Bastian is so consumed with the tale that he finds himself catapulted into the land of Fantasia himself. Atreju realizes that the only way to save the land from its blight is with the help of this strange earth boy, Bastian. Rated PG.

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is no ordinary archeologist. When we first see him, he is somewhere in the Peruvian jungle in 1936, running a booby-trapped gauntlet (complete with an over-sized rolling boulder) to fetch a solid-gold idol. He loses this artifact to his chief rival, a French archeologist named Belloq (Paul Freeman), who then prepares to kill our hero. In the first of many serial-like escapes, Indy eludes Belloq by hopping into a convenient plane. So, then: is Indiana Jones afraid of anything? Yes, snakes. The next time we see Jones, he’s a soft-spoken, bespectacled professor. He is then summoned from his ivy-covered environs by Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) to find the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis, it seems, are already searching for the Ark, which the mystical-minded Hitler hopes to use to make his stormtroopers invincible. But to find the Ark, Indy must first secure a medallion kept under the protection of Indy’s old friend Abner Ravenwood, whose daughter, Marion (Karen Allen), evidently has a “history” with Jones. Whatever their personal differences, Indy and Marion become partners in one action-packed adventure after another, ranging from wandering the snake pits of the Well of Souls to surviving the pyrotechnic unearthing of the sacred Ark. (Rated PG).

Fearless optimist Anna (voice of  Kristen Bell) teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in a race to find Anna’s sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. Rated PG.

In FREE BIRDS, Reggie (voiced by Owen Wilson) has always been the odd turkey out. He’s smarter than the rest of his flock and understands they’re being fattened up for slaughter. When the president arrives for the annual turkey pardon, Reggie ends up the lucky fowl thanks to the young first daughter. Back at Camp David, Reggie is living it up with telenovelas and pizza delivery when he’s kidnapped by Jake (Woody Harrelson), a strong, scatterbrained turkey. Jake tells Reggie that “The Great Turkey” has sent them on a mission to go back in time to the First Thanksgiving and “get turkeys off the menu.” Reggie is skeptical, but soon the pair discovers a secret time machine and ends up in Plymouth Colony 1621. Rated PG.