Imagine a screening of Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel at Cannes or Sundance. Not exactly a likely scenario. But the Squeakquel and other films of similar caliber are part of your world because they’re part of Junior’s. Newsflash: You can do better. Much better.

Check out the New York International Children’s Film Festival. Tickets just went on sale for the festival, which runs from February 26th through March 21st. You can catch the best of indie kids’ films from around the globe. Typically, the NYICFF flicks score big on all fab four fronts; they’re intelligent, creative, entertaining and have cross-generational appeal. An antidote to the formulaic. Bonus: Kids who attend the screenings for the shorts get to vote on the films! Winners are announced on March 14th. Below are some of the movies being screened for the five-and-under set:

Eleanor’s Secret (France) - Characters from classic fairytales come alive to help little Nate learn to read in this 76-minute animated French film.

Shorts for Tots - The best of short films and animation from around the world for kids ages 3-6. Includes Japan’s Mr. Shape, the United States’ Electric Car, Sweden’s Booo and Animals plus lots more.

Turtle: The Incredible Journey (UK/Austria) - Think nature footage “on par with Planet Earth and March of the Penguins.” Follow the 6,000-mile journey of a single loggerhead turtle from the Florida Coast.

The screenings sell out, so motivate now.

For tickets, a complete list of screenings and showtimes, visit gkids.com.

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