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Newsies

Based on historical events, the Newsies are a ragged bunch of orphans who take on Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst to protest unfair working conditions imposed while selling newspapers.

The story is told through Jack Kelly (Christian Bale), a young orphan with lofty dreams of moving to Santa Fe to be with his fictional parents. At only seventeen, Kelly has been working as a newsie long enough to be considered the best. He's a mentor, big brother and even father figure to the rest of the raggedy bunch. He also has a mouth that frequently gets him into trouble.

After the owners increase the cost to their newspaper boys, the Newsies protest and refuse to peddle the "pape's" as they call them. They spread the strike all over Manhattan, and even across the bridge into the feared territory of Brooklyn, ruled by Spot Conlon (Gabriel Damon).

As one of the few adults who aren't the "bad guys" in this film, Denton (Bill Pullman) is a writer and editor who notices the potential story line developing and begins to see the need for child labor reforms. He lends a helping hand to the gang by keeping their story in the news.

Lovable characters like Racetrack (Max Casella), Crutchy, and David "the walking mouth" (David Moscow) are part of the ensemble cast and main players in the newsies revolution.

Using the historical facts as a backdrop, the cast sings and dances up a storm with original songs like "Santa Fe," "King of New York," and "It's a Fine Life."

All of the dance numbers were choreographed by Kenny Ortega, who is best known for his memorable work in Dirty Dancing. This young cast leaps and twirls with the stunning turn-of-the-century New York buildings as their stage with precision and ease.

Kids (and adults) of all ages will love this family movie. There's singing and dancing, a little romance, and a whole lot of energy!

Written by: Jenni Mennella

Reviewers Rating: 8.5
Reader's Rating: 9.51
Reader's Votes: 197

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