Giveaway: “Lion of Judah”

Posted on March 23, 2012 at 8:00 am

A lamb with the courage of a lion named Judah and his friends from a Bethlehem stable go on a journey in the week before the Crucifixion in this animated film with the voices of Ernest Borgnine and Bruce Marchiano. It is the Easter story as seen through the eyes of a lovable pig (Horace), a faint-hearted horse (Monty), a pedantic rat (Slink), a rambling rooster (Drake), a motherly cow (Esmay) and a downtrodden donkey (Jack).

Judah and his friends go on an adventure that takes them past the great temple, onto the hillside of Calvary, and to the empty tomb, as their journey takes them through the biblical accounts of Palm Sunday, Jesus turning the tables in the temple, Peter’s denial and the resurrection.

I have three copies to give away! Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with “Judah” in the subject line and tell me your favorite sign of spring. Don’t forget your address! (US addresses only.) I’ll pick three winners at random on March 28. Good luck!

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6BD8B212D29EDC7A

Marketing Legos to Boys and Girls

Posted on March 13, 2012 at 8:00 am

Thanks to my friends at the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood for pointing me to this look at the different way Legos are marketed to boys and girls. I love the way the website lets you make your own mash-up.

I understand that children and teenagers can exaggerate gender differences to establish a margin of safety as they attempt to understand the complexities of gender and culture and advertisers and their clients want to appeal to them. But as shown most vividly in the viral video of the little girl who was furious that Toys R Us seemed to think she would only want toys that were pink, marketing this way reinforces a lot of stereotypes that are not appreciated by today’s children.

I like this commentary by CNN’s Mark Joyella:

The new range of girl-targeted Lego toys (by which I mean figures and accessories in addition to the classic blocks that date back decades) features such forward-thinking concepts of what girls want in a set of plastic blocks as a beautician, a pop star and a “social girl.”

I’ll admit all I know about girls is what I’ve learned from my daughter over the last eighteen months since her birth. But the idea of forking over any amount of money for toys that limit her vision to 1950’s stereotypes? C’mon, Lego. You can do way better than that.

As Bloomberg Businessweek’s Brad Weiners reported this week, “now, after four years of research, design and exhaustive testing, Lego believes it has a breakthrough in its Lego “Friends” … a full line of 23 different products backed by $40 million global marketing push. ‘This is the most significant strategic launch we’ve done in a decade,’ says Lego Group Chief Executive Officer Jorgen Vig Knudstorp.”

Four years of research to create a Lego beautician and a “social girl”? Didn’t Barbie pretty much cover that ground sometime before 1960?

These ads give families a good opportunity to talk about how commercials try to trick us into wanting and even thinking we need things and about the importance of asking ourselves who the messages are coming from and what the messages are.

Brother Francis DVD Series for Catholic Children

Posted on February 10, 2012 at 8:00 am

The Brother Francis series is a gentle, accessible animated series for Catholic children with inviting and entertaining explanations of rituals and beliefs.

“The Rosary” DVD includes the prayers of the Rosary and the Apostles’ Creed and a touching version of Mary’s joyful submission to God’s will. It also features two songs, “I Love to Pray” and “The Our Father.” “The Bread of Life” introduces children to the Eucharist and helps them prepare for their first Holy Communion as it portrays “The Story of Blessed Imelda Lambertini,”: the patroness of first Communicants. It includes the songs, “I am the Bread of Life” and “What More Can He Give.” And “Let’s Pray” tells children that practice makes perfect — for prayer like everything else. The song, “The Sign of the Cross” helps children remember how to make the sacred gesture and the title tune shows children that they can pray anywhere because God is everywhere. It also includes a musical version of “The Our Father” and the story of Saint Therese’s “little way.”

The Muppets!

Posted on November 22, 2011 at 8:00 am

Hurray for the Muppets and hurray for Disney and Jason Segal for bringing them back! “The Muppets” is one of the best movies of the year. When your children want more, try The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie, and The Muppets Take Manhattan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-_QLNkh-zI

‘Clue’ Miniseries on Hub: Miss Scarlet in the Conservatory?

Posted on November 10, 2011 at 3:59 pm

The Hub, the television network for kids and their families is premiering “Clue” on November 14. It’s a five-part, live-action, miniseries event based on the iconic family game brand.

The serie and introduces the iconic game characters as young modern-day sleuths, with the classic weapons and locations. Remember Colonel Mustard and Professor Plum? And the candlestick? But this time, the characters need to find a way to work together. The six very different kids discover they have a lot more in common than they thought as they uncover hidden treasures and decipher cryptic knowledge to reveal a secret society. The mystery they unravel and the accusations they make, could very well define their own futures.

Produced by Hasbro Studios, “CLUE” will premiere two back-to-back, half-hour episodes Monday, November 14 (8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET). Additional new episodes will premiere daily through Thursday, November 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET, culminating in a five-episode, back-to-back marathon on Saturday, November 19 (1:30 p.m. ET). Encore marathons will run throughout the Thanksgiving holiday week. For a complete schedule go to Hubworld.

The Hub’s “Get A CLUE” sweepstakes makes it possible for viewers watching live to win prize packages representing each of the six popular characters from the game. During each new episode of the five-part mini-series as well as the encore marathon on Saturday, November 19, Hub viewers will have the chance to call in and win one of six character-themed prize packages. Online visitors will be able to decipher clues to earn virtual rewards, unlock an interactive map, take quizzes and polls, get caught up on episodes they may have missed, and much more. Fans can follow the series and characters on Twitter at @HubTVNetwork and Facebook and extend the viewing experience online by participating in special mini-mysteries after each episode is televised.

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Elementary School Television