Owlegories

Posted on November 3, 2015 at 8:00 am

“Owlegories” is a new “gospel-centered” animated series and app for kids, designed to teach them about God through the amazing things found in nature. They are Biblical allegories told by owls.

It is a bright, colorful, and accessible series.

I have a copy to give away! Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with Owl in the subject line and tell me your favorite bird. Don’t forget your address! (US addresses only). I’ll pick a winner at random on November 10, 2015. Good luck!

Toy Story that Time Forgot

Posted on November 2, 2015 at 8:00 am

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	Kindergarten - 3rd Grade
MPAA Rating:	G
Profanity:	None
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	Some mild peril and scary dinosaurs
Diversity Issues:	None
Date Released to Theaters:	2014
Date Released to DVD:	November 2, 2015
Amazon.com ASIN:	B013F4U82M

Pixar’s adorable 2014 Toy Story holiday special is now available on DVD/Blu-Ray. In Toy Story that Time Forgot Bonnie brings her toys to a friend’s house and then leaves them to play a videogame. Buzz, Woody, and the gang discover that the friend’s armored dinosaur toys think they are real because they have never been played with. They have villainous British accents (Buzz calls them “Shakespeare in the Park”) and they are called Battlesaurs, so they want to battle. “Battle is everything to us. Our survival. Our legacy. From a kingdom long ago.” But the concept of play, even of giving, is beyond their comprehension.

Rex (Wallace Shawn) is fitted with robot arms and sent into the arena. And Trixie (Kristen Schaal) gets the role of a lifetime — herself — only to learn how much more there is in giving to someone else. Battlesaur Reptillus Maximus (Kevin McKidd) begins to question everything the thought he knew about his purpose and the nature of his reality. Victory is glorious, but surrender to service opens up new opportunities, especially when imagination is involved.

This 22-minute film introduces some wonderful new characters, including the ethereal and mysteriously aphoristic Angel Kitty (Emma Hudak). And the DVD has a lot of great extras, including deleted scenes and the intro to the imaginry “Battlesaurs” television series.

Happy Halloween! Watch the Silly Symphonies Skeleton Dance!

Posted on October 31, 2015 at 8:00 am

Related Tags:

Animation Holidays Shorts

Inside Out: Behind the Scenes of Riley’s First Date

Posted on October 29, 2015 at 1:20 pm

The cast of “Inside Out” takes us behind the scenes for the short sequel on the DVD/Blu-Ray: “Riley’s First Date.”

Related Tags:

Animation Series/Sequel Shorts

Toy Story of Terror

Posted on October 28, 2015 at 5:36 pm

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	Kindergarten - 3rd Grade
MPAA Rating:	G
Profanity:	None
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	Some mild scares
Diversity Issues:	None
Date Released to Theaters:	October 16, 2013
Date Released to DVD:	October 28, 2015
Amazon.com ASIN:	B00KHA88PC

Pixar’s 21-minute “Toy Story of Terror,” made for television, is available on DVD and Blu-Ray and is a perfect Halloween treat for the whole family. The toys live with Bonnie now, and she and her mother are on a road trip to see her grandmother one rainy night. When they have to stop at a motel after a flat tire, Mr. Potatohead goes missing. The other toys have to find him before Bonnie and her mother are ready to drive away.

What I love about this film is that one of my favorite characters, the master thespian Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton) begins to narrate the action in his most resonantly Shakespearean tones, a kind of meta-commentary on the entire thriller genre. And Carl Weathers joins the cast as Combat Carl, who helps Jessie (Joan Cusack) foil the evil plot of the motel manager who takes toys to sell them on eBay. There’s a nice lesson, too, about how to feel less frightened.

The DVD/Blu-Ray has some nice extras about the making of the movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG87snemZRI