Directed by: Mike Mitchell
Written by:Paul Hernandez, Robert Schooley, Mark McCorkle
Starring: Michael Angarano, Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston,  Bruce Campbell, Dave Foley, Cloris Leachman
Released: September 8, 2005
Grade: B-

Will Stronghold (Angarano) is starting his freshman year at Sky High, the school where kids with super-powers learn how to harness their ability and use it to benefit mankind.  There’s a lot of expectation on Will because he’s the son of the world’s two leading superheros, The Commander (Russell) and Jetstream (Preston).  Unfortunately for Will, he hasn’t developed any powers yet and hasn’t had the guts to tell his parents.

It doesn’t take long for Will to make his first “mortal enemy”.  Fellow student Warren Peace is determined to make Will’s school life a difficult experience.  You see, Warren’s dad is a super-villain and was defeated and put into jail by Will’s parents.  When the two face off in a cafeteria brawl, Will’s dream comes true – he develops super-human strength and manages to defend himself.  The end result though is a trip to the detention room.

Will’s best friend is Layla (Danielle Panabaker) but he is oblivious to the fact she has a huge crush on him.  It goes from bad to worse for Layla when Will falls for Gwen, an older student and head of the Homecoming Dance committee.  The two start spending all their time together and Layla has to take a back seat.  Things are about to change however with evil forces planning on destroying Sky High and Will’s parents in the process.  It’s up to Will to save the day.

I’ve heard this film compared to The Incredibles and that’s a fair description.  It’s a film which looks at superheroes in a more personal, comedic light.  Sky High is cute but it’s in no way as entertaining as The Incredibles, which was one of the most smartly written animated films ever made.  There are some gaping holes in the Sky High story but it’s designed for kids and I like the overall premise so I’m prepared to give it some slack.

There’s a good performance in the film from Michael Angarano (Lords Of Dogtown) who plays Will Stronghold.  He has a sheepish look that fits the character perfectly.  The star power comes from Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston but the script doesn’t give them much to work with - their dialogue is fairly plain and rigid.

It’s just good enough for kids to enjoy this school holidays.