Kidville (2011)

***Kidville*** is a 2011 American live-action musical comedy film directed by Walt Becker and based on the kids channel of the same name.

20th Century Fox released it worldwide on July 15, and it was produced by Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprises. It received generally negative reviews from critics. The Rotten Tomatoes consensus criticizes the film's humor and "rehashed kids' movie formula". *Kidville* grossed $361 million worldwide on a budget of $60 million and was the seventh-best-selling DVD of 2008.

*Kidville* is the first live-action film starring the Kidville gang. The film was followed by three sequels: *Kidville … Again* (2013), *Kidville: Follow That Gang* (2015), and *Kidville: Road Comedy* (2019).

## Plot

Kidville is a 24-hour preschool channel that became Omniversal Kids in 2007 after years of popularity. Mia Houdek, the world's biggest Kidville fan, encounters an agent who tells her that Richmond is looking for girls who want to sign a standard "rich and famous" contract.

Mia runs away from home in the middle of the night and ventures out to Kidville Studios, the former TV studio of Kidville. Mia learns from the property caretaker Kenny and The Evening Show host Celina that Kidville Studios is threatened with destruction by greedy banker Franklin Vardalos. After many attempts to raise $20,000 to save Kidville Studios, Mia suggests to Celina to hold a fundraiser and the two of them set out to reunite the old gang with Celina’s cousin Caroline Burruss. Meanwhile, the Houdeks have enlisted police officers named Officer Dustin and Officer Austin to find Mia.

First, they approach Bryla from The Kidville House Show and The Bryla Show, who is working for a Kidville tribute channel called Kudvul in Tennessee and agrees to return for the show. Celina needs promotion and Mia suggests the channel's former promoter Jenny whom Celina claimed had "stolen" Kidville from her. Celina phones Jenny, who gladly agrees to promote the show. Bryla then mentions a talent show history where they defeated an armpit musician named Ivan Iffelton in a talent competition which caused Ivan to angrily strike Roly Mo on the head with a chair. Meanwhile, Billy is approached by Franklin who learns about the Kidville Gang's plan and about Jenny promoting the show.

Next, they approach Roly Mo from the Evening Show, who has spent all of his years working at a rubber duckie oatmeal factory and owes $500.00 to the owner, whom he calls "Cha-Cha". Roly wants to return, but cannot do so without paying his debt to the restaurant. Mia places a bet to let Roly off the hook by beating the house band in a playoff. Roly starts his performance off by sounding rusty, but warms up and eventually wins.

Meanwhile, Officer Dustin and Officer Austin approach Kenny for directions to where Mia went. Because Kenny does not mention that Mia is friends with them and has joined them, the officers think that the Kidville gang has kidnapped Mia.

They then approach Rhythm from The Learning Show, who is now a marriage counselor, who is very reluctant because he wants nothing more than to reconcile with his ex-best friend Kenneth. After picking up the rest of the gang through a time-saving montage and being chased by Officers Dustin and Austin through a car wash, the Kidville Gang stops at a motel where Mia learns that Kenneth is performing at the motel's bar. Mia informs Rhythm about this and she goes in to reunite with him where they sing a duet together. He subsequently comes with the band to their reunion.

They finally head out to find Ward Saxton, Kenneth's cousin. Ted is supposedly very wealthy now when they find a mansion where they learn from Johnny Depp that Ward is still at the local country club working at the wedding. After Ward has the other Kidville gang members leave, Bryla eventually finds out that he is nothing more than a wedding singer. Ward is knocked unconscious by Bryla-(who tries to convince him how important he means to the band, saying that they're a family) and forcefully dragged onto the bus. The Kidville gang learns that Ward had been performing at weddings and birthday parties as he mentions that the "gardener" that they met was Johnny Depp and that Ward rented a room over Depp's garage. Roly claims Ward to be the reason for why Kidville became Omniversal Kids, but Ward claims that he held them together and that no one was grateful, as the other members were all busy letting their personalities and habits get in the way, citing Roly's drinking, Rhythm's emotional outbursts, and Bryla's immaturity. Mia reminds them that they claimed each other to be family, but Ward claims it to be meaningless publicity. The gang finally gets to Kidville Studios and cleans it up to an 80s pop hit. Celina tells everyone, including Mia, to find a place to sleep tonight. Later that night, Unicorn sleeps on the rafters with his father Eugene, Ratonita, Doris, and the stagehands while everyone else sleeps in beds directly above the stage. Celina and Charlotte Davis are the only ones awake, looking at the stars through a hole in the ceiling and hoping it doesn't rain, before falling asleep themselves. Mia realizes the real meaning of family and returns home where she is happily reunited with her family.

The Kidville gang reads Mia's school essay about them, and they realize that Mia was right and decide that they must perform the gig. Reconciling with Mia, Kenneth insists that they allow her to join them during the concert, but Franklin Vardalos kidnaps the rest of the Kidville gang and steals the bus. While holding them captive, Franklin Vardalos reveals to the Kidville gang that he is really Ivan Iffelson and is wreaking his vengeance on the Kidville gang for stealing his one chance at fame. Mia, her family and Kenneth use Mia's tracking device to track down, and rescue the band and they head to the concert together.

When they arrive at Kidville Studios, they discover that Franklin Vardalos has paid Jenny to not promote the show, so the concert appears to be headed for failure. Kenny suddenly arrives and reveals, to everyone's surprise, that he promoted the show himself, and had everyone parked in the back field (because he did not want any automobiles out on the front lawn) Kenny then opens the doors and a surge of people rush in, as a defeated Reed Thimple is thrown out of the building by the crowd while vowing to the Kidville gang that their feud is not over. The money raised from the concert is revealed to be enough to save the hall and the Kidville gang performs with Mia as a new member of the band, as the rest of the Houdeks and the audience watch the concert.

## Cast

* Mia Houdek
* Caroline Burruss as herself and Celina
* Ward Saxton as himself and Kenneth
* Charlotte Davis as herself and Mouse
* Jake Sewell as himself and Unicorn
* Luke Payne as himself
* Bonita Campbell as herself
* Lily Ball as herself
* Gabriel Velez as Bryla, Ratonita, Eugene, and Doris
* Kevin Carlson as Dragonfly
* Amanda Maddock as Roly Mo
* Richard Termine as Rhythm
* Hugh Dancy as Kenny
* Eva Longoria as Jenny
* Al Pacino as Franklin Vardalos
* Adam Lambert as Officer Dustin
* Chris Pratt as Officer Austin