Fun Facts About The Animated Movie HOME & Kids Activity Sheets

I am a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders blogger program and receive complimentary products for reviews and giveaways.

The animated feature film HOME is now available to purchase via Digital Download and will be released July 28, 2015 on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD.  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.

Here are 6 fun facts to keep in mind and look for while enjoying this film:

• HOME is based upon the book "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex.  You can see the characters Tip and Oh reading the book in the end credits. In the book "The True Meaning of Smekday" Oh's name is actually J.Lo which was changed for the movie maybe because Jennifer Lopez, whose nickname is also J.Lo , voice's Tip's mother in the movie and performs the title track "Feel the Light."

• "Feel the Light" opens with the familiar chords used to communicate with aliens in the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

• In the convenience store scene if you look closely you'll see a box of cheesy dibbles the snacks loved by the Penguins of Madagascar.

• The Boov eat metal and other everyday objects humans wouldn't consider as food.  During the final party scene one of the Boov has a drink with a screwdriver in it ... get it a screwdriver a pun on the cocktail made from vodka and orange juice.

• The Boov can change colors based upon their emotions but their primary color is purple.  Not all Boov are the same shade of purple though.  There are seven shades of the "normal" Boov skin tone shown in the movie which is a nod to "The True Meaning of Smekday."  In Adam Rex's book there are seven different genders making up the alien Boov race.

• The headlights and grill on the flying car, Slushious, that Tip and Oh use on their journey change color to mimic joy, fear, sadness, and terror.

As a Fox Home Entertainment Insider, A Geek Daddy Blog has 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!

DVD GIVEAWAY: Dragons - Defenders of Berk Part 2

 UPDATE: Congratulations Pamela S. from Michigan won the DVD giveaway.

My kids are really excited to go see the upcoming feature film How To Train Your Dragon 2 at the movie theater this summer.  While waiting for the DreamWorks' movie to hit theaters on June 13th we've recently been watching the 2013 Annie Award winner for Best Animated Television Production for Children, DRAGONS: DEFENDERS OF BERK which features adventures of the films' primary characters, young Vikings and the trained dragons they ride, that take place in a time period set between the original movie and its upcoming sequel.  DreamWorks Animation and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment recently released on May 27th the second half of the episodes for its DRAGONS: DEFENDERS OF BERK television series season on DVD and has generously provided a copy for one of my blog readers to win.  Watching this animated series is a great way to build up family enthusiasm and familiarity with the characters before going to see the upcoming movie this summer.

For a chance to win a DVD of DRAGONS: DEFENDERS OF BERK PART 2 email an answer to the following question to TheGeekDaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com: What is an Annie Award?  Entries must be received by Friday, June 6, 2014 before 11:59pm EST.  One randomly selected email will win the DVD of Dreamworks Dragons: Defenders of Berk Part 2. Entrants must reside in United States or Canada and must be over 21 years old. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment shall provide fulfillment on delivery of the prize and you waive any liability towards this blog and its owner regarding such delivery or any other matter relating to this offer by your participation in this giveaway contest.

DRAGONS: DEFENDERS OF BERK PART 2 follows Hiccup and his fearless friends as they embark on new adventures and battle to protect their island home in 10 episodes of the televised animated series.  These young Vikings and the dragons they ride must put their skills to the test to defeat dangerous and surprising new enemies.  This animated television series features many of the original voice talent from the How To Train Your Dragon feature films including Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

Bonus features on the DVD include the DRAGON TRACKER which features an in-depth look at dragons Skrill, Baby Thunderdrums and Speed Stinger, plus a special sneak peek at Snaptrapper who will be seen in the upcoming How To Train Your Dragon 2.  The DVD also has a featurette with visual effects supervisor David Jones who explains the history behind the new dragon Snaptrapper.  Plus there is a dragon mash-up music video called "Here Comes the Fire." For those fans who purchase the DVD another bonus is that it provides a code to get a digital download via UltraViolet and Movie Money ($7.50 value) to redeem for a ticket to How To Train Your Dragon 2 when the film opens in theaters in June.

Remember for a chance to win a free DRAGONS: DEFENDERS OF BERK PART 2 DVD email your entries before the end of the day Friday, June 6, 2014.

CONTEST RULES/DISCLAIMER:  By participating in this contest, entrants acknowledge the Giveaway Prize will be provided by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and A GEEK DADDY BLOG is  not liable for the prize to the randomly selected winner.  By submitting an entry to win this prize, winner grants the right to have his or her name published to identify them as the winner of this contest.   I did not receive financial compensation for hosting this contest or writing about the movie, but as a member of the FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT INSIDERS bloggers team I do receive a complimentary DVD review copy of the movies that I post about and host contests for on this blog, including DRAGONS: DEFENDERS OF BERK PART 2.  The opinions expressed in FOX HOME INSIDERS blog reviews are my own and I am not obligated to write a positive review.

DVD GIVEAWAY: DRAGONS-DEFENDERS OF BERK

2014 is the "Year of the Dragon" for DreamWorks Animation as the studio releases the movie How to Train Your Dragon 2 in theaters on June 13th and releases the first 10 episodes of its television show Dragons-Defenders of Berk on DVD March 25th.  In celebration of the "Year of the Dragon", we're providing one reader of this blog with a FREE dvd: DRAGONS-DEFENDERS OF BERK PART 1.

For a chance to win this DVD of Dragons-Defenders of Berk Part 1 please follow our twitter account @GEEKY_DAD.  E-mail the twitter handle you are following @Geeky_Dad with along with your name and address to thegeekdaddy @ yahoo [dot] com to be entered to win.  One entry per person and only open to USA/CANADA.  I will randomly pick one e-mail and provide the winner's information to Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for the prize's delivery. Contest entries must be received by 11:59pm EST Thursday, March 13, 2014  [We will be checking on twitter to make sure all entries are following @Geeky_Dad ] Good luck everyone!

DRAGONS-DEFENDERS OF BERK was the 2013 Annie Award Winner for Best Animated Television Production for Children.  Based on the Academy Award nominated movie How to Train Your Dragon, DRAGONS-DEFENDERS OF BERK PART 1 follows Hiccup and his dragon training friends as they battle to protect their island home.  These young Vikings must put all their dragon training skills to the test to defeat some dangerous and surprising new enemies!  In addition to new adventures and villains this Cartoon Network TV series also introduces 4 brand new dragons to the franchise in its episodes.  

The DRAGONS-DEFENDERS OF BERK PART 1 DVD has plenty of special features in addition to the television episodes to bring the exciting world of Dragons home to your family.  The Dragon Tracker bonus feature has an in-depth look at the 4 brand new dragons: Screaming Death, Fireworm Queen, Flightmare and Skrill.  A featurette by visual effects supervisor David Jones explains the history behind the new dragon Screaming Death.  The DVD also includes a Superfly Dragon Mash-up music video that should be fun if you have kids like mine that love a dance party in the living room!  Additionally, the DVD includes a code for a Digital HD UltraViolet download of its content and an exclusive offer for battle gear and one month's free subscription to School of Dragons, the online game based on the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

Watching DRAGONS-DEFENDERS OF BERK is a great way for your family to get excited to go see How To Train Your Dragon 2 when it hits theaters on June 13, 2014.  Check out this trailer for the upcoming movie:

CONTEST RULES/DISCLAIMER:  By participating in this contest, entrants acknowledge the Giveaway Prize will be provided by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and I am not liable for the prize to the randomly selected winner.  By submitting an entry to win this prize, winner grants the right to have his or her name published to identify them as the winner of this contest.   I did not receive financial compensation for hosting this contest or writing about the movie, but as a member of the FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT INSIDERS bloggers team I do receive a complimentary DVD review copy of the movies that I post about and host contests for on this blog, including DRAGONS-DEFENDERS OF BERK PART 1.  The opinions expressed are my own and I am not obligated to write a positive review.