MVP2: Most Vertical Primate

If you don't think a monkey can shoot a screaming slapshot like Al MacInnis or get radical on a skateboard like Tony Hawk, then you don't know Jack. The simian star of MVP: Most Valuable Primate returns in this inevitable sequel from the producers of Air Bud. Kids who loved the first film will go bananas for this follow-up that whisks Jack from his idyllic life on a nature preserve back on the ice as the newest member of the Seattle Simians hockey team, much to the displeasure of the team's star player. When a rival coach falsely accuses Jack of biting one of his players, Jack hits the streets, where he meets Ben, a young runaway and skateboard enthusiast. Former Home Improvement sidekick Richard Karn co-stars as a skateboard shop owner who takes in Ben and Jack, helping the former to prepare for an upcoming skateboarding competition, while the latter shows off some pretty awesome and very extreme moves of his own. Without any of the toilet humor that has so polluted family fare of late (i.e., See Spot Run), MVP2 fondly recalls Disney's live-action comedies from the '60s. Recommended, overall. (K. Lee Benson)