LYLE LYLE CROCODILE

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment provided ageekdaddy.com with the featured product for promotional consideration. Opinions expressed are honest and my own.

We had a fantastic family movie night watching LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE courtesy of Sony Pictures providing us with an advance copy of the movie before its official December 13 home video release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. I actually wasn't expecting to like LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE as much as I did to be honest thinking it would be more focused towards entertaining the young children that the book which inspired the movie was written for. This movie though will actually captivate audiences of all ages! The adults in our family as well as our teen kids all thought LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE was great.

My family loves the Paddington movies that mix in a mischievous cgi bear with live action. This film has the same setup and many similarities when it comes to an orphaned animal being adopted by an off-kilter family leading to humorous scenarios that ultimately result in everyone's attitudes and spirits being uplifted. In this movie though it isn't a bear from darkest Peru but rather a singing crocodile that is the star of the show.

LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE is elevated beyond the funny hijink of a friendly crocodile living in the city by also including toe-tapping musical sequences. The entertaining songs incorporated into the movie soundtrack provide an energetic vibe to the film. Plus, LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE is filled with original, new music from the songwriters of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. I really have to say BRAVO to the music in this movie!

LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America. The MPAA rating is for mild peril and thematic elements. As a dad have to say in my opinion this movie is all ages friendly without anything parents should really be worried about a child seeing. A great film for a family movie night!

In LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE when the Primm family moves to New York City their young son Josh struggles to adapt to his new school and make friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle -- a singing crocodile who loves baths, caviar and great music -- living in the attic of his new home. The boy and crocodile become close friends, but when Lyle is threatened by evil neighbor Mr. Grumps, the Primm's must band together with the crocodile's charismatic and aloof owner, Hector P. Valenti, to show the world that family can come together from the most unexpected places. There is nothing wrong with a big singing crocodile with an even bigger personality!

The home video release of LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray includes some fantastic bonus content:

Sing-Along Songs: Karaoke versions of the original songs "Top of The World", "Rip Up the Recipe", "Take a Look at Us Now, and "Carried Away" from the songwriting duo Pasek & Paul (The Greatest Showman).

Storytime with Shawn Mendes & Javier Bardem: Shawn Mendes, Javier Bardem, alongside the cast and filmmakers alternate reading excerpts from the book that set the world of LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE in motion.

Bloopers: Behind-the-scenes blooper reel.

Deleted Scene: Josh learns about Lyle's stage fright.

Croc and Roll -- Lyle on Set: Find out what working with Lyle was like with this featurette of interviews with his castmates. They shed light on everything from Lyle's eating habits to his occasional odor issues.

Two Music Videos: "Top of the World" & "Carried Away"

This post has affiliate links, which means this blog could earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn't cost you anything extra, ageekdaddy.com just has to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

UNCHARTED FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT

Thank you to Sony Pictures for hosting our UNCHARTED family movie night this weekend.  The movie studio provided us with the film to view on Digital, but before seeing it we had to unlock the download code by engaging in a fun scavenger hunt created by Wild Optimists solving a variety of puzzles in our hunt for the treasure. UNCHARTED is available now on Digital and will be available May 10 on Blu-Ray and 4K Ultra HD.

In UNCHARTED, street-smart Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan and lost 500 years ago by the House of Moncada. What starts as a heist job for the duo becomes a globe-trotting, white-knuckle race to reach the prize before the ruthless Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), who believes he and his family are the rightful heirs. If Nate and Sully can decipher the clues and solve one of the world's oldest mysteries, they stand to find $5 billion in treasure and perhaps even Nate's long-lost brother...but only if they can learn to work together.

Our Wild Optimists scavenger hunt started off with a mysterious package that arrived in the mail with clues from Nathan Drake that included post cards and maps like the treasure hunters use in UNCHARTED. Deciphering these clues were the key to unlocking our treasure. To help us in our race to the treasure of unlocking our digital code for UNCHARTED for our family movie night, Nathan threw in a few tools in his package that included an antique key, Bubble Yum gum, a flashlight and pen. 

It was time for some brain teasers! We had a sticky time tracing a path on a map. Then there were clues to discover within the post cards. Plus, we had to search through diagrams of a church and catacombs.

Finally, after a half hour of scouring through the items Nathan sent to us, we had the answer! Yes! We found our treasure, a download code creatively hidden within the items in our mailer, so that we could watch UNCHARTED for our family movie night. An exciting way to kick off our evening with the family sleuthing together to solve a mystery. 

As we watched UNCHARTED, it was amusing to see how the clues in our scavenger hunt related to scenes in the movie. It was a nice way to start off our family movie night by solving our own scavenger hunt before watching an adventure movie about searching for a treasure trove. A fun game and entertaining movie made for an evening of quality family time.

UNCHARTED is rated PG-13 for action, language and violence by the Motion Picture Association of America. It has a run-time of one hour and fifty-six minutes. The movie is available from Best Buy on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-Ray. Purchase it utilizing a Geek Daddy affiliate link and this blog will receive a small commission from Best Buy. Your support of ageekdaddy.com is appreciated!

THE STAR

My family missed seeing Sony Pictures Animation's THE STAR when it was playing in theaters over the Christmas holiday season so my kids were eager to watch the movie when we were sent a complimentary DVD to announce the film's home entertainment video release.  Available beginning February 20, 2018 on Blu-ray + DVD + Digital, THE STAR tells the story of the Nativity through the viewpoint of some animals who witnessed it.  We made some Christmas cookies, heated up some hot chocolate, and curled up under some blankets on the couch to enjoy watching this tale of faith and friendship on our television.

The star of THE STAR is a small but brave donkey named Bo (voiced by The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun) who yearns for a more fulfilling life than his daily grind working at the village mill.  One day he breaks free of his pen heading out to try and become a member of King Herod's royal transportation procession. On his endeavor, he teams up with Ruth (voiced by Saturday Night Live's Aidy Bryant) an adorable sheep who has lost her flock and Dave (voiced by Friends from College Keegan-Michael Key) a dove with lofty aspirations.  Along their journey, the trio also joins up with three wise-cracking camels voiced by Tracy Morgan, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.  Bo eventually realizes his dream of carrying a king on his back, just not the one he initially envisioned, as he becomes an accidental hero in the greatest story ever told.



THE STAR is filled with an all-star cast voicing its animated characters that also includes Grammy Award-Winner Kelly Clarkston, Emmy and Tony Award-Winner Kristin Chenoweth, Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World), Patricia Heaton (The Middle) Gabriel Iglesias (Coco, Ferdinand) and Zachary Levi (Chuck).  It also features a theme song performed by Mariah Carey which was nominated to receive a 2018 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

Directed by Academy Award nominated writer/director Timothy Reckart, THE STAR is rated PG for some thematic elements by the Motion Picture Association of America. Aspects contributing to the rating include the topic of pregnancy being a key element of the story, King Herod sending a menacing soldier to kill Mary before she can give birth to Jesus, and a character dying during an action sequence.  THE STAR is meant to be a children's movie and in my opinion from seeing it the content is comparable to other recently released PG animated movies which are often viewed by kids of all ages so the rating by itself shouldn't raise a red flag about letting a child view it.  In fact, the film actually has been recommended for all ages by the Dove Foundation which provides family friendly movie reviews.

Of course home video versions of films have bonus segments included and THE STAR has some nice ones incorporated with the movie on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital:

Lyric Sing-Along Videos:  Enjoy the inspiring music of THE STAR through colorful videos that let you sing along with some great recording artists

• "The Star" by Mariah Carey
• "Can You See" by Fifth Harmony
• "Children Go Where I Send You" by Kelsea Ballerini
• "We Three Kings" by Kirk Franklin
• "Life is Good" by A Great Big World

Sweet and Sparkly Stars:  Recipe for creating star-themed cookies that can be enjoyed all year long.

Star Mason Jar Votives:  directions for a simple yet stunning diy craft

Faith All Year Round:  Addressing the religious nature of the movie, DeVon Franklin provides a sermon for children discussing the themes of the film and how to keep the spirit of THE STAR's story alive every day of the year.

All-Star Cast Featurette:  Meet the cast of stars who bring the characters in THE STAR to life.

Released in time for Christian families to incorporate into their Lenten reflection and preparation for celebrating Easter it provides an entertaining way to lead into the upcoming holiday.  Also if you enjoy watching Christmas movies every year as that holiday approaches with your kids, THE STAR can be a nice addition to your home video library.  Sony Pictures is participating in Movies Anywhere so the digital version of this film can be easily accessed and stored through this online service in addition to being available on Blu-ray and DVD.  For more information, please visit thestarmovie.com 

YOU'VE BEEN BOO'D

**A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free**

We were BOO'D by Sony Pictures and Walmart!  Booing is a Halloween tradition that has been growing in popularity over the last twenty years.  Someone mysteriously leaves you a fun treat around Halloween and you have 48 hours to put together your own creative gift of goodies to BOO someone else.  Our surprise was finding the new Ghostbusters movie, which was just released today on Blu-ray and DVD, along with an assortment of candy from Walmart waiting for my family by the front door this morning.

The GHOSTBUSTERS: ANSWER THE CALL -- EXTENDED EDITION on Blu-ray and Digital HD adds more than 15 minutes of never-before-seen film footage to Director Paul Feig's take on the long awaited next installment of the iconic 1980s era supernatural comedy movie franchise. Academy Award nominee Melissa McCarthy (Best Supporting Actress -- Bridesmaids), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live) and Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live) comprise a new Ghostbusters team who must defend Manhattan from mischievous ghouls who descend on Times Square.  The EXTENDED EDITION Blu-ray and digital download include both the extended edition and original theatrical version as well as 15 deleted, extended or alternate scenes, gag reels, and filmmaker commentaries. It also provides five featurettes that give fans an inside look into the film's supernatural visual effects, the "making of" the ghosts from the film, an in-depth insight into the team's look and weaponry, as well as the casting of Chris Hemsworth as the Ghostbusters' receptionist.

So now that we've been BOO'D it is time for us to #BooItForward.  Walmart is a great place to load up on goodies and treats to secretly leave at a friend's front door.  They've even dedicated a special Ghostbusters themed area of their website sponsored by American Greetings, Skittles, Snickers, Kellogg's and Sony Pictures that can help people make the perfect BOO kit to support this fast-growing, good spirited tradition.  Get on the BOO-wagon and visit Walmart.com/BooItForward. Who are you gonna BOO?!

We made sure to Boo It Forward by filling up a jack-o-lantern bucket filled with a variety of Halloween themed trinkets and treats.  Under the cover of darkness my son and daughter crept up to the house of one of their classmates quietly leaving the bundle of treats by the door we know she exits each morning for her walk to school.  I'm sure someone being BOO'D is going to be the topic everyone is talking about in their class tomorrow morning and my son and daughter are so excited to be a part of this Halloween secret.

Enjoy the Halloween season everyone! Share the fun! Boo It Forward!

The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today -- DVD Giveaway & Review

**   Sony Home Video provided me with some of the materials I used in this Blog Post/Giveaway & a DVD to review. The opinions I share are my own   **

Our family was provided an advance opportunity to view Sony Pictures' "The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today!" on DVD before the film's straight to home video release on September 6, 2016 and it made for an entertaining family movie night.  My kids were fixated to the screen throughout the show and it kept my wife and I's attention throughout the movie as well.  It is a nice fairy tale adventure containing a well developed story and decent animation.  In addition to featuring  princess and pirate themes this animated film also contains adorable talking animals and goofy monsters so that there will be some aspect to it that will delight almost any kid who watches it.  While the story revolves around a princess, my seven year old son enjoyed watching it as much as his twin sister due to its adventurous plot and the inclusion of a young boy as one of the key characters making this family-friendly movie suitable for both boys and girls to equally appreciate.  For families with preschool and elementary school aged children "The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today!" will make for an excellent addition to a home video library that kids will want to watch over and over again.  In fact, my kids are watching the movie again as I'm writing this post.

To share our family's enjoyment of "The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today!" with A Geek Daddy's blog readers and social media followers, I have a DVD of the movie to giveaway.  To be eligible for this giveaway you must follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet our original contest tweet embedded below before September 10, 2016 @ 11:59 pm EST.  Must be a US  resident over the age of 18 to participate. No P.O. Boxes allowed for delivery of the prize.  One entry per person and winner will be selected from all eligible entries. Sony Home Video will be responsible for the delivery of the prize to the selected winner. Each household is only eligible to win once via blog giveaways.  If you have won this movie on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again and the prize will be forfeited.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification. By participating in this promotion you waive any liability of any kind against the publisher of this blog. A Geek Daddy is providing this giveaway contest as a benefit to our readers and social media followers and has not been financially compensated for this promotion.

Follow @GeekDad248 & RT before 9/10/16 for chance to win "Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today" on DVD #ad pic.twitter.com/DZ7iwnHn0m

— A Geek Daddy (@GeekDad248) September 1, 2016

In this brand new original animated film, Princess Alise (the daughter of Queen Odette -- the original Swan Princess from the previous movies in this animated movie franchise) is training to be the perfect royal but in her heart all she wants to do is sail the seven seas as a swashbuckling pirate! After setting sail on a pirate adventure, Princess Alise is shipwrecked and washes ashore on an island where she meets Lucas, a young boy who has been living there by himself.  They have to work together to survive and get back to civilization!

So do you think your personality is more suited for a storybook fairy tale or a swashbuckling high seas adventure?  Take this quiz to find out which is your best fit:



So what did the quiz say about you? Are you more suited to lead a royal life or that of a buccaneer? Share with us in the comment section or tweet out to @Geekdad248 why you'd prefer the life of either a prince/princess  or a pirate.

Visit sonypictures.us/swan to purchase Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today the newest addition to the Swan Princess saga that joins the previously released animated films The Swan Princess (1994),  Escape from Castle Mountain (1997), Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure (1998), The Swan Princess Christmas (2012), and The Swan Princess: A Royal Family Tale (2014).