MALEFICENT MISTRESS OF EVIL

A FREE Blu-ray of Maleficent 2 was provided to this blog from Walt Disney Studios

Our first family movie night of 2020! The adventure of Sleeping Beauty and her fairy-stepmother continue in MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL. Available January 14 from Walt Disney Studios on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital to add to your home entertainment video library. Rated PG for sequences of fantasy action/violence and brief scary images.

Directed by Joachim Ronning, MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL carries on the story of Disney's most iconic villain. The years have been kind to Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty, known as Princess Aurora. Their relationship, born of heartbreak, revenge and ultimately love, has flourished. Yet hatred between man and the fairies still exists.



Aurora's impending marriage to Prince Philip is cause for celebration as the wedding serves to unite the Kingdom of Ulstead and the neighboring Moors. But, when an unexpected encounter introduces a powerful new alliance, Maleficent and Aurora are pulled apart to opposing sides in a Great War, testing their loyalties and causing them to question whether they can truly be a family.

A favorite aspect of mine about home video releases of movies is that they often times include bonus features that you don't see during when the film is being shown at theaters. MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL has a number of extra goodies included with it. You'll absolutely want to check out the deleted scenes, featurettes and outtakes included with the home release of MALEFICENT 2. Plus Star Wars fans won't want to miss a Digital exclusive bonus that has Warrick Davis giving expanded details about his character Lickspittle in this movie.

Extended Scenes 

The Queen Comforts Aurora - Queen Ingrith takes advantage of Aurora’s fragile state to gain her confidence and accelerate the wedding plans.

Philip and Aurora Dance - Aurora struggles to gain Queen Ingrith’s approval when she realizes how she is viewed among aristocracy.

Featurettes

Origins of the Fey - Angelina Jolie discusses Maleficent’s lore, her newly discovered origins, and the diversity of the cast who portray the Fey.

Aurora’s Wedding - Elle Fanning gushes over Aurora’s fairytale wedding; plus, hear from some special guests as they give their best to the bride and groom.

If You Had Wings - Get a glimpse of the elaborate visual effects that allow the Fey to take to the skies.

 “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” VFX Reel – Discover how a perfect blend of practical and visual effects were used to create the stunning landscapes in “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.”

 Outtakes

Goofy clips – Uncooperative cats, a serious case of the giggles and even the “floss dance” found their way into Ulstead.

Music Video

 “You Can’t Stop The Girl”  performed by Bebe Rexha

Pick up MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL (2019) from Best Buy for your own family movie night. If you purchase the movie in 4K Ultra HD or the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack through one of these links this dad blogger will receive a small commission at not additional expense to you. The original MALEFICENT (2014) movie is also available from Best Buy on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD. Thanks for your support of ageekdaddy.com!

A Stroll Through the Cranbrook House Gardens

We spent a recent summer morning taking a stroll through the gardens that surround the historic Cranbrook House located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  Thanks to the financial donations of PNC Bank, All Seasons, and Roberts Restaurant Group the grounds surrounding the Cranbrook House are open daily from 9 am to 5 pm this year from May through October for the public to come out and explore.  The 40-acre Cranbrook House Gardens feature formal, woodland and naturalistic gardens featuring fountains, statuary, lakes, streams, and extensive traditional and natural plantings.

The Cranbrook House is the oldest of metropolitan Detroit's grand early 20th century mansions.  It was designed by the noted architect Albert Kahn for the family of George Booth (the wealthy owner of a Canadian iron-working business in Windsor, Ontario) and Ellen Warren Scripps (the eldest child of the founder of the Detroit News).  Booth went to work with his father-in-law helping to build the News into Detroit's largest daily newspaper.  In addition to taking on a prominent role within the Scripps-owned newspaper business which was expanding throughout the Midwest, George Booth also partnered with his brothers to establish a profitable chain of Michigan-based newspapers under the Booth Publishing Company.  In 1904, George and Ellen purchased a run-down 174-acre farm and transformed it into a magnificent estate named Cranbrook after the English town the Booth family originated from.  In their elder years, the Booths transformed  their estate into the Cranbrook Educational Community which includes a private school, a magnificent church, an art museum, and the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Cranbrook Institute of Science.  The Cranbrook House and Gardens have been preserved as a historic landmark and also provides office space for the non-profit foundation which oversees the Cranbrook Educational Community.

While strolling through the gardens is free there is a $10 charge to tour the mansion. There are discounts for seniors, students with ID, and active duty military.  Admission fees are also charged for visiting the Art and Science museums on the Cranbrook campus.  Still there is plenty to see wandering around the meadows, wooded trails, and gardens surrounding the Cranbrook House.

During our visit we spotted a wealth of wild life including a beaver, bunny, chipmunk, butterflies, dragonflies, fish in the ponds and a number of birds along with a variety of attractive plants and flowers as we walked throughout the landscape.  The Cranbrook Gardens are also filled with fountains, sculptures and other artwork.

 

Make sure to download the free app available for both Android and Apple mobile devices before you visit that provide self-guided tours of the grounds complete with useful facts, vivid photographs, and video segments to enhance your experience exploring the gardens.  It can come very handy not just for finding out interesting information about your surroundings but also for helping find your way around the grounds.

There are plenty of special spots that are fun for kids to discover during a trip to the Cranbrook House Gardens.  Two of my kids favorites during our visit included a nook in a sunken garden that looks like something you'd find in a fairy tale and a charming bridge over the manor's driveway you'll find while taking the trail from the visitor parking lot to the Cranbrook House.

The visitor parking lot is off Lone Pine Road located on the north side of the street across from Christ Church.  Park your vehicle and either walk up the Cranbrook House's original driveway or take a short hike along a wooded trail to reach the gardens.  There are also restrooms located within the parking lot's check-in building.  That is important to know especially when traveling with little ones because there aren't a lot of other options when you start walking around.  For more information about the place visit housegardens.cranbrook.edu/ or call 248-645-3147.



During our mid-week morning visit, my kids and I had the run of the place with literally no one around other than volunteer gardeners and some construction workers doing maintenance which made it really enjoyable to explore the gardens and trails surrounding the Cranbrook House.  For a relaxing stroll, adventurous trek, bird watching, gardening tips, or to take in some interesting art, if you live in or are traveling to Metro Detroit stopping by the Cranbrook House & Gardens is well worth a visit.  My kids and I had a wonderful time taking in the art and scenery.

Little Girls will be Thrilled - Disney bringing Live Action Cinderella Movie to the Silver Screen in March of 2015

Ever since my daughter watched Disney's classic animated movie Cinderella for the first time, she has been totally enamored with this fairy tale princess.  She tells everyone the highlight of her life (all five years of it so far) has been being able to meet Cinderella at DisneyLand.  In fact, when she had the chance to meet Cinderella she proudly showed off the t-shirt she was wearing with the character's portrait vibrantly displayed on it and exclaimed "I'm your biggest fan!"  So you know she's going to be excited when a brand new Cinderella movie sashays into theaters on March 13, 2015.

Cinderella will be directed by Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh (THOR, HAMLET) and star Lily James (DOWNTOWN ABBEY) as Cinderella, Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett (BLUE JASMINE, ELIZABETH) as the evil stepmother, Richard Madden (GAME OF THRONES) as Prince Charming and Academy Award nominee Helena Bonham Carter (THE KINGS SPEECH, ALICE IN WONDERLAND) as the fairy godmother.  The movie's producers are promising this live action feature film will bring to life the timeless images from Disney's 1950 animated masterpiece as fully-realized characters in a visually dazzling spectacle for a whole new generation.

Check out this trailer from the upcoming movie:

You know I'd be the worst dad in the world if I didn't take my little princess to see this new adaption of Cinderella.  After watching the animated Disney version of this fairy tale with my daughter more times then I can count, something new that she'll enjoy is definitely going to be appreciated in our household.  Fortunately from the looks of the trailer this movie appears to be actually a decent film to watch for both the princesses and the parents in the audience.

So the question is will my son want to go along to see the new #Cinderella movie theater?  I'm not sure though he does appear to be plotting something with Anastasia, Drisella and Lady Tremaine?

For more information about the movie, visit movies.disney.com/cinderella/