The top kids' movies of 2014

The LEGO Movie

When danger looms over the land of Lego, there's only one guy who can save the day—an ordinary, yellow mini-figure names Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt). He bands together with Batman (Will Arnett), Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and the god-like figure Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) to take down the evil mastermind, President Business (Will Ferrell).

Muppets Most Wanted

The Muppets are back! This time the gang travels to Europe to thwart the dastardly plans of Kermit's evil doppelganger, Constantine, and his sidekick, Domenic Badguy (Ricky Gervais). This old-fashioned caper (peppered with A-list cameos like Tiny Fey and Sean Combs) mixes international intrigue with Muppet-style silliness and, of course, catchy tunes.

The Pirate Fairy

Ahoy matey! The Pirate Fairy is the story of Zarina (voiced by Mad Men's Christina Hendricks), a trouble-making fairy whose antics cause TInker Bell and her friends to switch "talents"—throwing the land of Pixie Hollow all out of sorts. But no challenge is too tough for Tink's gang, not even when they come face to face with Zarina's band of pirates, led by a cabin boy who just happens to be a young Captain Hook...

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How to Train Your Dragon 2

Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and Toothless are a little bit older, utterly inseparable and ready to take on the latest force looming over the new-found harmony between Vikings and dragons. Dragon hunter Drago Bludvist is on the loose, and a dark cloud hangs over the island of Berk.When Drago threatens to wage war, it's up to Hiccup, Toothless and their intrepid pals to stop him in his tracks.

Maleficent

Actress Angelina Jolie stars as the evil fairy Maleficent in this prelude to the Sleeping Beauty story. We all know Maleficent put a curse on Princess Aurora, causing her to fall into an eternal sleep only to be woken by the kiss of her true love. But how much do we know about Maleficent herself? This (slightly scary) story delves deep into the mysterious life of this eerie villain, showing us why she ended up as the vengeful antagonist.

 Planes: Fire & Rescue

This spinoff of Disney and Pixar's Cars, and a sequel to 2013's Planes, sees squadrons of courageous (and goofy!) aircrafts and vehicles joining forces to tackle the dangerous and rapidly spreading Piston Peak National Park wildfire. Together, Dusty (Dane Cook), Blade Ranger (Ed Harris), Dipper (Julie Bowen), Windlifter (Wes Studi) and Cabbie (Dale Dye) make up a formidable rescue team who teach us how heroism and friendship go hand in hand.

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The Boxtrolls

The producers of Coraline and ParaNorman bring us a tale about the long-minunderstood Boxtrolla, who only want to befriend the residents of Cheesebridge. Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright), a human, is kidnapped and raised by the arcane community of trolls. Archibald Snatcher (voiced by Ben Kingsley), the Boxtrolls' arch-nemesis, plans to rid the town of the trolls but Eggs and his friend Winnie (voiced by Elle Fanning) will allow no such thing. After all, the trolls are family!

Sleeping Beauty

You grew up loving classic Disney movies, and now you can relive the magic with your little ones. They've opened up their vault and remastered the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty—the colours are digitally restored, the sound is sharper and there are tons of fun new DVD extras, including three previously unreleased deleted scenes. It's only available for a limited time, so make sure you get to it before Disney shuts its enchanted vault again.

Big Hero 6

Baymax, an oversized inflatable robot, is sometimes more of a pain in the butt than an assistant. At least that's what is 14-year-old master, Hiro, would say. But when destruction hits their hometown of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his friends, including his trusty sidekick, to help him uncover what happened. With the help of his quirky human pals Go Go Tomago, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred, Hiro is confident that they, the "Big Hero 6," can save their city.

Annie

You can bet your bottom dollar that the sun'll come out the day this revamped classic hits theatres. Everyone's favourite orphan has been reimagined as a Harlem-trotting cutie-pie in this new rendition of Annie. With Cameron Diaz as the feisty Miss Hannigan, Jamie Foxx as Will Stacks (warmly reminiscent of Daddy Warbucks) and Quvenzhane Wallis (of Beasts of the Southern Wild) as Annie, the gang's all here to rekindle our love of this timeless story.

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