THE ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS SPECIALS COLLECTION

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment provided a complimentary Blu-ray of The Original Christmas Specials Collection to ageekdaddy.com for promotional consideration.

As an adult when I think of Santa Claus the image above is the first impression that my mind pictures. That is because as a kid growing up in the 1970s & '80s, the Rankin/Bass stop motion productions and cartoons were what was on TV during the holiday season. In the days before cable television and Internet streaming, we only picked up seven channels through the rabbit ears on top of my parents' television set. So these holiday specials featuring Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman were Prime Time entertainment for not just my family but a whole generation of children.

It was a holiday tradition for my whole family to gather around the TV and watch the holiday specials produced by Arthur Rankin Jr and Jules Bass and I have a lot of nostalgia for these productions. So I'm GEEKED that these shows are now available on Blu-ray for me to share with my own children. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just released in high definition for home video 5 holiday favorites from Rankin/Bass including Santa Claus is Coming To Town, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, Cricket on the Hearth and Frosty the Snowman in a Blu-ray Limited Edition Steelbook. Blu-ray unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.

'Tis the season to enjoy the timeless holiday classics in The Original Christmas Specials Collection featuring five unforgettable stories. Produced by Rankin/Bass, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin' To Town and The Little Drummer Boy feature iconic "Animagic" stop-motion animation and Frosty the Snowman and Cricket on the Hearth are beautifully animated. Starring the iconic voice talents of Fred Astaire, Jimmy Durante, Mickey Rooney, Danny Thomas, Burl Ives and many more, these favorites also feature some of the most beloved songs of the holiday season and are sure to entertain audiences of all ages for generations to come!

This limited edition steelbook Blu-ray collection of Rankin/Bass holiday specials also includes some great bonus content:

THE ANIMAGIC WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS: a documentary celebrating the legacy of the holiday specials created by Arthur Rankin Jr and Jules Bass including interviews with filmmakers and historians.

RESTORING THE PUPPETS OF RUDOLPH: a featurette on how the puppets from the beloved special were restored.

REIMAGINING RUDOLPH IN 4D: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer attraction film being shown at museums, theme parks and zoos.

T.E.A.M. RUDOLPH AND THE REINDEER GAMES: A video storybook of the untold tales of the Reindeer Games.

COMMENTARIES ON FROSTY THE SNOWMAN AND SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN.

Rankin/Bass Present THE ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS SPECIALS COLLECTION is a must have addition to any home entertainment video library. These holiday specials are full of holiday cheer that is sure to put you in a festive mood for the season. Merry Christmas!

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Movie Review: Kubo and the Two Strings

My son and I were delighted by the chance to see an advance showing of Laika Animation Studio's newest movie KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS prior to its August 19, 2016 theatrical opening weekend.  It is always refreshing to see a film produced by Laika because the studio uses digital special effects to enhance its movies rather than be dependent on them.  Like the studio's previous films(Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls), Kubo and the Two Strings is filmed using stop motion techniques.  Stop motion is when physical objects are moved in small increments between individually photographed frames to create the illusion of movement when all the frames are played in a continuous sequence.  Utilizing stop motion means that unlike in most animated movies where the characters and backgrounds are all drawn with computerized software in Kubo and the Two Strings the majority of the images captured on film are of real physical puppets, props and sets.  This provides for stunning visual elements in the film which make it well worth going to see the show.



The movie takes place in 17th century Japan, where a young boy named Kubo lives with his ill mother in a cave on top of a mountain overlooking a village.  Each day to earn money to support himself and his mother Kubo wanders down to the village and entertains its people with stories of his deceased father, the great samurai warrior Hanzo, battling monsters.  These aren't just ordinary stories though because he tells them accompanied by his playing a shamisen (a Japanese three-stringed guitar) and the music from the instrument transforms pieces of paper into magical figures that act out his tales for the audience.  These sequences of the movie are incredible with my son and I agreeing they were the highlight of the film for both of us.  These enchanted origami really come to life on the screen and provide for a magical movie watching experience.  They are one of the most creative and enjoyable aspects to a movie that I've honestly seen in awhile.

Kubo and the Two Strings isn't all bright and cheery though.  It turns out that the Moon King, a mystical deity type being, was threatened by Hanzo's power and sent one of his daughters to kill the samurai.  Instead of murdering him, she fell in love with Hanzo, married him and gave birth to his son, Kubo.  Outraged that his grandchild would live in a world filled with the images of mankind, the Moon King attempted to blind Kubo ripping out one of the baby's eyes.  Hanzo stopped the Moon King from taking the other eye while his wife and son got away.  Unfortunately it seemed Hanzo sacrificed his life so his family could get to safety.

Using the last of her magic to escape, Kubo's mother began to loose touch with reality as they hid from her father in a cave.  The Moon King and her two witch sisters were on the lookout for them but they could only traverse the Earth during the darkness of night.  So Kubo most always return to the cave by dark.  One night Kubo doesn't get back in time and is confronted by his mother's very scary sisters.  Just as they are about to rip out his other eye, Kubo's mother intervenes using the last of her magic to rescue the boy by transporting him far away.  Awakening in a foreign land he is joined by a talking monkey and cursed beetle in setting off on an adventure to find a legendary suit of armor, helmet, and sword that Kubo can use to defeat the Moon King so as to live the rest of his life in peace.

Kubo and the Two Strings is rated PG for thematic elements, scary images, action and peril.  While this film is meant to be a family movie the sister witches are particularly scary and I found my seven year old clutching my arm during the several scenes they were in.  The plot involving evil, murderous family members attempting to kill Kubo's parents and steal his eyes could be disturbing for some children.  There is also scary creatures such as a giant skeleton monster and the moon beast which could be terrifying to young children. Kubo wearing an eye patch throughout the movie could be offsetting for some kids too though it could also be motivating that a child with a disability is portrayed as the hero of a movie for others. Primary characters die in the movie and the film doesn't conclude with a stereotypical movie happy ending.  Parental guidance in evaluating how well a child can tolerate scary scenes, violent behavior, and the topic of death would be highly recommended for children under eight years old.  I didn't notice any foul language, alcohol or drug use, or sexual content that would make parents wary of taking a child to see Kubo and the Two Strings.

The originality and creativity of Kubo and the Two Strings make it a wonderful selection for an outing to the movie theater.  For those who appreciate things that are out of the ordinary Kubo and the Two Strings is a must-see movie.  It's artistic achievements make a ticket to Kubo and the Two Strings well worth the price of admission.  For more information about the movie, visit kubothemovie.com

Say CHEESE! Our Most Recent Family Movie Night Selection Was THE BOXTROLLS

 This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Universal Pictures, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BoxtrollsFamilyNite http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Friday Night is Family Night at our house.  We always spend the evening having fun as a family either playing board games or watching movies.  With all the hustle and bustle throughout the week with work, school and the children's extracurricular activities, it is a nice night to stay at home, decompress from responsibilities, and enjoy some quality family bonding time.  For our most recent Family Movie Night we picked out THE BOXTROLLS to watch over a big bowl of Pop Secret Popcorn.

THE BOXTROLLS is really unique for today's movies because instead of relying on computer animation it was filmed using stop-motion techniques featuring elaborate props, sets, puppets and models.  This technique sets the movie apart from many of today's animated feature films and enhances the fairy tale tone of the film. The Boxtrolls is worth watching just to appreciate the stop-motion animation featured in it.

THE BOXTROLLS are underground dwelling creatures who go above ground at night to secretly collect trash and other items that they recycle into creations used to build  a marvelous lair.  They wear cardboard boxes for clothing and camouflage that they acquire during their gathering binges in the town above their underground  home.  The plot of the movie involves a young orphan boy named Egg, based upon the egg image on the box he wears, who has been raised by these creatures and must try to save them from an evil exterminator that is focused on eradicating The Boxtrolls.  This movie from the creators of the film Coraline does have a similar dark flair to it but is also the telling of a family friendly fairy tale filled with adventure and hijinks inspired by the children's novel "Here Be Monsters" by Alan Snow.

To get ready for our Family Movie Night we swung by Walmart to pickup the Blu-ray of THE BOXTROLLS from their movie aisle.

Of course, you need popcorn to go along with your movie so we also picked up a 10 count package of Pop Secret Home-Style Popcorn while we were at Walmart.  Of course if you are watching The Boxtrolls you need to have some CHEESE! so we grabbed Bacon Cheddar, Garlic Parmesan, Cheesy Jalapeno, and White Cheddar Kernel Seasons for our popcorn.

To have some extra fun for our The Boxtrolls Family Movie Night we let the kids create their own boxtrolls costumes to wear while we watched the film.  With some help from my lovely wife, I believe their boxes turned out pretty darn good.  Since The Boxtrolls is a stop-motion film, we did a fun spoof off of that and played a few rounds of stop-and-go musical chairs with everyone wearing boxes before we watched the movie.  Then we grabbed a big bowl of CHEESY Pop Secret popcorn (we mixed together Bacon Cheddar and White Cheddar seasonings) and enjoyed the film.  I will brag that I was the only one brave enough to eat the Cheesy Jalapeno popcorn which was put aside for me in my own small bowl.  Pop Secret is a great treat for our family not just because popcorn goes with movies like hotdogs with baseball but also because with our kid's severe peanut/tree nut food allergies we know that not only does it taste great but it is also safe to eat.

Our The Boxtrolls Family Movie Night was a great evening.  Stop by Walmart while supplies last to pick up THE BOXTROLLS and some Pop Secret for your own special family movie night.  Remember children grow up really fast...enjoy the time you have while they are young and want to spend time with mom and dad!