To be honest, there is very little I remember from Escape To Witch Mountain, so the upcoming remake doesn't really have me worried that another childhood memory is about to be ruined. The Hollywood Reporter recently announced that Andy Fickman has signed to direct an updated version of the 1975 film, based on Alexander Key's sci-fi novel of the same name. The story centered on two siblings with paranormal abilities who are forced to go on the run as they try to figure out their "interstellar ancestry." Directed by John Hough, the film starred Ray Milland and Eddie Albert, with Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann as the galactic duo.

A script for the remake has already been completed by Matt Lopez, and Disney seems to be keeping this project in the family, since Lopez also wrote the script for their upcoming Adam Sandler comedy, Bedtime Stories. This is also Fickman's latest in a series of deals with the mouse, having already completed The Game Plan with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and having just signed for the family comedy Pool Rats. Fickman also seems to be all about the remakes lately, having reportedly signed to direct the Fame remake for MGM. Now that he seems to be a little preoccupied, maybe they are going to have to start looking elsewhere to revive their 80's musical. Disney has reportedly marked Witch Mountain as a high-profile project. Since they already have their script and their director, we should get word of casting soon.

After seeing the new poster for Alvin and the Chipmunks, I just have to start off by asking, "What the hell has happened to the Chipmunks"? The Movie Blog now has the first look at the one-sheet for the CGI and live action update of Ross Bagdasarian's (a.k.a. David Seville) original creation, and while I'm up all for modernization (they were created in the 50's after all), I can't help but wonder why they decided to outfit the trio in thug wear. For God's sake, Simon is wearing what looks like a kangol.

Bagdasarian first debuted the Chipmunks all the way back in 1958 under the original name David Seville and the Chipmunks. At the time, he had already made a name for himself as the composer of a few novelty hits in the 50's including The Witch Doctor -- you can even hear an inkling of the Chipmunk voices to come in the "ooh ee ooh aah aah" portion of that song. Eventually, a cartoon was based on the "group" (The Alvin Show) and Alvin and the Chipmunks was born. There was also a cartoon series that was created in 83' and ran until 1991 -- although I think most of us could have done without the Chipettes.

Back in March, Monika broke the unfortunate news for Jason Lee fans that he had joined the cast as the put-upon manager/father David, who is for some inexplicable reason the guardian of three singing rodents. The movie was directed by Tim Hill, who you might remember was also responsible for Garfield -- and that really isn't making me feel better about the whole idea. Since this is a family film, it's no surprise that Fox has chosen December 14th as a release date -- tis' the season for family fare. Considering what they've done to the Chipmunks' appearance, I can only imagine what they have planned for Christmas Don't Be Late.

It seems that the interests of kids are changing just a little bit. This new, media-saturated age group (2-12) is no longer interested in the kiddie mainstays that we grew up with. The love for toys and all types of movie merchandise has been falling secondary to the digital realm of Internet websites, digital cameras and cell phones. This new generation has been named by marketers as KGOY -- "kids getting older younger." Perhaps it would better be defined as KAATA -- "kids actually acting their age." We seem to forget that Romeo and Juliet weren't old enough to drive, so maybe we're now hitting an era that isn't fast-tracking or stunting the maturity process.

Whatever the case, movie companies have a lot of merchandise re-jigging to do. According to Variety, things are very different now than a decade ago, when films like The Lion King could rake in huge merchandising bucks. These days, it seems that all of those fun toys that once appealed to the 8-10 year-old demographic -- action figures, dolls and stuffed animals -- are now getting bought by kids under 6. While the little folk head towards digital entertainment, sales on action figures went down a whopping 9%. According to an executive at Disney, it will come down to guessing future play patterns. So sure, there's some re-imagining to do on the toy front, but at the very least, it will mean less junk to be manufactured and then ripped apart through years of savage play. Besides, there's that whole adult, money-to-burn, toy-collecting demographic for manufacturers to focus on.

NPR talked about the onslaught of children's films at the box office lately on Day to Day last Friday and wondered about the quality control going on behind the scenes. They interviewed film historian Charles Solomon, who comments that the scarcity of animated and children's films used to make them an important part of a childhood experience, but things have changed. These days, the sheer amount of films pile on so quickly that before you blink, three different animated movies have been released at the box office. Suddenly you're buying everything from Flushed Away action figures to Over the Hedge video games, but your kids aren't getting the same messages and experience that you had when you saw The Rescuers for the first time.

It's no secret that kid's movies can rake in a ton of dough; the studios are busy falling all over themselves trying to make them. It seems like as more get churned out, fewer of them that have great stories and characters. They'll just market the hell out of them so that every box of cereal, kid's TV show, and billboard is plastered with images of the upcoming film and your children will refuse to eat anything green or brush their teeth until you take them to see it.

Now, I love animated films probably more than an adult should, but the problem is pretty rampant with the films aimed at children that are being released today, as we posted about previously on Cinematical. The trouble is that for every Spirited Away released, there comes a slew of films like Happy Feet, Barnyard, and The Ant Bully. These films took some critical hard hits, but they've made bags of cash (the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut of Happy Feet has almost cleared $200 million already). Studios are more concerned with cranking out a product in a timely manner, even if it's sub-par and relies on fart jokes and recycled plots. As a result, quality children's entertainment is getting harder and harder to find. Parents may appreciate the fact that they can now take their kids to see a movie aimed at children almost any weekend now, rather than having to wait ... but at what cost?

What do you think, parents? Is the onslaught of animation worth the decrease in quality kiddie fare? Or is it enough just to be able to plunk your tot down for 90 minutes with a kiddie-pack combo, even if what they're seeing isn't quite up to the standards you remember from your own childhood hours at the movies?

Okay, so here is where I show my age ... which is none of your business thank you very much. I am not at all familiar with the Bratz dolls, other than the fact that they look like underage hookers and have really disproportionate heads and bodies. But, since little girls seem to love them, there are already magazines, albums, a TV show and now a live-action movie on the way.

Back in May, Erik reported on the live-action film which is being put together by MGA Entertainment and Crystal Sky Pictures, but a director had not yet signed on. However, it was announced on Tuesday that Sean McNamara (Raise Your Voice) would hop onboard and take over helming duties on the project. The screenplay follows Yasmin, Ari, Cloe, and Jade bonding over social pressures at Lewis & Clark High School -- it sort of sounds like Mean Girls, except with no actual point. I mean they're dolls, people! I always thought Barbie was a bit of a "good time girl" but these gals dress like Soul Train dancers and wear as much makeup as a Vegas cocktail waitress. Yeah, it's kind of disturbing.

Production is set to begin this February.