MUFASA HOME VIDEO RELEASE

An early chapter in the circle of life of the royal family of THE LION KING is told in Disney Studios' MUFASA which is now available to add to your home entertainment video library via digital and will be released April 1 on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. MUFASA: THE LION KING is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America [MPAA] and has a runtime of just under 2 hours. Digital retailers the movie is available from include Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.

Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, “Mufasa: The Lion King” enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.

As people have come to expect from home video releases, there is bonus content included along with the movie:

Full Length Sing-Along – Sing along with your favorite songs while watching the movie with on-screen lyrics. 

Finding Milele: The Making of Mufasa: The Lion King – Join visionary director Barry Jenkins and the cast of Mufasa: The Lion King on an epic journey to create a brand-new chapter in the story of The Lion King. Explore how the story was developed and the technology used to make Mufasa's world come to life. 

Songs of the Savanna – Director Barry Jenkins and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda sit down to discuss the excitement and challenges of creating the music for Mufasa: The Lion King. 

Ostrich Eggs with Timon & Pumbaa – Timon and Pumbaa reveal fun facts and some of the hidden references in the movie. 

Outtakes – Watch the cast having fun in the recording booth. 

Deleted Scenes: 

• Who's the Mole Rat? 
• What Do You Feel in There? 
• Have Faith in Her Taka's Dream 

Music Video: "I Always Wanted a Brother" – Join Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of Mufasa: The Lion King as they perform "I Always Wanted A Brother" backstage at a film shoot.

Protect the Pride – Learn how Disney and The Lion Recovery Fund are working to protect the pride and conserve lions in the wild.

RUMBLE

Paramount Home Entertainment provided ageekdaddy.com the featured product free for promotional consideration.

Are you ready to rumble?! Out now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital is RUMBLE, a great movie for a family movie night, based upon the popular graphic novel "Monster on the Hill" by Rob Harrell. RUMBLE is set in a world where monster wrestling is a global sports sensation whose superstar athletes are larger than life. This animated comedy features the voices of Will Arnett, Geraldine Viswanathan, Terry Crews, Charles Barkley, and WWE professional wrestlers Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoai and Becky Lynch.

In RUMBLE, teenager Winnie teams up with a loveable underdog monster in hopes of training him to be a champion. The duo learns the value of moving to your own groove and paving your own unique path to success. Can they achieve the champion's belt in the global competition to become the best monster wrestler in the world?! RUMBLE is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America. The MPAA rating is based upon action sequences and rude humor.

In addition to the feature presentation, the Blu-ray and Digital formats of RUMBLE include the following bonus content:

THE SUPER SECRET PLAYBOOK: Winnie (Geraldine Viswanathan) narrates this exciting exploration of her dad's championship-winning plays. The playbook comes to life as the pages turn and reveal exciting moves with fully animated wrestlers that leap off the pages.

THE MON-STARS OF WRESTLING: For a sport to capture the imagination of fans, it needs superstar athletes with larger-than-life personalities. Meet the hulking behemoths from inside the six-sided Monster Wrestling ring who keep the world mesmerized.

SALSA WITH RAYBURN: In this unique tutorial, Rayburn invites viewers to learn some of his signature moves step by step. Families can learn to Salsa like Raburn...and get a good workout with the hero of the film.

MASSIVE MONSTERS, WRESTLING MOVES & DAZZLING DANCES: Director Hamish Grieve takes center stage in this behind-the-scenes look at creating the monsters, their textures, and their arsenal of signature moves.

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SGT STUBBY

While the film SGT. STUBBY: AN AMERICAN HERO may not have received a lot of buzz this year, I have to say it was one of my family's favorite animated movies of 2018. The movie depicts a little known true story about the unbreakable bond between a young doughboy soldier and the stray dog he adopts during World War I. For his contributions during the trench warfare that took place in France, received the rank of Sergeant in the U.S. Army and is the most decorated dog in American history. This Boston Terrier's actions on the battlefield inspired the creation of the Defense Department's Military Working Dog Program that has been in place from World War II through today.

This is a heart-warming story that makes for a great family movie night selection. My whole family was captivated by this movie. SGT. STUBBY: AN AMERICAN HERO is rated PG for war action and some thematic elements but frankly in my opinion it is suitable for all ages to view and is a very family-friendly movie.

SGT. STUBBY: AN AMERICAN HERO is full of exciting and suspenseful moments and has a compelling story that has you caring about the dog and the soldiers that adopted him. While it is a "war story" that includes battle scenes with poison gas and trench warfare as well as incidents involving animals and people being killed during World War I conflicts, there is never any violence or gore shown on screen. There is also no swearing or sexual content to be concerned about when it comes to this film.

ABOUT THE FILM

The movie begins with a young American soldier named Robert Conroy adopting a little stray dog with a stubby tail that wanders into his training camp in New Haven, Connecticut. Conroy teaches the dog he names Stubby to salute officers so that they allow it to become the regiment mascot and tag along with them to France as they fight in the "War to End all Wars."



Once the doughboys and Stubby arrived in France, our eyes were glued to the screen wondering if Stubby, Robert and the rest of their regiment would make it back alive once the war concludes as we weren't aware of the real life story this movie is based upon before watching it.  A French solider, voiced by Gérard Depardieu (Cyrano De Bergerac, My Father the Hero), befriends Conroy and helps him and Stubby get a lay of the land thus becoming an important part of the storyline. Together they discover the value of friendship, loyalty and bravery as they try to survive the war depending on one another.

Directed by award-winning documentarian Richard Lanni, SGT. STUBBY: AN AMERICAN HERO also features the voices of Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & The Olympians) as Conroy and Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter) as his sister who reads correspondence from her brother depicting Stubby's exploits.  Because this movie provided a wonderfully entertaining experience for a family movie night, it has earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval. I really enjoyed how the film was a combination of an exciting adventure story with an educational documentary about the real life Sergeant Stubby.  Being able to balance a movie so that is entertaining and educational isn't an easy task, but Lanni successfully accomplishes this.

ABOUT THE REAL-LIFE SERGEANT STUBBY

Before he was a decorated war hero, Stubby was unwanted, unwashed and unloved until he was taken in by Private First Class Robert Conroy of the 102nd Infantry Regiment, 26th "Yankee" Division. Taken along to France by the American doughboy, Stubby saw frontline action in four offensives and 17 battles. He found wounded  soldiers, saved an entire company by alerting men to don gas masks and even caught a German spy.

After the recapture of the French town of Chateau-Thierry, local women made the dog an embroidered jacket to wear that served as Stubby's uniform and displayed the numerous awards he received. He returned to the United States after the war to a hero's welcome. Stubby and Conroy toured the country participating in victory parades and met numerous dignitaries including three Presidents.

SGT. STUBBY: AN AMERICAN HERO is available now on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital. I'd encourage you to bring it  home and enjoy the activity sheets below for your own family movie night. Especially, if you have preschoolers, elementary school aged kids, and tweens at home. They'll love the adorable animated dog in this film. For more information about the movie, visit stubbymovie.com

WOODY WOODPECKER MOVIE

I was a bit shocked during a trip to Universal Orlando Resort that my kids had no clue who Woody Woodpecker was.  I'd watched more cartoons featuring that mischievous little bird than I can count as a kid myself but the character hasn't received much attention for the last couple of decades.  So I was excited to find out that Woody Woodpecker was making a comeback in an all-new movie being released straight to Cable On Demand, Digital Download, and DVD on February 6, 2018.

Woody Woodpecker was created in 1940 by Walter Lantz as a cartoon short that was shown in movie theaters until it became a television show in 1957.  "The Woody Woodpecker Show" has been broadcast in over 150 territories across the globe and in 105 languages in the more than 75 years since the cartoons first began airing on television.  Generations of kids have known the unforgettable laugh of the little red-headed bird who is forever pecking his way out of trouble.  Now a new film that blends live action and CGI animation is bringing back the wild adventures of this wacky woodpecker.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment kindly sent us the movie in advance of its official release date to enjoy for a family movie night.  Both my son and daughter were intrigued to learn more about this character that I had hyped up to them since we ran across him while wandering around Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort.  There were plenty of giggles filling our living room while viewing Woody Woodpecker's antics in this film about a crazy turf war between the prankster bird and a big city lawyer who wants to tear down Woody's home to build a mansion with a lake view.

Directed by Alex Zamm (Inspector Gadget 2, The Little Rascals Save the Day), WOODY WOODPECKER is rated PG for action scenes, rude humor and language.  Though it has a PG rating, from our experience viewing it there really didn't seem to be anything as a parent I'd find concerning or objectionable about letting a child of any age watch the film.  WOODY WOODPECKER is a nice movie that preschoolers, grade school kids and tweens will enjoy watching along with mom and dad for a fun family movie night.



The movie stars Timothy Omundson (Galavant, Supernatural, Psych), Thaila Ayala (Rio Heat), Graham Verchere (Fargo), Jordana Largy (Monster Trucks) and Eric Bauza (The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water) as the voice of Woody Woodpecker.  In his first ever live action / animated film, Woody Woodpecker must protect his forest home from Lance Walters (Omundson) who starts building a dream home in the forest with his son Tommy (Verchere) and fiancée Vanessa (Ayala).  While engaging in this turf war, Woody must also avoid the clutches of two grizzly poachers.  Will Woody's crazy hijnks sabotage Lance's mansion and foil the poachers?  You'll be laughing along with Woody's trademark laugh as you find out!

For more information about the movie, head over to uphe.com/woodywoodpecker.