movies – Mom Read It

The Official Trailer for The Pout-Pout Fish Movie just splashed down!

Posted on October 18, 2025 by Rosemary Kiladitis

How much fun is this news? The Pout-Pout Fish is going to be a movie, with voice actors including Nick Offerman (best choice ever for Pout-Pout), Amy Sedaris, and Jordin Sparks! Take a look at the trailer, right here!

From the official press release:

“In the film adaptation, Emmy winner Nick Offerman leads an ensemble voice cast that also
features Nina Oyama, SAG Award winner Miranda Otto, Remy Hii, with Grammy nominee
Jordin Sparks and Emmy nominee Amy Sedaris. The film is directed by Ricard Cussó and codirected
by Rio Harrington and was written by Elise Allen, Elie Choufany and Dominic Morris.
The Pout-Pout Fish is the hilarious and heartwarming story of an unlikely duo: Mr. Fish
(Offerman) a pouty introvert and Pip (Oyama) an energetic sea dragon, who embark on a
daunting quest to find a legendary fish to grant their wish to save their homes.

“The Pout-Pout Fish has been cherished in classrooms and homes around the world, teaching
lessons of friendship, bravery, and self-discovery to an entire generation,” said Victor Elizalde,
CEO of Viva Pictures. “Bringing this beloved story to theaters reflects Viva’s commitment to
championing iconic IP and delivering bold, franchise-worthy animation. With its educational
legacy, global readership, and stunning adaptation for the big screen, The Pout-Pout Fish is
poised to inspire audiences everywhere.”

“The Pout-Pout Fish began as a single book and has since grown into a global franchise
embraced by readers, educators, and families everywhere,” said Jen Besser, President and
Publisher at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. “The film marks an exciting step in
expanding the world of The Pout-Pout Fish beyond publishing and onto the big screen.”
“From the first draft and designs, The Pout-Pout Fish had us hooked. We’re thrilled to see
buyers worldwide share our love for this unlikely duo — a pouty loner and a high-energy sea
dragon,” said Sola Media’s Managing Director, Solveig Langeland. “Viva is the perfect partner
for a wide U.S. release, and we’re confident they’ll reach the large North American audience
that already loves the bestselling book.”

The Pout-Pout Fish is 89 minutes.”

The Pout-Pout Fish is produced by Australian-based production company Like A Photon
Creative, MIMO Studios and Macmillan Publishers, who also financed.

The Pout-Pout Fish was Produced in Association with Macmillan Publishers. Produced with
the assistance of The Post Lounge Pty Ltd. Financed by Alceon Entertainment Partners Pty Ltd.
Production Financing Arranged by Eclectik Vision Capital Pty Ltd. Post Production, Digital and
Visual Effects work undertaken in Queensland, Australia with funding from Screen Queensland.
Produced by MIMO Studios. Produced by Like A Photon Creative. © 2025 Like A Photon
Creative Pty Ltd.

About Viva Pictures
Viva Pictures is a leading independent film production studio and all rights distributor dedicated
to delivering world-class family entertainment to global audiences. With a diverse portfolio of
animated films and original films in production, Viva Pictures strives to captivate and engage
viewers, fostering a love for storytelling and cinema for all ages. Recent successes include The
Amazing Maurice, which Viva debuted at the Sundance Film Festival before its wide theatrical
release, Night of the Zoopocalypse, and HITPIG, which played on over 2,000 screens
nationwide. Upcoming wide releases include Pets on a Train in theaters October 17 and Grand
Prix of Europe in theaters November 7. In addition, Viva Pictures has an equity interest in the
3D animation studio 3Doubles Producciones and continues to develop a slate of new
productions. Viva Pictures also owns Kidsflix, a kid-safe, parent-friendly FAST channel and
destination to stream free movies and TV series. Kidsflix is available on iTunes, Google Play,
Roku, and major TV brands worldwide.

For more information, visit vivafilmco.com.
https://www.vivafilmco.com/
Facebook: @vivakidsfilms
Instagram:@vivakidsfilms
YouTube: @vivapictures

About Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group is comprised of eleven imprints: Balzer + Bray, Farrar
Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, Feiwel and Friends, First Second, Godwin Books,
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, Odd Dot, Neon Squid, Priddy Books, Roaring Brook
Press, and Square Fish. These imprints are home to award-winning, New York Times–
bestselling authors, including Madeleine L’Engle, Natalie Babbitt, Leigh Bardugo, Gene Luen
Yang, Tomi Adeyemi, Marissa Meyer, Eric Carle, Nick Bruel, Loren Long, Angeline Boulley,
Nancy Tillman, John Patrick Green, George M. Johnson, Eoin Colfer, and hundreds more
popular authors and illustrators. Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group is proud to publish
many of the classics of children’s literature, including A Wrinkle in Time.

Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade

Kitty Sweet Tooth serves up movies and magic candy!

Posted on March 18, 2021March 17, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Kitty Sweet Tooth, by Abby Denson/Illustrated by Utomaru, (Apr. 2021, First Second), $17.99, ISBN: 9781250196774

Ages 6-10

Kitty Sweet Tooth is a cat who loves candy and movies, so when her Pop-Pop gives her the chance to realize her dream of running a combination restaurant and movie house, she is thrilled! With the help of magical candy makers, she’s off and running. But playing with magic is never easy, so when the creations start taking on lives of their own, Kitty and her viewers all get a little more than they bargained for! Manic, adorable, and just plain fun, Kitty Sweet Tooth is perfect graphic novel reading for younger readers who love a good, silly story. The artwork is bright and jumps off the page, enchanting readers with magical food like crepes that grow into waving towers, rainbow chips that give the snacker their own case of the stripes, or blooming tea and scones that grow into a veritable garden inside the theatre! Luckily for Kitty, her customers love it all! This is the first in a new series of adventures for intermediate readers. Back matter lets readers create their own candy-making magic with an illustrated recipe for rock candy, including step-by-step instructions, ingredients, and a suggestion to seek grownup help.

Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Groundhog Day meets the ’80s in Pretty in Punxsutawney

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Pretty in Punxsutawney, by Laurie Boyle Crompton, (Jan. 2019, Blink YA), $17.99, ISBN: 9780310762164

Ages 12+

This fun mash-up of ’80s teen classic movies (Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club) and 1993’s Groundhog Day stars a high schooler who’s stuck in a time loop: her first day of school in a new town. Andie, daughter of a Gen X John Hughes fanatic, wakes up every morning with the Pretty in Pink DVD from the night before stuck in her DVD player. She goes through the first day of school again and again, trying to figure out how to break the loop; she tries everything from joining different cliques to trying on new personas, to no avail. But as she tries to get through each day and stave off the frustration and depression that tries to set in, she also sees past the social groups to the personalities of her classmates, and realizes that she can bring everyone together.

Pretty in Punxsutawney is a fun, light-hearted love letter to ’80s movies (the novel is loaded with great references), friendship, and finding your own space in your community. Andie gains depth as a character as the novel progresses; the other characters are there to support her, so we only get a taste of them. This one’s a fun beach read that Gen X parents can enjoy with their teens.

Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

Math, Loss, and Zombie Movies: A Good Night for Shooting Zombies

Posted on April 12, 2019April 11, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Good Night for Shooting Zombies, by Jaco Jacobs/Illustrated by Jim Tierney/Translated from Afrikaans by Kobus Geldenhuys, (March 2019, Rock the Boat), $12.95, ISBN: 9781786074508

Ages 10-14

Martin is a South African teen living with loss. His father was killed in a car crash a few years ago, and his mother hasn’t left the house since. His sister is hardly ever home, usually out with her sketchy boyfriend. All Martin has is his chickens – his nickname is Clucky – and his propensity for numbers. When the neighbor kid’s dog kills his prize chicken, he goes over to say something – and ends up making a friend instead. Vusi, whose dog, Cheetah has a taste for chicken, is a horror movie fan determined to make his own zombie movie. He’s also fighting Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but he has no interest in letting that, or his protective parents and nurse, stop him. He quickly recruits Martin as a zombie extra, and before Martin realizes it, he’s sneaking out with Vusi, shooting Vusi’s movie and even developing a crush on a schoolmate. And, bonus: the cover glows in the dark!

Jaco Jacobs knows how to pack a book. While A Good Night for Shooting Zombies is primarily about Martin’s and Vusi’s friendship, it’s also about coping with loss, as Martin and his family grieve in their own ways; it’s about potential loss, as Vusi and Martin cope with Vusi’s lymphatic cancer, and it’s got a quietly compelling subplot about a group of troublemaking teens and Vusi and Martin bumbling their way into their sights. Martin is comforted by his mathematics equations, which he uses as a coping mechanism, very similar to Willow in Counting by 7s. He and Vusi each have their comforts – Vusi’s is horror movies – and as they share these pieces of themselves, they build a deeper friendship. Jim Tierney’s black and grey illustrations add some visual interest, and Jaco Jacobs’ writing keeps pages turning; the end of the story will stick with you long after you close the book.

I became a Jaco fan after reading last year’s A Good Day for Climbing Trees. A Good Night for Shooting Zombies just sealed it. I can’t wait to read more.

A Good Night for Shooting Zombies has a starred review from Foreword Reviews. There’s a free, downloadable readers’ guide available from publisher OneWorld Publications.

Animal Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate

Claude and Mr. Bobblysock find their way to the Big Screen

Posted on October 1, 2017September 14, 2017 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Claude on the Big Screen, by Alex. T Smith, (Oct. 2017, Peachtree Publishers), $12.95, ISBN: 978-1-68263-009-9

National Geographic talks Angry Birds!

Posted on June 11, 2016June 11, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

National Geographic: The Angry Birds Movie-Red’s Big Adventure, by Christy Ullrich Barcus (Apr. 2016, National Geographic Children’s Books), $14.99, ISBN: 978-1426216848

Recommended for ages 8-12

The Angry Birds have arrived on the big screen, and NatGeo Kids is there to celebrate with the release of their twelfth and latest Angry Birds title, Red’s Big Adventure. The book, set in the world of the Angry Birds movie, is set up in four levels: Bird Island, Bird Village, The Search for Mighty Eagle, and Beyond the Island, readers are introduced (or, really, familiarized with – they likely know most of these birds already) to the Angry Birds: Red, Matilda, Chuck, Bomb, Terence, Judge Peckinpah and Cyrus, the Mighty Eagle, and that rascally pig, Leonard. Each character gets a spotlight and a bio, and Red’s adventure is a thread that runs through the course of the book.

What we also get are breathtaking pictures and facts on the animals and plants, the environments and natural wonders of the world’s islands, from Greenland to Galapagos. Learn how a bird’s beak is better than a Swiss Army knife in terms of multi-purpose use: it’s a weapon, a utensil, a mating signal, and a sensory organ. Learn about mountain ranges and how glaciers are formed; learn to create maps or navigate using the stars, like our forefathers did. Find out about some of the biggest animal migrations in history, or discover an island inhabited by pigs (is that were Leonard and his friends came from?)!

I love the NatGeo books. They have the perfect combination of fun and learning, whether it’s their handy, schoolbag-sized fun facts books, like the Angry Birds and the Weird But True books, their sticker books (my living room coffee table currently has all the Dino Sticker Activity book stickers on them, like it’s a mini-Jurassic Park), the First Big Books, or their atlases and almanacs. The photos are incredible, and the information is easily digestible and exciting in its presentation. My kids love them, and the kids at my library go berserk for them. I celebrated the Angry Birds movie release with an Angry Birds Treasure Hunt around the children’s room, where they had to locate different pictures of the birds and pig for a prize. I honestly wasn’t sure how it was going to go over: were younger kids that into Angry Birds anymore? The answer was a resounding YES. About 30 kids took part in the treasure hunt, ensuring that this book and the 11 other NatGeo Angry Birds books will be in my next ordering cart.

Add to collections where nature books and Angry Birds are popular. You’ll be happy you did!