Hollywood, like McDonald's, knows it's just good business to hook the customers when they're young. So when school's out, studios push their cinematic Happy Meals: cartoon fare like last summer's Shrek 2, which proved to be the top-grossing film of 2004. And since the wee ones don't buy their own tickets, filmmakers try to insert enough wit and sass and retro references to keep the grownups amused. A children's movie, never forget, is an all-family baby-sitting device.
Eons ago, Walt Disney cornered this market with cartoon features that comforted parents and scared kids with the same implied admonition: Get home before...
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