For me, though, even if I could chat with a chimp in chimpanzee, converse in polar bear, curse in fluent kangaroo or answer with a boisterous, “of courserous!” if asked if I could speak rhinoceros, Dolittle still would have been one talk with the animals I’d rather have not engaged in.

Maybe I’ll not feel so sad after I give The Rise of Skywalker a second look.

Jumanji: The Next Level continues a story begun way back in 1995 with wit, intelligence, imagination and creativity, and I’m honestly a little shocked to admit that I cannot wait to see where things go next.

The Aeronauts is a one-of-a-kind achievement, and for that reason alone here’s hoping audiences go give it a look.

Frozen II is a sequel that exists to tell its own individual story and not just ride on the Oscar-winning coattails of its predecessor, watching it a continual joy that filled my heart with glee.

I had a great time watching Maleficent: Mistress of Evil come to such vibrant, colorfully intoxicating life, and as magic tricks go this is one moribund franchise I’m glad to say has risen from the ashes of its predecessor and found fiery new life as its own, captivatingly idiosyncratic animal.

Abominable is as entertaining an animated feature as I’ve seen this year, audiences of all ages almost certain to thrill to its avalanche of pleasures for many years to come.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold is superb, and here’s hoping this live-action teenage take on the material is a modest hit, if only because selfishly I want to watch this pint-sized adventurer head out into the wilds to continue her exploring immediately.

None of it mattered to me, and while I wanted to shrug my shoulders and whisper inaudibly, “Hakuna Matata,” as the end credits began their scrawl, the truth of the matter is that I felt no love for this The Lion King remake, it’s overall storytelling mediocrity a circle of never-ending disappointment I couldn’t wait to be finished with.