Season 2 of DreamWorks VOLTRON Legendary Defender animated television series arrived on Netflix today and Playmates Toys sent us some of the show's themed toys for free to make the debut extra special! VOLTRON follows the adventures of five young heroes who pilot mechanical lions against the evil Galra empire which is attempting to enslave the population of the whole galaxy. When their foes present more of a challenge than the five lions can handle individually they can merge together to create a giant super robot with incredible powers called Voltron. Can this team of heroes restore peace and security to the galaxy against some very formidable foes? You'll have to either tune into Netflix to watch this animated series from DreamWorks Animation Studio or pick up some VOLTRON toys from Playmates Toys for your kids to engage in their own imaginative play adventures to find out!
My kids had a lot of fun playing around with the Playmates Toys we received while we watched the new episodes of VOLTRON Legendary Defender together as a family. They pretended to act out the scenes with these toys as we watched the action unfold on the TV screen. Playmates Toys VOLTRON Legendary Defender six inch basic action figure collection is durably constructed as my kids tossed and threw them about our house and dropped the toys a few times too but they've yet to break. Available in the assortment are the Blue, Red, Black, Green and Yellow lions featured in the Netflix show, each sold individually, plus a monster they face off against called Myzax. These lions do not combine though to create a Voltron toy though. The toy line also includes two 6" variations of the Voltron robot as individual action figures. One wields a sword and shield while the other has a shooting lion fist action feature to it.
We received a Green Lion -- Guardian of the Forestmech that my son has been playing with quite a bit since we he got his hands on it. The Green Lion's legs have basic articulation so kids can position them in a variety of poses to pretend leaping or striking its paws at an opponent. The mouth also opens and closes plus there is a "vine beam" that shoots a plastic bolt to imitate one of the lion's special powers from the television show. There isn't much force from the item flying out to present a danger but it still will hurdle a few feet so I wouldn't advise looking straight into the mouth with either of your eyes. To activate the missile launching feature just pull back on the shield emblem on the lion's back causing the vine beam to fire so kids can imagine wrapping up an evil adversary.
Playmates Toys also sent a Basic Voltron Lion Attack action figure our way. My daughter has really been playing with this toy a lot. It is a 6" action figure that is the same size as the basic collection lion toys that in the show streamed on Netflix merge to create it. While it is obviously not to scale, it still portrays the five lions merged together as the robotic warrior Voltron. A child can imagine the adventures of the giant robot while playing with this toy in the palm of his or her hand. This hand held sized version of Voltron provides plenty of imaginative play punch for kids to have countless hours of fun with it. It is a great size for storing around the house or taking along with your child while the family is on the go without having to worry about putting away or packing up some giant toy.
This toy has a head and waist that swivels plus it has joints in the knees and elbows so kids can position the arms and legs so that Voltron is in action poses. The action figure also has a shooting fist feature. Kids can squeeze the toy's legs to launch a representation of the Green Lion's head which makes up Voltron's left arm. As with the individual Green Lion toy that is available from Playmates, there isn't a lot of power behind the projectile but it still flies far enough you don't want to aim it straight at anyone's eyes within a few feet of the toy. Also you absolutely don't want to lose the plastic Green Lion Missile because than Voltron is missing its left hand and the representation of one of the five lions that merge together to create the robot warrior.
Playmates Toys VOLTRON Legendary Defender basic action figure collection is screen accurate to the television show characters, durably constructed, conveniently sized for playing with and priced affordably to collect. As I've mentioned my kids have really enjoyed playing with these toys that are recommended for children 4 years old and up. For more information about Playmates Toys VOLTRON Legendary Defender basic action figure collection, please CLICK HERE.
The Trolls are coming! The Trolls are coming! We're all familiar with the dolls with the wacky hair and now they're coming to the big screen for their very own animated comedy adventure. DreamWorks' TROLLS arrives at movie theaters across the United States on November 4, 2016.
This holiday season,
enter a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously unforgettable
characters and discover the story of the overly optimistic Trolls, with a
constant song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who
are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach. Featuring
original music from Justin Timberlake, and soon-to-be classic mash-ups
of songs from other popular artists, the film also features the voice talents of
Timberlake along with Anna Kendrick, Russell Brand, James Corden, Kunal
Nayyar, Ron Funches, Icona Pop, Gwen Stefani, and many more. DreamWorks'
TROLLS is a fresh, broad comedy filled with music, heart and
hair-raising adventures.
Thank you to DreamWorks Studios for providing us with some wacky hair to get my kids in the mood for watching the movie. For more information about this film, please visit www.dreamworks.com/trolls
Our family really enjoys the children's focused comic books and graphic novels created by Papercutz, so we were excited to hear the publisher is going to be producing an ongoing series of graphic novel tie-ins to DreamWorks Animation's feature film Trolls. Papercutz's first Trolls graphic novel "Hugs and Friends" which will arrive at bookstores on September 27, 2016 is meant to serve as an introduction to the upcoming animated film that will be released at theaters across the United States on November 4th. Subsequent graphic novels are planned to expand upon the Trolls story following the movie's release.
From the creators of Shrek comes the most smart, funny and irreverent animated comedy of the year, DreamWorks’ Trolls. This holiday
season, enter a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously
unforgettable characters and discover the story of the overly optimistic
Trolls, with a constant song on their lips, and the comically
pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their
stomach.
Papercutz’s “Hugs & Friends” sets the stage for the
movie adventure by asking important questions like Who are the Trolls?
Who are the Bergens? Why is there one Troll who isn’t happy like all the
other Trolls? And why does this Troll know more about the Bergens than
any other Troll? The answers to these questions appear with "Hugs & Friends" Trolls Volume 1 on September 27th.
"Hugs and Friends" is just the start though notes Papercutz Editor-in-Chief Jim Salcrup. "While our first graphic novel features the main characters from the film, later volumes will focus on the supporting players of the Trolls world as well," Salcrup mentioned to A Geek Daddy. "With such a fully developed world being created by the DreamWorks team, we anticipate entertaining fans and telling Trolls stories for a very long time!"
It seems like we're always wondering when the next kid friendly film will be arriving at theaters so we can go on a family outing to the theaters. Unfortunately when you have young children there aren't always a lot of options for movies that the whole family can go together to see without worrying about violence, sexual situations, and other mature themes being portrayed on the big screen in front of your little ones. So I've compiled a calendar of the more kid friendly motion pictures that will be playing at theaters in 2016 to keep track of when some of the best times throughout the year will be to consider a family trip to the movies.
NORM OF THE NORTH - January 15
A polar bear of many words, Norm’s greatest gripe is simple:
there is no room for tourists in the Arctic. But when a maniacal developer
threatens to build luxury condos in his own backyard, Norm does what all normal
polar bears would do…he heads to New York City to stop it. With a cast of
ragtag lemmings at his side, Norm takes on the big apple, big business and a
big identity crisis to save the day.
KUNG FU PANDA 3 - January 29
When Po's long-lost panda father suddenly reappears, the
reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new
panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai begins to sweep across
China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible—learn to
train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate
band of Kung Fu Pandas!
ZOOTOPIA - March 4
The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no
other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid
Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live
together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the
smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps
arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big,
tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the
opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking,
scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde, to solve the mystery.
THE LITTLE PRINCE - March 18
The story centers around a young girl who befriends an eccentric old neighbor. The elderly man shares with her his tale of being a pilot who crash-landed in the Sahara
desert and came across a little boy who says he is a prince fallen to Earth
from his home on an asteroid. As the pilot repaired his plane, the little prince
regales him with stories about his home and the foolish inhabitants of nearby
asteroids.
THE JUNGLE BOOK - April 15
The Jungle Book is an all-new live-action epic adventure
about Mowgli, a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of
wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome
tiger Shere Khan, who bears the scars of Man, promises to
eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever
known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by
panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera and the
free-spirited bear Baloo. Along the way, Mowgli
encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart,
including Kaa, a python whose seductive voice and
gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie, who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to
the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.
RATCHET & CLANK - April 29
Ratchet & Clank tells the story of two unlikely heroes
as they struggle to stop a vile alien named Chairman Drek from destroying every
planet in the Solana Galaxy. Ratchet is the last of his kind -- a foolhardy
"lombax" who has grown up alone on a backwater planet with no family
of his own. Clank is a pint-sized robot with more brains than brawn. When the
two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they
must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called The Galactic Rangers in
order to save the galaxy. Along the way, they will learn about heroism,
friendship, and the importance of discovering one's own identity.
ANGRY BIRDS - May 20
A feature-length movie based on the popular downloadable
game in which birds try to attack pigs who stole their eggs.
ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS - May 27
In this sequel to Alice in Wonderland, Alice Kingsleigh has spent the past few years
following in her father’s footsteps and sailing the high seas. Upon her return
to London, she comes across a magical looking glass and returns to the
fantastical realm of Underland and her friends the White Rabbit,
Absolem, the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter (played by Johnny Depp), who is not
himself. The Hatter has lost his Muchness, so Alice embarks on
a quest to borrow the Chronosphere, a metallic globe inside the chamber of the
Grand Clock which powers all time. Returning to the past, she comes across
friends – and enemies – at different points in their lives, and embarks on a
perilous race to save the Hatter before time runs out.
FINDING DORY - June 17
Finding Dory takes place about a year after the events that transpired in the Finding Nemo which won the 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Finding Dory addresses the one emotionally open-ended issue that remained from
the first movie: Where is Dory’s family, and will this overly-optimistic fish
with short-term memory loss ever be able to find them again? This movie's setting moves from the Australian backdrop of the first movie to to the California coastline in this one and features a that welcomes a host of
new characters, including a few who will prove to be a very important part of
Dory’s life.
BFG - July 1
The BFG, while a giant himself, is a Big
Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing
24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly
dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler and Fleshlumpeater on the other hand, are twice
as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the
BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country,
Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of
the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize
that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a
giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where
he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic
and mystery of dreams.
Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for
one another quickly grows. But Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted
the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more
bothersome. Sophie and the
BFG soon depart for London to see Queen Victoria and warn her
of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come
up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.
Adapted from Roald Dahl's 1982 novel, which was illustrated by Quentin
Blake this film marks Steven Spielberg’s first time directing a Disney-branded
movie.
SECRET LIFE OF PETS - July 8
Set in a Manhattan apartment building, after the two-legged
residents head for work and school, their pets gather to start their day, which
consists of hanging out, trading humiliating stories about their owners, and
helping each other work up adorable looks that will lead to more snacks. The
head hound is a quick-witted terrier rescue, whose
position at the epicenter of his master’s universe is suddenly threatened when
she comes home with Duke, a sloppy mongrel with no
polish. The two soon find themselves on the mean streets of New York, where
they meet the adorable white bunny Snowball. It turns
out that Snowball is the leader of an army of pets that were abandoned and are
determined to get back at humanity and every owner-loving pet. The dogs must
thwart this plot and make it back in time for dinner.
ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE - July 22
Scrat’s epic pursuit of the elusive acorn catapults him into
the universe where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that
transform and threaten the Ice Age World. To save themselves, Sid, Manny,
Diego, and the rest of the herd must leave their home and embark on a quest
full of comedy and adventure, traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a
host of colorful new characters.
KUBO & THE 2 STRINGS - August 19
Clever, kindhearted Kubo ekes out
a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including
Hosato, Hashi and Kamekichi. But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally
summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an
age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey and Beetle,
and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of
his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With
the help of his shamisen - a magical musical instrument - Kubo must battle gods
and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King and the evil
twin Sisters to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his
family and fulfill his heroic destiny.
STORKS - September 23
Storks deliver babies…or at least they used to. Now they
deliver packages for global internet giant Cornerstore.com. Junior, the
company’s top delivery stork, is about to be promoted when he accidentally
activates the Baby Making Machine, producing an adorable and wholly
unauthorized baby girl. Desperate to deliver this bundle of trouble before the
boss gets wise, Junior and his friend Tulip, the only human on Stork Mountain,
race to make their first-ever baby drop – in a wild and revealing journey that
could make more than one family whole and restore the storks’ true mission in
the world.
TROLLS - November 4
Not much has been released about this animated movie yet except that it revolves around those creatures with the funky hair that old ladies keep as lucky charms while playing Bingo.
FANTASTIC BEASTS & WHERE TO FIND THEM - November 18
Set in New York roughly seven decades before Harry Potter’s
saga starts, Fantastic Beasts is based on the Hogwarts textbook of the same
name and follows the adventures of its author, Newt Scamander.
MOANA - November 23
In the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania, Moana, a born
navigator, sets sail in search of a fabled island. During her incredible
journey, she teams up with her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui, to traverse
the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous sea creatures,
breathtaking underworlds and ancient folklore.
SING - December 21
Matthew McConaughey voices "Buster Moon," a dapper
Koala who runs a once-great theater now fallen on hard times. Seeing the thing
he loves most in his life coming to ruin, Buster connives to restore the
theater’s fortunes by producing the world’s greatest singing competition.
The last few years the lineup of family friendly movies during the summer has really been ho-hum with most of the best films coming out during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season. 2016 could reverse that trend with what appears will be some of the year's best Kids Movies being released in June and July. My wife is really excited about going to see Finding Dory, in fact probably more excited than my kids are, and the two movies my 7 year old twins appear to be most excited to go see, Secret Life of Pets and Ice Age: Collision Course are coming out in July. Just like when Frozen, we don't know much about Disney's big animated feature Moana in advance of its release. People went into Frozen not necessarily knowing much about what it was about and fell in love with it. Could Moana have the same Disney magic? If so than the holiday season could again overtake the summer as the blockbuster time of year for kids movies. Also keep an eye out for Sing which comes out at the end of the year from the studio that brought you the Despicable Me and Minions movies. Moana, Trolls, Fantastic Beasts and Sing could make for some great end of the year movie watching if these films all live up to studio expectations.
So what kids movie is your family most looking forward to seeing this year?
Your children don't need to stay up until midnight for your family to enjoy bringing in the New Year together with a new on-demand service from Netflix that allows you to participate in a Care Bears themed end-of-the-year countdown. According to research by Netflix, more than half of parents around the world (58%) would prefer to put their children to bed before the clock strikes twelve yet still want to experience having their family do a New Year's Eve Countdown together. Netflix has the Care Bears helping you cheer in the new year plus 5 other kid friendly countdown specials to select from you can choose to stream at the time you prefer to welcome in the new year as a family. Enjoy a family celebration with the Care Bears at 8, 9 or 10pm than put the kids to bed and enjoy the rest of the evening with some parents only time.
Choose the time to go to bed and let your kids choose which of their favorite Netflix children's show characters they want to countdown to the new year with:
Care Bears & Cousins head to Share Bear's Shake Shack to gear up for a belly badge -tastic countdown in Care-a-Lot;
Puffin Rock residents Oona and Baba re-live their adventures from the past year and celebrate with the Northern Lights, nature's own fireworks;
Inspector Gadgetsaves New Year's Eve from a mischievous M.A.D. agent just in the knick of time for a dazzling firework display;
King Julien lives up to his party animal persona with a countdown to dance your way into the new year.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman venture around the world to gather their favorite talk show guests fro a star studded countdown event featuring popular DreamWorks characters Hiccup and Toothless, Puss in Boots, the Croods, and the entire Dinotrux team.
Project Mc2 stars McKeyla, Adrienne, Bryden and Camryn team up for NOV8's most important mission yet: Party!
These Netflix countdowns are a great way to share the New Year's Eve experience with young children while getting them to bed at a respectable hour. Parents in the US, UK, Canada and Australia agree 9 pm is the new midnight with nearly half of those surveyed by Netflix saying they'd prefer to countdown those famous 10 seconds as a family by 9 p.m. Of those people surveyed it appears us Americans really appreciate getting our kids to bed early on New Years Eve with 41% of US parents replying that they have or plan to use a special countdown as a way to get their kids to bed early. No matter where you are, start your party anytime, anywhere by searching "New Year's Eve Countdown" on Netflix. They won't tell your kids it is not midnight if you don't.
Stay up to date on all the latest news about the #CareBears by visiting www.CareBears.com, following @CareBearsFriend on Twitter or liking the Care Bears Facebook page.
A Geek Daddy is a Care Bears #ShareYourCare Brand Ambassador. As part of that blogger program, I occasionally receive Care Bears promotional information and products to review and share with blog readers. A Geek Daddy does not receive any financial compensation for its participation in this brand ambassador program.
** As part of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders, A Geek Daddy blog was provided a complimentary HOME Party Edition blu-ray plus a Family Movie Night Planning Kit**
We enjoyed a fun #HomeMovieNight watching HOME which was recently released on blu-ray and dvd. We got our Boov on while enjoying the movie and some extra family movie night goodies our friends at Fox Home Entertainment sent our way. HOME is a family friendly animated film that is a buddy adventure with a SciFi twist filled with dance party music and humorous quips.
HOME is based on the book The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. The Earth is taken over by an alien race called the Boov who determines our planet is the best place to hide out from their enemy the Gorg. The Boov relocate all of humanity to Australia and takeover our cities and homes for themselves. A teenager named Tip avoids being sucked up in the Boov relocation efforts and finds herself alone and on the run. She bumps into a Boov named Oh who is also on the run because of an e-mail mishap that puts everyone on the planet in peril. Oh, upgrades a car so that it can fly fueled by the power of slushies and joins Tip in a quest to find her mother Lucy and undo his error that threatens to alert the Gorg of the Boov's newest hideout.
I'd be like Oh in this picture above if technology was fueled by slushies. How marvelous would that be?! Slushies, plus Oh & Tip's magical flying car Slushious, play a big part in the film so of course we had to enjoy some slushies for a movie night snack.
In our Family HOME Movie Night kit from Fox Home Entertainment, we were generously provided some ZOKU Slush Makers. I love slushies and have tried a variety of make them yourself products over the years, and I can honestly say these were the best working at home Slush Makers I've ever used. They were easy to use, the slushies tasted great, and the glasses cleaned up well. Instead of trying to freeze the liquid directly its moisture is absorbed to the side of the Slush Maker cup and freezes. Scraping and stirring creates an icy mix with your choice of juice or soda that makes an excellent DIY slush. My kids found using the ZOKU slush makers fun to use and really enjoyed their slushy treats. We made a spot in our freezer for these ZOKU Slush Makers so they are ready to go the next time we want to enjoy a slush for a frozen treat.
Boov love everything round so my wife also baked up some cupcakes for us to enjoy during our Home Movie Night. My son took on the role of waiter making sure everyone was seated for the movie and had a cupcake to snack on. It is always fun to try and add some themes to your Family Movie Night snacks like we did with the cupcakes and slushies.
We were provided with the Walmart exclusive HOME Party Edition blu-ray for our Family Movie Night which also included a light up Oh toy that was pretty cool and can be snapped on to a backpack as a decoration. Finding cool pins and snap on things to decorate their school backpacks is a big deal for my kids and with it being back-to-school time these Oh toys can be pretty useful for that purpose.
The HOME Party Edition also has lots of bonus musical features tied to the movie's soundtrack. So after you've watched the movie you can throw your hands in the air like you just don't care and dance all about. The movie's soundtrack features tunes from Jennifer Lopez and Rhianna among other great artists.
For some fun movie trivia and HOME themed kids activity sheets, CLICK HERE for my #HomeInsiders blog post. Plus enjoy these fun Family Movie Night planning tips from Oh:
I am a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders blogger program
and receive complimentary products for reviews and giveaways.
Looking to have a fun family movie night at home? A Geek Daddy can help with that! Courtesy of our friends at Fox Home Entertainment we have a Blu-ray/Digital Download combo pack of DreamWorks Animation's hit movie HOME to giveaway to one of our blog readers. HOME is available for purchase via digital download now and will be released on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 28th but you have a chance to get it for FREE from A Geek Daddy blog.
In DreamWorks Animation's HOME, Oh, a loveable misfit from another
planet meets a girl named Tip. The two unlikely friends embark on a
great journey...the journey HOME. Directed by Tim Johnson (Over The Hedge, Antz), HOME features the voice talents of Golden Globe® and Emmy® winner Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, The Muppets), Grammy® winner Rihanna (Battleship), Oscar® and Emmy® winner Steve Martin (The Pink Panther, Father of the Bride) and Golden Globe® nominee Jennifer Lopez (American Idol, Maid In Manhattan). The movie also features a soundtrack with musical performances by Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez.
UPDATE (8/2/2015) - Congrats to Juan from Lawndale California who won the HOME movie prize pack.
For a chance to win a HOME movie prize pack, must be a U.S. or Canadian resident over 18 years old and submit one or all of the
following
entry methods to earn up to 5 entries prior to 11:59 pm EST on Thursday July 30, 2015. All valid entries will be assigned a number in the order they are
received and one number will be selected to determine the winner using
random.org. E-mails will only be used to
contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.
EMAIL (1 Entry) E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address. Email subject line should be HOME Movie. FACEBOOK COMMENT (2 Entries) Visit A GEEK DADDY on Facebook and leave a comment on our contest post sharing who your favorite singer is Rihanna or Jennifer Lopez.
TWITTER POST (2 Entries) Follow @Geeky_Dad and tweet: Enter @DWAnimation HOME blu-ray/DVD #Giveaway @Geeky_Dad http://www.ageekdaddy.com/2015/07/dreamworks-animation-home-movie-giveaway.html #HomeInsiders #Ad
As a Fox Home Entertainment Insider, A Geek Daddy Blog has also been provided with some fun kids activity sheets and bookmarks based upon the movie HOME to share with our readers. We hope you have some fun with these!
DISCLAIMER:A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible
for selecting the winner of this contest, but Fox Home Entertainment is
responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.
By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek
Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with
this promotion. If you win this prize on another blog, you will not be
eligible to win again. Winner is
subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or
FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy
Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive
a review DVD for the blog and the prize that is being awarded to one of
our readers for this
contest. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our
readers. Any opinions in this post are my own. #HomeInsider
2014 was somewhat of a lackluster year for movies that families with young children (preschool/kindergarten/elementary school aged) could enjoy together. An exception to that was the animated feature film Mr. Peabody & Sherman directed by Rob Minkoff featuring the classic characters from a skit that was a regular feature of the 1960s era television cartoon The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show. While my wife and I were pretty familiar with the characters from this movie as the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show remained pretty popularly syndicated on television with reruns in the 1970s and 80s it is no longer really showed on TV anymore so Mr. Peabody the talking dog and his ward Sherman were brand new to our six year old twins. We watched Mr. Peabody and Sherman on Blu-ray recently for a Family Movie Night and everyone was entertained by this humorous flick.
Dreamworks did a nice job of taking the concept for this movie from a 1960s television show and modernizing it to be relatable and relevant to today's times (The Blu-ray contains the original"Peabody's Improbable History" skit from the first Rocky & Bullwinkle Show and wow! watching that cartoon as a 40 year old now versus originally seeing it as a six year old myself makes you appreciate just how much technology has improved over the years and how this film's producers have expanded on the original concept to improve it for today's generation of movie watchers). For those not familiar with the television show or the animated movie, Mr. Peabody is a talking dog that is also the smartest being in the world. As a pup, he was rejected by every potential owner that considered taking him home, so Mr. Peabody devoted himself to scientific and technological discoveries. One day, he comes across an abandoned baby and Mr. Peabody legally adopts the orphaned infant and names him Sherman. As his son becomes older, Mr. Peabody begins to tutor him regarding art, literature, history, and science by allowing Sherman to experience meeting important people and experience monumental moments through the use of a time machine called the WABAC (Wavelength Acceleration Bidirectional Asynchronous Controller) pronounced "way back" which also relates to its function.
In the movie, Sherman is being bullied at school by one of his classmates, a girl named Penny, whom during one of the incidents the seven year old boy bites her. School officials become alarmed that maybe this behavior is tied to Sherman being raised by a dog and begin to look into removing the boy from Mr. Peabody's care. In an effort to patch things up, Mr. Peabody invites Penny and her parents over to his house so they can work things out between the families. During that visit, in an effort to get Penny to like him, Sherman shows her the WABAC and they take it for a joy ride back to ancient Egypt. From there hilarity and adventurous hijinks begin leading to a rip in time and space that creates a vortex that could destroy the world if Mr. Peabody, Sherman and Penny can't find a way to fix it.
If you are looking to pickup a fun family-friendly movie for a night at home Mr. Peabody and Sherman gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval. CLICK HERE to order it on Amazon.com.
While watching the movie here are some interesting trivia tidbits to keep in mind and look out for while enjoying the show:
Mr. Peabody's first and last lines in the movie are the same as his first/last lines in each episode of "Peabody's Improbable History" cartoon.
When the camera zooms into Mr. Peabody's penthouse at the beginning of the movie, there is a sketch of Bullwinkle the moose on the wall over Peabody's yoga mat.
When Mr. Peabody is trying to impress Penny's parents with his many talents, upon being asked for something more rock-n-roll he plays the opening riff from "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix and does it as Hendrix would have playing left-pawed (left-handed). He then switches to playing flamenco guitar right pawed as his normal dominant hand throughout the movie.
When Sherman recommends going to the future to save history from the time warp vortex, the theme from "Edward Scissorhands" plays in the background. Danny Elfman was the composer for this film and that one as well.
Near the end of the movie when Mr. Peabody and Sherman are going to the future in the WABAC its speedometer is shown displaying 88 miles per hour, the same speed as the Delorean time machine needed to achieve time travel in "Back to the Future."
Just before the end credits, as the Trojan Horse is being pulled off the screen, it is followed by the mustachioed little street cleaner from the end of the parade opening in each of the "Peabody's Improbable History" segments in The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show episodes.
DISCLAIMER: As a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders program I received a complimentary Blu-ray/DVD of Mr. Peabody& Sherman to review. I did not receive any financial compensation for this post. The views and opinions expressed are my own.
George Lucas may have handed over the reins to the Star Wars universe to Disney but he hasn't completely retired from the movie business just yet. A brand new film scripted and produced by Lucas is hitting movie theaters on January 23, 2015. STRANGE MAGIC is a zany fairy tale of a musical inspired by "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Popular songs from the last six decades will be spun into a tale that features goblins, elves, and fairies embarking on misadventures in a battle to win control of a powerful potion. Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic is providing the animation and visual effects for a story written by George Lucas with Disney's Touchstone Pictures production company distributing and marketing the movie.
Check out this trailer for Strange Magic:
This movie appears to be a family focused movie more in the vein of DreamWorks flicks like Shrek and Rise of the Guardians then the format of Disney / Pixar animated movies. Interestingly, Touchstone Pictures distributes the live action movies created by DreamWorks while 20th Century Fox distributes the animated family focused movies. With rumors that DreamWorks Studios may be up for sale could this be a test to see how well their animated movie format plays under the Touchstone banner if it were to join the Disney family of companies?
Anyhow if you are looking for a movie to take the kids to go see for a family outing in January you may want to keep this movie on your radar screen. For more information, visit the movie's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/StrangeMagic
