The folks over at Illumination Entertainment animation studio sent me a sweet announcement about a trailer release ... this cookie with a message in frosting noting that Dr. Seuss' THE GRINCH will be arriving at movie theaters across the USA on November 9, 2018 along with a postcard announcing the film's trailer was available now to see. Illumination did a wonderful job transforming the story of THE LORAX into a movie which my family owns as part of our home entertainment library and regularly watches over and over again. So we are all excited to see the studio bringing another Dr. Seuss story to the silver screen.
THE GRINCH will be a modernized retelling of Dr Seuss' classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas! originally published in 1957. Illumination is the studio behind a number of recent hit animated movies including the Despicable Me franchise, Sing and The Secret Life of Pets and from looking at the trailer it appears THE GRINCH will have a similar artistic style to those other films. THE GRINCH has been scripted by Michael LeSieur, directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, with music by Danny Elfman and starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange / Sherlock) as the voice of the Grinch. Check it out the trailer for yourself:
Obviously, with its Christmas themed story this movie is being released to be enjoyed during the holiday season. Based upon our enjoyment of previous Illumination animated features, THE GRINCH is a movie that my family is absolutely going to be looking forward to seeing when it arrives at theaters. For more information, visit the movie's official website grinchmovie.com.
Universal Pictures treated A GEEK DADDY to a family dinner and outing to the movies where we had the chance to see an advance screening of DESPICABLE ME 3. My 8 year old son and daughter who have grown up watching the films in this movie franchise were really excited to see a new adventure on the silver screen. The twins were especially interested to see how the story's plot of introducing Gru to a twin brother he never knew about would play out! They've never seen The Parent Trap (1961 / 1998) which Despicable Me 3 is parodying so this was mind blowing element of the movie for them.
Before heading out to see Despicable Me 3, my kids insisted we have a movie marathon watching the previous two Despicable Me films and Minions on home video. So we entered the theater all revved up to see the newest adventure of Gru and his Minions!
Despicable Me 3 continues the story of Gru,
Lucy, their adorable daughters—Margo, Edith and Agnes—and the Minions. After
he is fired from the Anti-Villain League for failing to take down the
latest bad guy to threaten humanity, Gru finds himself in the midst of a
major identity crisis. But when a mysterious stranger shows up to
inform Gru that he has a long-lost twin brother—a brother who
desperately wishes to follow in his twin’s despicable footsteps—one
former super-villain will rediscover just how good it feels to be bad.
I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish watching this movie. Despicable Me 3's nostalgic '80s spoofs, physical humor and wise cracking jokes had me chuckling throughout the movie. The film really does a nice job of complementing the tone and vibe of the previous Despicable Me movies while also standing out on its own merits. It also continues the theme of valuing family, expanding the role of Lucy as a mother to the girls and adding Dru into the mix, which this parent watching the movie with his kids appreciated.
Addressing Minion overkill from the last two movies, Despicable Me 3 sees a diminished role for these characters in the script with more of a focus on Gru, Lucy and their daughters. I liked this because it made the moments featuring the Minions stand out more and I thought they were funnier because you didn't get worn out by their ongoing antics continuously taking place like in the other films. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the Minions, but sometimes quality is better than quantity. Also Balthazar Bratt is not just a humorous addition to the movie but also a very worthy adversary.
My kids LOVED the movie! My daughter really was into Agne's search for a real life unicorn. My son thought Bratt's bubble gum weapons were AWESOME! They both appreciated the dynamic that take place between Gru and Dru as well. My wife thought the movie was "OK" better than Despicable Me 2 and Minions but not as great as the original Despicable Me. I really liked the movie because it is an all-ages appropriate animated summer movie that families can enjoy together with parents and children alike finding it interesting and funny to watch.
Despicable Me 3 is rated PG for rude humor (mostly the Minions) and mild action sequences which include "dance fights", jail house antics, and characters risking being impaled on menacing spikes. Plus Lucy beats up quite a few people showing she's not someone to be messed with. All in all I didn't see anything overly objectionable that should give parents concern about taking a child of any age to see this movie. It really is a nice movie for a family outing to the movie theater. Despicable Me 3 gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval because it is a colorful, zany movie that I enjoyed viewing as much as my kids did. It is a funny fun movie very much worth going to see in my opinion. Kids and kids-at-heart will really be entertained by it!
Despicable Me 3 opens at theaters across the United States on June 30, 2017. For more information about the movie, please visit www.despicable.me or check out the film's social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and GruTube.
Courtesy of our friends at ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT and UNIVERSAL PICTURES, A Geek Daddy has some free Despicable Me 3 themed activity sheets to share with you. Just download and print them out. Enjoy!
Despicable Me 3 arrives at movie theaters across the United States on Friday, June 30, 2017. In the movie, the mischievous Minions hope that Gru will return to a life of
crime after the new boss of the Anti-Villain League fires him. Instead,
Gru decides to remain retired and travel to Freedonia to meet his
long-lost twin brother for the first time. The reunited siblings soon
find themselves in an uneasy alliance to take down the elusive Balthazar Bratt, a former 1980s child star who seeks revenge against the world. For more information about the movie, visit www.despicable.me
You'll go BANANAS just like a Minion for this great Despicable Me 3 prize pack! The third installment of Despicable Me is a must-see animated movie for a family outing to the movie theater this summer. My family are huge fans of this movie franchise and to share our anticipation for the theatrical release of Despicable Me 3 I've partnered with The Hopping Bloggers to put together an awesome prize pack we're giving away! One lucky, randomly selected entrant will win over $100 in Despicable Me swag that includes:
3 Movie Collection on Blu-Ray: Minions, Despicable Me, & Despicable Me 2
Despicable Me 3 Learn to Read Book
Despicable Me 3 Mega Construx Building Set
Despicable Me 3 Mystery Plush
Despicable Me 3 Operation
Despicable Me 3 Fluffy Funko Pop
Despicable Me 3 Spy Gru Funko Pop
SynopsisGru (Steve Carell) and his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) must stop former '80s child star Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) from achieving world domination.
Illumination, the studio behind Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 and Minions, continues the adventures of
Gru, Lucy, their adorable daughters—Margo, Edith and Agnes—and the
Minions in Despicable Me 3 which arrives at movie theaters in the USA on June 30, 2017. Joining in the action of the newest movie is Dru, the twin brother of Gru, who we are introduced to in this new trailer for Despicable Me 3:
Joining
Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig in Despicable Me 3 is Emmy, Tony and
Grammy Award winner Trey Parker, co-creator of Comedy Central’s global
phenomenon South Park and the Broadway smash The Book of Mormon. Parker
voices the role of villain Balthazar Bratt, a former child star who’s
grown up to become obsessed with the character he played in the ‘80s,
and proves to be Gru’s most formidable nemesis to date.
The question now is what piece to the puzzle does Dru play in the motion picture's plot? While you are waiting for Despicable Me 3 to arrive at theaters to find out the answer to that question have some fun using new Twitter Emojis that appear when using #DespicableMe3 and #Minions that allow you to include images of characters from the movie in your tweets. You can also follow the movie's official Twitter feed, @DespicableMe, for news and updates about the film. While you are on Twitter make sure to follow @Geekdad248 to stay in touch with everything A GEEK DADDY is blogging about.
Who else is looking forward to the return of the minions this summer?!
My kids have been wanting to go see SING since they saw its trailer when we saw THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS during the summer and it finally arrives at theaters on December 23rd! To share our family's excitement about the theatrical release of this new animated film from ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT (the studio behind Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets) I'm co-hosting a SING themed giveaway valued at $60! What is included?
Your kids will enjoy these plush toys and you can use the gift card to take the family to see SING!
About the film
Illumination Entertainment has captivated audiences all over the world with the beloved hits Despicable Me, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Despicable Me 2 and Minions which is now the second-highest-grossing animated movie in history. Following the release of this summer’s comedy blockbuster The Secret Life of Pets, Illumination Entertainment presents SING this holiday season. With its highly relatable characters, heart and humor, the first collaboration between writer/director Garth Jennings (Son of Rambow, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and Illumination's founder and CEO Chris Meledandri marks the sixth fully animated feature from the studio. SING stars Academy Award® winners Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, alongside Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton and Grammy Award-nominated Tori Kelly. Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, SING is the story of Buster Moon (McConaughey), a dapper koala who presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal—some might even say delusional—optimist who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now faced with the crumbling of his life’s ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world’s greatest singing competition.
If you were a star in the 1980's then it was guaranteed there was a lunch box with your picture on it. Metal lunch boxes for children featuring popular characters from cartoons, movies, and television shows were a sign of the times. I have fond memories of the tin Empire Strikes Back lunch box that I took to school during my elementary school years. Illumination Entertainment, the animation film production company behind Despicable Me, Minions, and Secret Life of Pets, recently sent A Geek Daddy one of these retro style lunch boxes featuring Balthazar Bratt to tease the upcoming release of Despicable Me 3 which will be arriving at theaters across the United States next summer on June 30, 2017.
Who is Balthazar Bratt? He's a former child actor who was an international sensation during the 1980's for his role in the top-rated TV show Evil Bratt (1985 - 1987). Bratt received numerous accolades from the role including back-to-back Kids' Pick Awards for Heart-Throb-biest Leading Actor and a top spot on the Forbes12-Under-12 List. At the height of his popularity though, disaster struck! Balthazar hit puberty in the middle of the show's third season and overnight he was no longer the cute, fresh-faced kid who had charmed TV audiences as his voice cracked while delivering lines and acne began covering his face. His show was cancelled before the final episode of the season could even air and Balthazar Bratt never resurfaced publicly.
It appears from the hint sent by Illumination Entertainment in the form of the mysterious Evil Bratt lunch box that arrived at my house along with a profile page printed out from the online information source Despikipedia that Balthazar is planning a comeback with a vengeance as Gru's adversary in Despicable Me 3. What dastardly plans does Balthazar Bratt have in store for the world? Will the Minions save the day? You'll have to find out by going to see the movie when it comes out!
My kids have been looking forward to seeing THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS since they first started seeing its trailers at the theater last year and while they still have a few more months to go before the film debuts they were excited to get another advance peek at the movie with this Easter themed teaser that Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures released for the holiday weekend.
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS' story revolves around a Manhattan apartment building where a dog named Max has his life as a favorite
pet turned upside down when his owner brings home a sloppy mongrel
named Duke. Max and Duke have to put their quarrels behind them though when they find out
that an adorable white bunny named Snowball is building an army of
abandoned pets determined to take revenge on all the happy-owned pets and
their owners in their building.
This really looks like an original and funny movie that children and
kids-at-heart of all ages will enjoy. Our family will absolutely be
going to see it after The Secret Life of Pets arrives at movie theaters across the United States on July 8, 2016! For more information, visitthesecretlifeofpets.com
