Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow (DVD, 2008)

The Avengers may have gone down in a blaze of glory in their epic battle with the godlike Ultron, but if billionaire Tony Stark has anything to say about it, their offspring will carry the torch as the next generation of the ultimate superhero team. The children of Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Wasp, Giant Man, Black Panther, and Hawkeye come together and burn with one common goal: avenge their parents. In order to defeat the nearly invincible Ultron, however, they're going to have to find the wayward Hulk. Don't miss this amazing chapter of the Avengers saga.

I bought this for my 5 y.o. son. He and I have many meaningful discussions about who is tougher, Hulk or Thor, Hulk or Wolverine, Superman vs. Hulk, and on and on. He couldn't wait to watch this animation. A tried and true formula in the comics now added to the direct to DVD cartoon movies: kid versions of your favorite heroes. I watched with my son, and as an avid comic fan, was entertained enough to maintain interest through the whole movie.

Marvel does seem to be making the most of Ultron, who I thought was a minor villain back in the day. Now he pops up as often as Dr. Doom. But my boy was glued to the set, watching a pint size Captain America, and (gasp!) a female Thor. A little stunned by a GIRL as one of his favorites, nevertheless, he was still following the action closely. The kid heroes mentor turns out to be Tony Stark, with assistance from the Vision. Finally, Hulk makes an appearance, and my son was thrilled! I won't go into any other details, but overall a good movie, and judging from my boy's interest, one that will be watched many times. Worth the price.

I know this one has been getting a lot of hate from fanboys, who are too "mature" for anything aimed at kids or starring characters that haven't passed puberty yet, but I personally enjoyed it a great deal. Of all the Marvel animated movies, it's the one that comes the closest to capturing that feel of the comics I loved as a kid; it's a mixture of fun, action, humor, danger and hopeful possibilities. There's never has a slow moment, unlike the past four features, and by the end it I was a fan of the new characters, James and Torunn particularly.

It's surely not going to revolutionize animation and it was never claimed that it would. The kids loved it, I loved it and I like to see some more. If you go into the viewing experience without pre-judging it, you just might have a good time watching it, as I did.

I like the combination of the powers with some of the kids. The Hulk was awesome. So was Iron Man. Wish I knew what who the Panther, Thor and Hawkeye hooked up with. There are some parts that seem incomplete, but a great story nontheless.

My husband is a huge, and I mean HUGE, animated comic book superheros fan. When he heard about this DVD being available he had to have it. Since receiving it, it has been watched over 10 times and he is still enjoying it. He would love for another movie to come out, heck a whole series of movies to come out.