Hey Wall: A Story of Art and Community

In a kingdom of knights and tech, a shapeshifting teen named Nimona offers herself as sidekick to a disgraced knight, Ballister Boldheart, framed for killing the queen. Together they go after the Institution that runs everything and learns what Nimona really is. An animated adaptation of ND Stevenson's graphic novel, with a different ending and a clear message about who gets called a monster.

Why it’s here: It's a family film about who gets called a monster and why. What's punk is a shapeshifter who refuses to be tamed and a hero who has to choose her over the rules. What's pedagogical is how clearly it shows fear as an engine of control. Pairs with the catalog's Nimona (suggested today), Frankenstein in Baghdad (suggested 10-16) and The Giver. Note: PG, with fantasy violence and a hard moment about a child being feared; the film departs from the book's ending.

Paddington, the bear from Peru, is framed for stealing a rare pop-up book and sent to prison. Instead of fighting, he makes marmalade sandwiches for the inmates, who turn out to be a better crowd than the vain actor who framed him. A family comedy about kindness as a practice, with a London that shows what a welcoming neighborhood looks like.

Why it’s here: It's a kids' movie that says kindness is a political act. What's punk is a bear who changes a prison kitchen by being polite on purpose, and a story that treats the neighbors as the heroes. What's pedagogical is how clearly it shows prejudice as the thing that turns a neighbor against a stranger. Pairs with Last Stop on Market Street, Enemy Pie and The Rabbit Listened. Note: gentle, a little prison peril; a film about welcoming migrants that never says so.