Moana Movie Review (2016)

Moana was the movie of choice, my choice that is, on our recent Friday Movie Night. My husband traveled with me to Polynesia willingly I must say. Armchair travel. Who would have thought there would be a day when this was the only way to travel?

Anyway, Moana was a movie that I wanted to see when it came out because it felt Hawaiian and I love everything about Hawaii. However, being empty nesters with no little people around, we tend now to miss animated movies when they arrive at the movie theatre and then, well, there are just so many great movies and programs to watch that Moana slipped out of sight for awhile. I am happy to say that I have finally seen it and that I was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed our trip. It was a great escape from the virus and pandemic that is gripping the world as I write this post on March 23, 2020.  

STORYLINE

A fictional mythological story done with computer-generated animation, Moana tells the tale of a teenage princess who stands up to protect her people when a fiery demon threatens them. She loves the ocean and sets out upon it learning navigational skills as she goes. Helping here is the demi-god Maui who was the original creator of the Pacific Islands. Together they sail onward, fighting difficulties as they look for the particular island she will conclude her mission.

Moana is a princess, the daughter of a Chieftain. However, she does not think of herself as a princess. She certainly does not fit the stereotype and definitely does not need rescuing. She is a strong, curvy girl with a mission. The Guardian aptly puts it when they say that "Moana is the story of a female leader-in-waiting who is independent and progressive, who cares about the environment and who looks beyond the borders of her homeland to face the challenges of the future." I say don't get in Moana's way!

TRAILER

Here's a peek into the movie via the official movie trailer:

LOVE INTEREST

This princess movie does not feature a love interest. The New York Times says, the Disney princess tradition continues to be charming (in this movie) but also widens "its cultural frame of reference and allows heroines to travel down paths other than the one leading straight to matrimony." There are important men in Moana's story but they are family and friend and one of the strongest characters is most fittingly, the ocean.

HEI HEI

Another, ah, interesting character is the ridiculous chicken sidekick named Hei Hei. He stuck out to me in the beginning as totally over the top but, in the end, he was definitely part of the fun.  (Find your plush Hei Hei on Amazon by clicking right here.)

REVIEWS

As Roger Ebert says, this Disney movie has "dazzling visuals, catchy tunes, enjoyable performances, clever running gags and overall sense of fun." I agree. If you did not already want to go to Polynesia or Hawaii, this movie will make you want to go. It was beautifully done and a lot of fun. As always, I particularly loved the humorous moments.

The Verge says, "After 80 years of experiments, Disney has made the perfect Disney movie." That will give you a pretty good idea of the reception that this movie had. Moana follows the Disney formula but it is brilliantly executed.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Moana is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by all of the reviewers on this page and by me.

Have you seen Moana? What did you think? Will you be adding it to your movie list? You can buy your copy of Moana on Amazon by clicking right here.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Find your copy of Moana on Amazon.
Check out all the fabulous Moana merchandise on eBay!

Beauty and the Beast 25th Anniversary Edition Release Date

Of course, with the upcoming live animated version, Disney will be re-releasing Beauty and the Beast. It will come to us in the form of a 25th Anniversary Edition and I know that it will be met with open arms because of the enduring popularity of this Disney classic.

Beauty and the Beast, first released in 1991, was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture in 1992 and the animation department won a Scientific and Technical Academy Award for designing the Computer Animated Production System used in the making of the film.

Here is a sneak peek at the advance Blu-ray release:

   

The release date for the Blu-ray and DVD is September 20 though the movie will be available on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on September 6. The Blu-ray release shown above will include Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD versions. Run time for the movie is 92 minutes but there appear to be hours of special features. You can find a list of special features and read more about this re-release on Amazon by clicking right here.

Beauty and the Beast was a beautifully made movie. I cannot wait to see what Disney does with the the 25th Anniversary Edition this fall and then the live action version in 2017. You?

See you at the movies!
Brenda

More Reading:

Beauty and the Beast (2017) Official Movie Trailer
Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition Blu-ray Movie Review

Despicable Me 2 Minions Poster

I'll admit it...I have yet to see Despicable Me and I don't love Minions...but my grown son does so I'm bringing you this I Love Minions movie poster from Allposters as a wordless Wednesday post. How about it? Do you heart minions?

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy this Despicable Me 2 I Love Minions movie poster from Allposters.com.

Walt Disney Short Films Collection

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes a new collection of short films including the much anticipated Frozen Fever with Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Sven and Kristoff, which is available for the first time on Blu-ray disc or DVD

It includes the Oscar-nominated Lorenzo.

It includes classic cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse in Get A Horse.

It has ten additional shorts: Paperman, Feast, John Henry, The Little Matchgirl, How To Hook Up Your Home Theater, Tick Tock Tale, Prep and Landing: Operation Secret Santa, The Ballad Of Nessie and Tangled Ever for a total of twelve animated shorts.

Special features include introductions to and interviews with Disney animators and film makers.

Blu-ray.com praises the virtue of some of the shorts, most notably Paperman and Feast, and calls some of them hit or miss. The reviewer warns that many of the shorts have been seen before as extras on other Blu-ray releases so if you own or have seen many Disney shorts before, you may not see them for the first time in this collection. They do go on to praise the audio visual quality of the Blu-ray release.

Jim Hill of the Huffington Post says, “It’s a clever collection of modern era Disney animated shorts that is a must-have for any serious film fan." Will you be adding it to your collection?

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy your Walt Disney Short Films Collection from Amazon.
More Disney gift ideas.

Monsters, Inc. Blu-Ray Review

If you are reading this page you are no doubt familiar with Disney Pixar's Monsters, Inc. 

Featuring one big, giant blue Monster, this movie is a wonderful animated movie that Amazon says, showed "technical complexity and emotional impact."  

We loved the fact that the monsters in this film are more afraid of the children rather than that the children are of the monsters! 

If you are not familiar with this movie, you might like to know that your children will probably NOT find these lovable monsters scary and you might like to note that Monsters Inc. is recommended for children aged 5 and up.

Check out the trailer here for yourself and then read what the experts had to say about the blu-ray release of Monsters, Inc.

The Boston Herald called this movie, "visually dazzling, action-packed and hilarious."  

Blu-ray.com called Monsters, Inc. a MUST SEE -- a film that features excellent voicing, animation and a great concept. The Blu-ray disc they called a winner as it features a "gorgeous video transfer, mind-blowing sound and generous special features."

High-Def Digest confirmed that Monsters is a classic and one that is likely to stand the test of time. They called the video near perfect and the audio well crafted and demo worthy. A MUST OWN.

Blog Critics said that the Monsters Inc. Blu-ray shows off the great work of this movie and its great story and they praise the quality put into this release. They recommend that fans add this to their BUY pile.

How about you? Are you impressed with the quality of Monsters Inc. on Blu-ray? Do you have it in your collection or will you be adding it to your collection?

Buy your copy of Monsters, Inc. from Amazon.

See you
at the movies!

Disney Planes Fire & Rescue Trailer

Who knew there was a new Disney Planes movie? Not me at least not until today when I received an email in my inbox about a new Disney Planes movie called Disney Planes Fire and Rescue.

Having only recently watched Disney Planes that movie franchise is fresh in my mind. Since we do not have any children to take to the movie theatre to watch animated movies and because there is almost always a list of movies we would like to see at the theatre, we chose to wait and watch Planes on blu-ray disc.

We enjoyed that movie so when I read about the new one (Fire and Rescue) this morning I was curious about what Disney has in store for us and I found out by taking a peek at the new official movie trailer:

 

So, what did you think? I enjoyed the trailer.  I think that Disney Planes Fire & Rescue looks like an exciting, action packed movie and I quite enjoyed the humorous moments and even the music. I will look forward to more funny moments and hopefully more great songs in the movie itself.

Particularly interestingly to us is the fact that this movie has a HELICOPTER in it and, as a former Sea King helicopter navigator, my husband will probably place this animated Disney movie slightly higher on his To See List because of that fact.  How about you? Will Fire and Rescue make your list?

Disney Planes Fire & Rescue arrives in movie theatres on July 18, 2014.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

The Lion King Diamond Edition (2011) Review

Well, it is here at last or it will be in a couple of days on October 4, 2011 and the advance reviews indicate that the experts are more than a little impressed with the quality with which Disney has transferred The Lion King to blu-ray disc.

The Movie Mom said that the re-release of The Lion King in 3D roared at the movie theatres during the limited, two-week run that it was given, shocking everyone by out grossing Brad Pitt's new baseball movie, Moneyball.

In general, High-Def Digest loves The Lion King, saying "The Lion King is Disney's greatest achievement."

My morning newspaper, The Ottawa Citizen, said that The Diamond Edition of The Lion King "is the most sophisticated to date, with a completely restored theatrical version, updated soundtrack and more."

Blu-ray.com said, "Once again, Disney has treated one of its animated classics like royalty and the results are nothing short of spectacular." We should be pleased that Disney is going to lengths to make sure these classic animated movies are upgraded in the best possible quality for our children and for generations to come.

I believe that The Lion King Diamond Edition is destined to be found under many Christmas trees this year. What do you think? Is there a copy of this movie in your future?

See you
at the movies!

Brenda

Quick Links:

Read more about The Lion King Diamond Edition.
Buy your copy of The Lion King Diamond Edition from Amazon.

New Steven Spielberg Movie: Tintin 2011

My husband came into the room when I was watching The Adventures of Tintin 2011 movie trailer and raised an eyebrow as he is known for doing. (You can watch the trailer on my previous post by clicking here,)

I told him that I was watching the trailer for the new Tintin movie that Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are doing and my husband's eyebrow went up a tiny bit higher. He commented that it seemed a bit odd for Spielberg to be doing an animated movie so I went looking to find out why Spielberg is bringing Tintin to the movie screens this year.

It turned out that the answer to that question is fairly simple and straightforward. Steven Spielberg became a strong fan of The Adventures of Tintin comic books when he read about them in a review that compared Raiders of the Lost Ark to Tintin. He was presented with a set of the French books and it did not matter that he could not understand the words. He fell in love with the artwork.

Michael Farr, author of the book Tintin: The Complete Companion said that Spielberg was the only one who could bring the books to life. Let’s hope that Farr was right and that Steven Spielberg pleases the Tintin fans. Until then, I am going to get my hands on a copy of the book and see what Tintin is all about.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Order your copy of Tintin: The Complete Companion from Amazon.

The Adventures of Tintin 2011 Movie

The Adventures of Tintin are not books that my children read, although as a volunteer librarian, I saw them pass through many hands. With the announcement recently that Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are preparing a movie version of The Adventures of Tintin, I went looking to find out what the books and the movie are all about.

The movie is definitely an adaptation of the book series of the same name which was created by Georges Remi and it focuses on three parts of the series: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure. The story line follows Tintin and his friends as they go on a treasure hunt to a sunken ship.

The Adventures of Tintin is Steven Spielberg’s first animated film and his first movie based on a comic-book. It stars Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliot fame) as Tintin and features Daniel Craig (of James Bond fame) as pirate Red Rackham.

The Adventures of Tintin is due to be released in 3D, 2D and Imax 3D on December 23, 2011. Let's hope that it measures up to the level that we expect of Steven Spielberg films.

What about you? Are you a Tintin fan?

See you
At the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

More Tintin movie trivia on IMDB.
The Adventures of Tintin movie on Amazon.

The Lion King Trilogy 2011

This fall, Disney is bringing The Lion King out of The Vault. However, they are first bringing a new and different version, a 3D version, to movie theatres for two weeks before they re-releases the movie on blu-ray disc, blu-ray 3D and DVD.

The blu-ray version will be available for purchase on October 4, 2011; the DVD version on November 14, 2011.

All of the versions, of course, are available for purchase already from Amazon by clicking right here.

The Lion King Trilogy, as shown here, is the package that caught my eye.

It includes four movies: the original 2D versions of The Lion King, The Lion King 1 1/2 and The Lion King 2, a digital copy of The Lion King PLUS the brand-new version, The Lion King in 3D.

The trilogy set is packed with special features including those that come with The Lion King blu-ray release:  new deleted scenes, an extended version of The Morning Report, never seen bloopers, Disney Second Screen, Pride of The Lion King, The Lion King: A Memoir - Don Hahn, Disney Sing-Along, an interactive gallery, an audio commentary and Disney's Virtual Vault: Classic DVD Features Powered by BD-Live.

It also includes special features with the two other movies.

The Lion King 1-1/2 features Timon and Pumbaa's Vacation Safari, deleted scenes, Timon: Behind the Legend, Before the Beginning: The Making of The Lion King 1 ½ and a music video.

The Lion King 2 features include Timon and Pumbaa's Insectapedia, an animated short called One by One, Proud of Simba's Pride, Timon and Pumbaa: Find Out Why and a music video.

Amazon already has the trilogy boxed set discounted. I will not quote the price here because it is subject to change but I will say that the sale price is pretty good when you consider what is included with this attractively packaged, eight-disc gift set. When you look at the prices of the three individual Lion King movies on DVD right now, this boxed set becomes a very good deal indeed. (And do not forget that Amazon will ship it for FREE.)

If you want to upgrade your copy of The Lion King or perhaps buy it for the first time on blu-ray, I think The Lion King Trilogy is the way to go.  It is way too soon to be thinking of next Christmas but I would be willing to bet that this will be a top-rated movie gift choice next Christmas.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy The Lion King Trilogy from Amazon.

 

Disney's Mars Needs Moms Fails At The Box Office...But Is It Any Good?

It's not very often that Disney makes a movie that turns out to be a box office bomb but it looks like Mars Needs Moms was a wipe out.  The newspaper I read (the Ottawa Citizen) said that Mars Needs Moms "was one of the biggest write-offs in modern Hollywood history." According to the Citizen, it cost $150 million dollars to make the movie (plus other sources say another $50 million to promote it) and earned $6.9 million in its debut, which put it in the 12th spot for worst openings of all time.

Those figures are pretty powerful and I will admit that Mars Needs Moms held no attraction to me. My children are older  and therefore the movie stayed pretty much in my peripheral vision but now that I have read how poorly the movie did at the box office, I am wondering if Mars Needs Moms was any GOOD.

Wikipedia calls this film a "3D computer-animated sci-fi adventure comedy film" and says that it is based on the illustrated book of the same name, written by Berkeley Breathed.

IMDB describes the storyline in few words when they say, "A young boy named Milo gains a deeper appreciation for his mom after Martiasn come to Earth to take her away." (I wonder if the short plot description has any meaning?)  And the movie rates a score of just 4.1 out of 10.

Rotten Tomatoes says, "The cast is solid and it's visually well-crafted, but Mars Needs Moms suffers from a lack of imagination and heart." The film struggles to get 34 percent grade of the Tomatometer.

The trailer official video trailer makes the movie look like fun but the reviews ah, well, they are not so good so I went looking for some information about WHY Mars Needs Moms did not do so well at the box office.

In the Hollywood Reporter, Disney's President of Worldwide Distribution is quoted as having said, "The right audience came, but not in the numbers we needed."

So that leaves us wondering why didn't they come to see this film?

Box office observers have made a few observations:

• That movie fans do not always LIKE motion-capture technology.
• That the movie title with the use of the word Moms may have been a turn-off for boys.
• That animation works better when the characters are not people.
• That a movie with Mom being kidnapped might have been just a tad frightening for youngsters.

Ebert Presents The Movie called it an "animated 3D time killer" and also focused on the dark subject matter of a Mom disappearing.

The Movie Mom called Mars Needs Mums a "decidedly second-tier Disney with third-tier visuals" and gives it a mark of 'C.' The film is rated PG for science fiction action and peril and she recommends it for children from the fourth grade up.

So all of this has me wanting to see the movie for myself out of, at the very least, curiousity about why it did so poorly. If after reading all of this, YOU want to watch Mars Needs Moms, you can buy it from Amazon now in advance of the release date of August 9, 2011.

I feel badly for the film-makers who obviously put a lot of time and energy into making this movie. It mus be pretty disappointing to invest so much effort in a projec tyou love and have it poorly received.

We'd love to hear YOUR review of Disney's Mars Needs Moms.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy Mars Needs Moms from Amazon.

HOP 2011 A New Easter Bunny Movie

HOP promises a new adventure for the Easter Bunny this year.  I stumbled across him by accident and was totally impressed by the artwork.  The movie, looks to be a comedy although the poor little bunny gets struck by a car...

The story line is that of a little bunny who doesn't really want to assume his duties of Easter Bunny, even though we all know that the job duties aren't too difficult...work one day a year, travel the world, plenty of candy...what else could a bunny want?

Anyway, after he is struck by the car, the human driver takes him in and must help salvage Easter. In the process both bunny and man grow up a bit.

And as a bonus, this movie will help you learn where jelly beans come from...although you really might NOT want to know.  You can buy your copy of HOP on Amazon by clicking right here.

I WANT CANDY!

See you at the movies,
Brenda

The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold, A Rankin and Rass Production

Yesterday I watched and was VERY impressed by the 1981 Bankin and Rass production of The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold.

The storyline follows a young boy sent from a passing ship to find a Christmas tree. The young lad named Dinty Doyl finds himself on an unknown Irish island and manages to set free a banshee from her prison.  Fortunately, Leprechaun Blarney Kilakilarney realizes that the Banshee will soon be after his gold and, aided by Lord Patrick king of the wee folk, both he and Dinty try to fool the Banshee.

Voiced by Art Carney and Peggy Cass and featuring one of my favorite Irish songs, Christmas in Killarney, this television show was really lovely. Technically more of a Christmas story but perfectly suitable for St. Patrick's Day viewing, too.

Amazon customer reviews are enthusiastic although a bit focused on achieving the release of this movie on DVD so I was amazed to discover that you CAN buy The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold as part of a boxed set on DVD. For the price of not much more than a single disc, you get nine timeless Classic Christmas Favorites including The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Discover a page of family friendly Leprechaun films.

Toy Story 3 Movie Review

We finally put the Toy Story 3 blu-ray disc that I received for Christmas in the blu-ray player this weekend and we were WOWED. 

What a movie!

It was funny...and the quality of animation was truly AMAZING. (No wonder Toy Story 3 made the list of the best blu-ray movies from 2010.)

The story, however, was overwhelmingly sad for at least one member of our family and I was not prepared for that. Mind you, I knew that people thought it was going to be a sad film because it was the end of an era for a certain generation. 

My son's girl friends were quick to tell me that this movie IS about THEM.  They grew up with Toy Story and this is their final year of school which means that they, like Andy, are off to college this year.

However, I don't really remember my sons being big Toy Story fans. Oh sure, they knew Woody and Buzz Lightyear and they could "to infinity and beyond" as well as the next child, one son carried a wicker cowboy hat all the way to the Woody's Roundup at Disneyland in California so that he could dress up as Woody and none of us will ever forget seeing REAL little green army men while eating our lunch at a diner at that same park in California.

But Toy Story wasn't a movie that we owned and it wasn't one we saw more than maybe once or twice and lo and behold my son wasn't blown away by the fact that it was the end of the franchise but rather that the toys were so poorly done by...this from a young man whose childhood bear is bearly (misspelling intended) attached by a thread...

Anyway, I had no idea that this movie would be such an emotional roller coaster.  I laughed and enjoyed myself while my son grew sadder and sadder...

The next day I asked him if I could sell the Toy Story 3 blu-ray disc in my eBay store figuring there was no way he would EVER want to watch THAT movie again...and he said a resounding "No!"  Go figure!

How about you? What did you and your family think of the Toy Story 3 story?

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Order your copy of Toy Story 3 from Amazon.
See the movies available in my eBay store.

Walt Disney's Bambi Comes Out Of The Vault in 2011

Walt Disney's Bambi is coming out of the vault this spring. Anyone who loves Bambi will be excited to see the movie for the first time on high definition blu-ray disc.

Bambi was Walt Disney's first animated movie that tried to feature animals that looked real. It took Disney and his studio five years to put this movie together and Disney went to great lengths to achieve the look AND the feel of Bambi.

Bambi sure looks good to me, although parents ought to be aware that Bambi is not appropriate for all children. I think it is really easy to jump to that conclusion, especially in the case of a movie which features such sweet characters as Bambi and Thumper.  If you are a parent of young children, I recommend proceeding with caution. Bambi is definitely not for children under the age of 5 and is even disturbing for children as old as the age of 10. 

What do you think? Is Bambi okay for young children?  If you have an experience to share with other parents about the age appropriateness of Bambi, please feel free to leave a comment here.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy Walt Disney's Bambi on Blu-ray or DVD.

 

Marge Champion: The Model For Snow White

Have you ever wondered who Walt Disney based Snow White on? On the page Meet Marge Champion, we learn about how Miss Champion was chosen and we discuss how much Walt Disney paid her for her work and whether or not it was enough.

We discover that Ms. Champion was not blacklisted by Walt Disney (the way Adriana Caselotti was) AND we learn that Ms. Champion went on to enjoy a successful dance career.

We all know that in the end the Snow White franchise earned Walt Disney a fortune and that it continues to do so today. This past year, Disney reissued the movie on DVD and on blu-ray disc. The remastered classic received high marks and I am sure appeared under many Christmas trees this year.

Disney profits...

And what of Ms. Champion? Once again, something to think about.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

See Amazon's collection of Marge Champion movies.

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown Movie Review

Poor old Charlie Brown. If you have seen Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, you will know exactly what I am referring to. If you have not seen it and care about not knowing the outcome, then I recommend you not visit my review page. (But there are no spoilers on THIS page so for now you are safe.)

If you have seen Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Schulz I would love to hear what you think about what happened to Charlie Brown in this animated children's classic.

I was shocked.

I look forward to your visit and hearing whether you were horrified, too or whether you think it was no big deal and that Charlie Brown was up to the task.

And in case you were wondering, Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is NOT available on blu-ray disc.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy your copy of Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown from Amazon.

Ratatouille Movie Review on Blu-ray and DVD

Ratatouille is one of if not my favorite animated movie ever. What's not to love about a movie featuring a rat in the kitchen?!?

Once you get past that part (and for some people it IS a sticky point), you will discover a beautiful movie starring one little rat and one young male kitchen employee.

You will combine three of my and possibly your favorite hobbies ~~ movies, food and travel.

You will enjoy the sights and sounds of the city of lights, Paris.

You will be able to smell the very realistic albeit animated soup simmering away on the stove...

And the blu-ray version of Ratatouille? Well, simply put, it is a delight.  High-Def Digest says, "This blu-ray release is also fantastic, boasting absolutely perfect video and audio, plus a great package of extras. This is a must-own disc that no Blu-ray collection should be without."


See you at
the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Click here to order your copy of Ratatouille from Amazon.

Do You Need Help Picking The Best Movies For Children?

Do you need help picking the best movies for your children? I certainly did when mine were young.

I must admit that I shielded my young children from too much television or too many movies and, therefore, a movie was a really special family occasion for us. When we did watch a movie, it was carefully chosen.

Simply relying on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ratings is not enough. I think of it as a starting point. (If you need an explanation of the MPAA ratings, you can check them out here.)

Remember that the information given on a movie box is there to help the movie sell and not to give parents the information they need to make a wise choice.

If you are unsure about a movie, watch it before you share it.

When you do share a movie with your children, watch with them so that you can enjoy the fun and so that you can talk about the contents of the movie and answer questions as they arise.

If you happen to be watching a movie and it covers something that you do not want your children to see, by all means turn your television off.

Toy Story 3 (Four-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)

Toy Story 3 is an excellent family friendly movie with something for everyone. But be aware that even though it is rated G it may not be appropriate for the youngest of children. The Movie Mom recommends it for children between the age of kindergarten and grade 3. She elaborates by saying that the characters are often in peril, often tense and that there are some scary moments, bathroom humour, a double entendre and gender humor. A good example that even the movies which seem perfect for children must be approached with thought. It is important to know your children and to know what might be objectionable in a movie.

For more help choosing movies for your children, visit my page How To Pick The Best Movies For Children, where you will find more tips and tricks, online movie resources to help you screen movies for your family and a few family friendly movie recommendations.

See you (and your family)
at the movies!
Brenda

Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition Blu-ray Movie Review

The Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray movie has been very well received. So well received in fact, that it earned the number one spot on this year's list of The Best Blu-ray Movies for 2010 and it may well turn out to be Disney's best Blu-ray movie of the year.

What makes it so special?  Well, start with the fact that the Diamond edition includes the Blu-ray and the DVD. Add the technical information that the transfer to Blu-ray is extremely well done; the soundtrack, amazing. Finally, throw in HOURS worth of extras.

The quality of the Blu-ray combined with the quality and popularity of this Disney movie will make Beauty and the Beast one of the most desired animated Blu-ray discs of the year. Will the sound of Belle's voice sing out from your surround sound system?

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Click here to order your copy of Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition Blu-ray from Amazon.