So, when it comes to animated kids’ movies, I defer to the expertise of my six-year-old daughter, Nalyce. I’ve been reviewing for several years now and I like to think that I am capable of being firm and fair, but my daughter is a harder judge of the quality kids content. She actually walked out on Finding Dory. Yeah, she is that tough. Fortunately for Tad Stone the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas, it received her golden seal of approval, pun intended. A continuation of the franchise, the story functions well enough as a standalone that you don’t have to be concerned that you won’t be about to keep up with the premise.
A sequel to the previous film (Tad Stone the Lost Explorer), the story picks up with Tad about to reunite with renowned archeologist, Sara, at the unveiling of her most recent discovery. Tad is gathering his courage in hopes of rekindling the spark between the two during the first film. He never gets the chance to express his feelings, as armed men storm the exhibit and take Sara hostage. The group lead by Jack Rankin, plans to use Sara to lead them to the legendary collar of King Midas, which bestows the wearer with the power to change anything into gold with a single touch.
Assisted by Sara’s assistant, Tiffany and the mummy from the previous film, aptly named Momia, Tad must rely on his wits and travel to several countries to locate the three pieces of the collar before Rankin can claim them for himself and gain the power of the Gods.
As I stated earlier, the film really resonated with Nalyce. Though I must admit that some of her enthusiasm was dampened when I was forced to explain that it wasn’t really possible to turn things into gold with a touch. That aside, she confirmed that she really like the story and I can attest that her attention did not waver once throughout. Personally, I found the story charming; Tad is a really likable character, albeit awkward at times, but it adds to the charm. Especially his pursuit of Sara. If anyone can claim that they would do anything for love, it’s this guy who traveled across the world and risk the fate of the world in order to keep her safe.
The plot drives forward at a good steady pace and like my daughter, I managed to stay engaged with the story for the entire period. Nalyce did get a bit restless towards the end, but despite that, her eyes never left the screen. I can’t think of a better testament of the film’s entertainment value than that. Overall, Tad Stone is an excellent family friendly film.
The film is a sequel to a previous film. Having not seen the original film, I did have my concerns going in on whether I would be able to follow the story. There are some aspects that were clearly carried over from the last movie, such as the relationship between Tad and Sara, as well as the return of Momia. Those things aside, I was able to follow everything with relative ease, as the movie function as more of a standalone rather than a continuation. A key component to the success of the story in my opinion, was relatable characters that are not without flaws. For example, Sara is held up as the object of desire, but she is not above getting jealous. Additionally, another character is not above shifting allegiances under the right circumstances.
Needless to say, Tad Stone the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas has both mine and my daughter’s stamp of approval. It is a great film that can be shared with the whole family. I wholeheartedly recommend it for movie night.
