The Press Release

Praised by critics and moviegoers of all ages, DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: DWA) spectacular and heartfelt adventure RISE OF THE GUARDIANS soars onto Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and DVD on March 12, 2013. Hailed as “brilliant” and “the best family film of the year” (Joel Amos, MovieFanatic.com) with “spellbinding power” (James Verniere, Boston Herald) and “dazzling animation” (Tom Long, Detroit News), RISE OF THE GUARDIANS received outstanding audience reactions and a coveted ‘A’ Cinemascore.

DreamWorks Animation’s newest animated adventure has captured the imagination of audiences worldwide with a fun-filled and magical story about the legendary guardians—Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and Sandman—together for the first time! When the evil Pitch threatens to take over the world, it’s up to our beloved heroes to protect the hopes and dreams of children everywhere. Filled with non-stop action and laughs, it’s a dazzling family film that’s being hailed as “an instant classic” (Nancy Jay, Daybreak USA).

Just in time for Easter, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS will be available in a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy Pack with UltraViolet or single-disc DVD, each of which includes two delightful hopping toy eggs inspired by the ones seen in the film (while supplies last—quantities are limited). The combo pack and single-disc DVD also include special features that take viewers behind-the-scenes to learn more about the magic used to bring the story to life.

Featuring an all-star cast of voice talent including Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS delivers humor, adventure and exceptional entertainment that the whole family can enjoy. The film will also be available on March 12th in a three-disc Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy Pack with UltraViolet and for digital download on February 26th.

My Thoughts

This movie is rated PG for a reason, it has a very dark and ominous theme thanks to the presence of the Boogeyman aka Pitch. I would recommend this movie for kids ages 10+. The film is visually stunning but even though I tried to remain open minded and enjoy the film for what it was…but I didn’t like it. The Guardians-Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, the Tooth Fairy and newcomer Jack Frost say their goal is to protect the children and “hope, wonder and light”to the world. Throughout the film the Guardians say that children need to have faith in them and believe BUT the main children in the movie don’t have faith (ie belief in things unseen), these children don’t believe until they see…which is not faith but proof.

While this is a clean movie with no bad language there is some mild violence, magic and talk about who the Guardians were in their “former lives”. Yes, in the end good overcomes evil and everything is wrapped up in a nice neat package.

Speaking of packages, for a limited time the Blu-Ray/DVD comes with hopping Easter Eggs!

Personally, I don’t recommend this movie for Christian families of young children. Even if you do Santa etc, this film is rather dark and scary and while there are a few teachable moments they don’t outweigh the poor storytelling, putting faith in things other than God and dark theming.

Have you and your children watched Rise of the Guardians? What were your thoughts? please leave me a comment and let me know.

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Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” dives back into homes this coming holiday in breathtaking Blu-rayTM. The must-“sea,” must-own Oscar®-winning underwater adventure—featuring the unforgettable Marlin, his forgetful friend Dory and the lovable young Nemo—swims into living rooms for the first time ever in high-definition Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and Digital platforms on December 4, 2012.

The film fully immerses viewers in the stunning underwater world of Finding Nemo! From the creators of Toy Story and Monsters, Inc., Disney•Pixar’scritically acclaimed and heartwarming tale splashes off the screen with brilliant digital picture, high definition sound and breathtaking 3D bonus features that transport you beyond your imagination.

“Finding Nemo,” first released in theaters in 2003, earned the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature Film and remains the fifth highest grossing animated film worldwide. In 2008, the American Film Institute named ―Finding Nemo‖ among the top 10 greatest animated films ever made, and it is the second highest grossing Pixar film to date (behind “Toy Story 3”).

The Blu-ray 2D and 3D debuts mark the first time ―Finding Nemo has ever been available in these hi-def formats. Featuring pristine high definition picture and sound, the Blu-ray creates an incredible at-home experience with a host of interactive features and bonus features including 3D Virtual Aquariums, 2D Virtual Aquariums, CineExplore, A Filmmakers’ Roundtable and more.

The hi-def home entertainment release of “Finding Nemo” will be available as a 5-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition (2 Blu-ray 2D + 1 Blu-ray 3D + 1 DVD + 1 Digital Copy), 3-Disc Collector’s Edition (2 Blu-ray 2D + 1 DVD), 3D Digital & High-Definition Digital formats.

BONUS FEATURES:

Blu-ray 3D Disc:

• 3D HD Aquariums

Blu-ray Disc One:

• Knick Knack‖ Theatrical Short Film (Rated: G)
•  Aquarium
•  CineExplore
•  Finding Nemo – A Filmmakers’ Roundtable
• Reinventing the Submarine Voyage
•  Deleted Scene: “Alt Opening”
• A Lesson in Flashbacks

Blu-ray Disc Two:

• Aquariums
•  Art Review
• Classic Content (Making Nemo, Exploring the Reef , Studio Tour, Old School, Outtakes, Deleted Scenes, Publicity Pieces, Mr. Ray’s Encyclopedia)

DVD:

• Knick Knack‖ Theatrical Short Film (Rated: G)
• Finding Nemo – A Filmmakers’ Roundtable
• Aquarium

Digital:

• Knick Knack‖ Theatrical Short Film (Rated: G)
• Finding Nemo – A Filmmakers’ Roundtable
• Deleted Scene: ―Alt Opening‖
• A Lesson in Flashbacks
• Art Review
• Classic Content (Making Nemo, Exploring the Reef, Studio Tour, Old School, Outtakes, Deleted Scenes, Publicity Pieces)

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Those who would like to stay connected with the exciting “Finding Nemo” release are encouraged to:

•  “Like” the  Finding Nemo Facebook page 
• Follow DisneyPixar on Twitter 
• Visit the official Finding Nemo website

My Review

I already loved the movie and it looks stunning in Blu-ray, so I focused on checking out the bonus features and they are A-Mazing! Yes, I am a Disney film geek but I am so happy to finally own the Pixar short “Knick Knack” Aside from that, I love learning about the process of movie making and the bonus features on “Finding Nemo” gave me plenty to enjoy. I haven’t made it through the entire CineExplore yet, but Finding Nemo – A Filmmakers’ Roundtable, Reinventing the Submarine Voyage, Deleted Scene: “Alt Opening” and A Lesson in Flashbacks are all entertaining and educational. I honestly don’t get the Aquariums, maybe they are just too passive for me.

The other night I was chatting with a fellow Disney geek and he told me he hadn’t purchased “Finding Nemo” on Blu-Ray and he didn’t plan to (he always buys every Disney movie on Blu-ray on release day). I told him about all of the awesome bonus features and he decided he would go out the next day and buy it, just for the bonus features! Take a look at one of my favorite Bonus Features.

“Finding Nemo” Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack will make a great Christmas gift for any child or Disney fan on your list!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% mine.

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In case you don’t know about RADIO REBEL it is a huge hit DCOM that originally aired in February. We have watched it 8-10 times before getting the DVD to review so this was a hit in our home. The story, acting and music is all top notch and is a great fit for families, kids, teens and tweens.  In my opinion this was Debby Ryan‘s best work yet.

The DVD includes the movie, 5 featurettes, deleted scenes, a blooper reel and the music video. The best of the bonus features is the music video.

Have you or your kids seen RADIO REBEL yet? Leave me a comment and let me know your favorite part of the movie. If you haven’t seen it, add it to your shopping list, your family will enjoy it.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the DVD for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Last spring we got addicted to the television show Make It or Break It. We watched the first 1 1/2 seasons on Netflix to get ready for the second half of season 2 which aired March-May. As the season was wrapping up, ABC Family played commercials for Switched at Birth
which was to premier in June. I set the DVR to record the show, but never got around to watching it. Our DVR died and I lost everything that was recorded Last night hubby and I watched the first two episodes of the show on the season one DVD which hit shelves this week. We are hooked and if it wasn’t already 12:30am when episode 2 ended, we would have watched more.

In case you don’t know about Switched at Birth, it is a groundbreaking new drama about the upheaval that two teen
girls experience when they discover that they were accidentally switched at birth.

Bay Kennish, a talented graffiti artist with an edgy streak, grew up in a wealthy family with happily married parents and an older brother. Daphne
Vasquez, an athletic teenager who lost her hearing at an early age, grew up with a single mother in a working class neighborhood. When the girls’
worlds collide, family bonds are tested, new romances are sparked, and they start to learn that it’s who they are inside that matters, not where they
grew up.

We’ve only watched two episodes so far but this appears to be another great ABC Family show for parents and teens to watch together. There are a lot of topics for great family discussions that come out of the story line and all the changes that happen in the character’s lives. I found it interesting that after watching last night, my husband and I have totally opposite views on how the parents should react in the situation they are in.

Season 2 debuts on ABC Family January 3rd so if you add this Switched at Birth DVD to your teen’s Chrsitmas stocking you can get caught up before season two starts!

**UPDATE 12/20/11 We have watched all but the last episode of season one and we LOVE this family drama. We can’t wait for season two to start in January.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the DVD for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% mine. There are affiliate links in this post.

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We enjoyed this brief (66 minute) trip back to the woods with our friends Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Kanga, Roo and of course, Christopher Robin. The three intertwined story lines of Eeyore’s missing tail, Pooh’s search for honey and a wild goose chase to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary monster all felt familiar, yet new. They perfectly fit with previous Pooh movies and were inspired by three stories in A.A. Milne’s books. The new music by Zooey Deschanel was a perfect fit with the feel of the stories and all of the songs in the movie were adorable.

The BLU-Ray bonus features were entertaining and informative.

•  Exclusive bonus short “Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon” – In this charming short, Pooh comes up with a daring plan to get a hold of some honey by fooling a group of bees.
• “The Ballad of Nessie” – The animated short film included in the theatrical release is the heartwarming tale of how Nessie found her new home in the Loch Ness.
• “Winnie the Pooh and His Story Too” – A fun and informative behind-the-scenes look at the film, designed for the whole family. Hosted by John Cleese (narrator of the film), and with occasional help from Pooh himself, this featurette explores Winnie the Pooh’s history from his beginnings as a character in a book, to his continued life in the movies. The filmmakers reveal how they worked to keep the look of the characters and settings in this movie consistent with their first appearances on-screen in1966. Pooh, being a bear of very little mind, finds much of this confusing, but the Narrator and the filmmakers make it all clear to Pooh – and you!
•  Deleted Scenes introduced by directors, Stephen Anderson and Don Hall – 5 deleted scenes including “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit’s Friends and Relations,” “Original Eeyore Intro,” “Original Tigger Intro” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
• Sing-Along with the Movie – Follow the red balloon and changing word colors to seven song lyrics featured in the film
•  Disney Song Selection – “Winnie the Pooh Theme Song,” “The Tummy Song, “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “The Backson Song,” “It’s Gonna Be Great,” “Everything is Honey” and “The Winner Song Finale”

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Being a fan of the book, I was hesitant to watch the movie-since movies seldom do the book justice. I had my husband watch with me, since he hasn’t read the book and could give me a different perspective. We both thought the movie was well done, though a bit slow in places. When you start reading a Beverly Lewis novel you can’t put it down so in my opinion you should be just as riveted to the movie. Danielle Panabaker does a good job at making us really care for Katie and the inner turmoil she is facing. It has been years since I read the book, but I believe they did a fairly good job at keeping with the main story line though they left out some of the side plots-which is what makes a Beverly Lewis novel so interesting. I think the biggest faux-pas in the movie is the amount of eye makeup on the actresses. The Amish don’t wear make-up and it is very obvious that the actresses have on make-up. All in all we enjoyed the movie and I can’t wait to loan it to my mom, who is also a Beverly Lewis fan.

For more information about the movie you can visit the website or Facebook Page or watch this behind the scenes look at the movie, its cast and its director, Michael Landon, Jr.

You can win a copy of the DVD!

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BONUS FEATURES:

DVD:

• Putting on PROM: Making of Featurette
• Bloopers

 

BLU-RAY:

Everything on the DVD, plus…

·       “Last Chance Lloyd” Exclusive Short — Laugh out loud at all the creative and hilarious ways Lloyd (Nicholas Braun) asks girls to Prom in his heroic quest for the perfect date…actually, any date!

•  4 Deleted Scenes—With introductions by producer Justin Springer and director Joe Nussbaum
• 7 Music Videos:

1.  Allstar Weekend—“Not Your Birthday”
2.  Neon Trees—“Your Surrender”
3. Moon—“Time Stand”
4.  Nolan Sotillo—“We Could Be Anything” (English version)
5. Nolan Sotillo—“Juntos Lo Haremos Bien” (Spanish version)
6.   Those Dancing Days—“I’ll Be Yours”
7.  Girl In A Coma—“Come On, Let’s Go”

My favorite bonus feature was the “Last Chance Lloyd” Exclusive Short (which is only on the Blu-ray). This short adds to the story line of Lloyd’s unsuccessful attempts to find his dream date for the prom…and how he ended up with the date that he did. As far as the music videos go Allstar Weekend is my favorite but I have had a soft spot for them ever since I heard them perform at the 2010 Disney Social Media Moms Conference :-).

PROM is a fun family film for kids age 11+. It is rated PG for mild language and a brief fight.

Disc Specifications:

Street Date:   August 30, 2011

Direct Prebook:  July 5, 2011

Distributor Prebook:  July 19, 2011

Release Formats:   Blu-ray, DVD, Movie Download & On-Demand

Suggested Retail Price:

•  2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack = $39.99 U.S./$46.99 Canada
•  HD Movie Download = $39.99 U.S./$46.99 Canada
• 1-Disc DVD = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
• SD MovieDownload = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
• On-Demand = For additional information and pricing, please check with your preferred digital retailer. Bonus features are not offered with On-Demand.

Feature Run Time: 104 minutes

Rated:  USA: PG (mild language and a brief fight) / Canada: PG (mature theme) / Quebec: G  *bonus material is not rated

Aspect Ratios: 1.78:1 / 16×9 Widescreen

Audio:   Blu-ray = English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital, French & Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital DVD= English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital, French & Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

Subtitles:  English SDH, French and Spanish (applies to film content only)

Go get your copy today! Your tween/teen will thank you!

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The Fox and the Hound and The Fox and the Hound 2 will be available as follows:

3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S. /$46.99 Canada)

·       1 Blu-ray Disc that has both films on it

·       1 DVD of The Fox and the Hound

·       1 DVD of The Fox and the Hound 2

2-Disc DVD Set (suggested retail price of $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada)

·       1 DVD of The Fox and the Hound

·       1 DVD of The Fox and the Hound 2

Movie Download (each film is sold separately)

·       High Definition

·       Fox and the Hound (HD) = $39.99 U.S./$45.99 Canada

·       Fox and the Hound 2 (HD) = $39.99 U.S./$45.99 Canada

·       Standard Definition

·       Fox and the Hound (SD) = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada

·        Fox and the Hound 2 (SD) = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada

I received the 3 disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack for review. We watched The Fox and The Hound together and my now 18 year old son was amazed at how much of the story he had forgotten. The video quality was crisp and clear. We all smiled when Big Mama, Pearl Bailey, started singing “Best of Friends”-it was like an old friend was singing to us. The timeless story of true friendship has never received the critical acclaim of other Disney movies but it endures in the hearts of many Disney fans.

We had never seen The Fox and The Hound 2, which was a direct to video midquel release in 2006. I’m just not a fan of the multiple midquel’s that Disney studios released in the mid to early 2000’s-I felt that they took away from the original story in many cases. My husband and I sat down to watch The Fox and The Hound 2 and it was a cute movie. Again, it is a midquel-it takes place mostly at the country fair…before Tod and Copper grow up…somewhere in the middle of the original movie’s timeline-which to me is awkward. Again the theme of the movie is true friendship and while somewhat cliche the added voice talents of Reba McEntire, Patrick Swayze and Vickie Lawrence are great additions as part of the “Singin’ Strays” musical group. Disney also did a great job at re-casting the voice talents for Tod and Copper, both voices are very similar to those in the original movie.

The Fox and the Hound and The Fox and the Hound 2, special 30^th Anniversary 2-Movie Collection will be a great addition to your video library.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of  the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% mine.

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