Movie Review: "Quest for Camelot"

Rated: G for general audiences
Starring: Jessalyn Gilsig, Cary Elwes, and Eric Idle
Released: May 15, 1998 (theaters) / October 20, 1998 (VHS/DVD)

Synopsis: Kayley's father (Gabriel Byrne, The Man in the Iron Mask) was one of the Knights of the Round Table, who serve King Arthur (Pierce Brosnan, GoldenEye) to keep peace all through the land...but the evil and selfish knight Ruber (Gary Oldman, Harry Potter) killed him when she was young.  Now a young adult, she wants to fight for the cause her father gave his life for, but her mother won't let her...until Ruber comes barging into their house, kidnapping Kayley's mother (Jane Seymour, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman)! As Kayley (Jessalyn Gilsig) ventures to find the famed sword Excalibur, which is the only thing that stands between Ruber and Arthur's throne, she befriends a blind hermit (Cary Elwes, The Princess Bride) and his seeing-eye bird, as well as two conjoined dragons (Eric Idle, Monty Python; Don Rickles, Laugh-In).  With such a crazy group, hilarity, adventure, and heroics are sure to ensue...but will it be enough to foil Ruber's plan?

Plot: 5/5
With the emotional grip of Finding Nemo and the zaniness of a Nickelodeon cartoon, Quest for Camelot had me engrossed from the start.  I found this to be fun, exciting, and pretty much everything one could want in a movie.

Production Values: 5/5
Everything in this department was amazing, too! The voice work--including the singing, which was done by the likes of Andrea Corr and Celine Dion--was outstanding, and the animation was simply wonderful! Nothing to complain about in this department.

Content Concerns:

• Sex: Nothing worse than kissing. 5/5
• Nudity: Shirtless guys and one off-the-shoulder dress. 4.5/5
• Language: "Gosh," "darn" and some mild name-calling ("idiot") are as bad as it gets. 4.5/5
• Violence: Plenty of action, some of it played for laughs, though most of it is serious.  Pretty much the "TV-Y7-FV" kind. 3/5
• Drugs: None. 5/5
• Frightening/Intense Scenes: Some sequences may be too intense for the youngest viewers.  Also, the emotional prologue could trigger some tears, a la Finding Nemo. 3/5
• Other: Some may be bothered by the use of magic in the film. 4/5

 Conclusion: I don't usually do animation, unless it's computer generated and/or superhero related, but, when I saw this movie on the "Kids and Family" rack at my local MovieStop, it called to me, and for good reason.  Other than two longtime favorite albums, I have yet to give anything a perfect score on this blog.  Well, this is going to get one.  A new favorite for me; no question.

Score: 5/5