Trailer: Sophia Grace and Rosie’s Royal Adventure
Posted on March 21, 2014 at 2:52 pm
In their first film, Ellen DeGeneres sends the adorable Sophia Grace and Rosie on a royal adventure. The DVD will be out on May 20.
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The Jungle Book
Posted on February 9, 2014 at 9:55 am
A-| Lowest Recommended Age: | All Ages |
| MPAA Rating: | G |
| Profanity: | None |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | None |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Some peril, predatory animals |
| Diversity Issues: | None |
| Date Released to Theaters: | 1966 |
| Date Released to DVD: | February 10, 2014 |
| Amazon.com ASIN: | B00GDT5T9Y |
The last animated film personally overseen by Walt Disney is “The Jungle Book,” inspired by the Rudyard Kipling story of a boy abandoned in the forest who is raised by the animals. It has some of the most endearing and memorable characters in all of Disney animation, including two voiced by top musician/singers Baloo the Bear (Phil Harris) and King Louie (Louis Prima). And it has some of Disney’s all-time best songs from the Sherman Brothers (the brother team recently portrayed in “Saving Mr. Banks”), featuring “The Bear Necessities” and “I Wanna Be Like You.”
A panther named Bagheera (the aristocratic-sounding Sebastian Cabot) finds a baby in a basket deep inside the jungle. It is Mowgli (Bruce Reitherman, the son of director Wolfgang Reitherman). Bagheera knows the infant will not survive unless he can find someone to care for him. So, he takes him to a wolf, who raises him for ten years along with her cubs. The animals call Mowgli “man-cub,” and he grows up happy and well cared for.
But then Shere Khan, a man-eating Bengal tiger (silkily voiced by George Sanders), returns to the jungle, and it is clear that Mowgli is not safe. Bagheera agrees to escort him to the village, where he can be with other humans. But Mowgli does not want to leave the only home he has ever known. He loves the jungle. And the animals she sees along the way only make him more sure that he wants to stay in the only home he has ever known, even after he is hypnotized and almost killed by Kaa the python (husky-voiced Sterling Holloway, best known as Winnie the Pooh). He marches with the elephant troops led by Colonel Hathi and his wife (J. Pat O’Malley and Verna Felton of “Sleeping Beauty”). King Louie is an orangutan who promises to keep Mowgli in the jungle if he will teach him the secrets of being a human, like making fire. But Mowgli was raised in the jungle, so he does not know how. He loves the easy-going Baloo the bear best of all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paf5QDNLEEQ
But the jungle is dangerous. When Baloo tries to tell Mowgli that he has to go to the village, Mowgli runs away. Kaa and Shere Khan are after him. The animals who love Mowgli will have to find a way to show him that it is time for him to leave the jungle.
This is one of Disney’s most entertaining animated classics, and it is a pleasure to see this gorgeous new Diamond edition.
Contest: Anything is Possible
Posted on December 29, 2013 at 8:00 am
Start the new year with a heartwarming family film starring musical prodigy Ethan Bortnick, who wrote the songs he performs in this film “Anything is Possible” is the story of ten-year-old Nathan (Bortnick), who is devastated when his mom is reported missing while serving on an overseas Army rescue mission. Feeling scared and alone, Nathan runs away from home only to find shelter from the city streets at a local orphanage. There, Nathan’s incredible talent at the piano is discovered, and he becomes the star attraction at a benefit concert to raise money for the orphanage. Inspired by the kindness of the people he met on his journey, Nathan holds on to the belief that his mom will come home and his family will be reunited. This heartwarming story proves that with love, compassion, selflessness and hope, anything is possible.
I have a copy to give away! Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with Star in the subject line and tell me your favorite musical instrument. Don’t forget your address! (US addresses only). I’ll pick a winner at random on December 31, 2013. Good luck!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuiiXneb0V4
Contest: Journey to a Christmas Star
Posted on December 21, 2013 at 2:17 pm
Norway’s most beloved Christmas story is directed by Academy Award nominee Nils Gaup. It is the story of a courageous girl who sets out on a hazardous journey across a gorgeous winter wonderland to find the Christmas Star in order to free the kingdom from a curse and bring back a long lost princess. She makes some friends along the way, including Father Christmas, but some mighty foes try to stop her.
I have a copy to give away! Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with Star in the subject line and tell me your favorite star or constellation. Don’t forget your address! (US addresses only). I’ll pick a winner at random on December 31, 2013. Good luck!
The Snow Queen
Posted on October 10, 2013 at 5:00 pm
C-| Lowest Recommended Age: | Kindergarten - 3rd Grade |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG |
| Profanity: | NOne |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | None |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Fairy tale and fantasy peril and violence, guns, fire, parents killed |
| Diversity Issues: | Strong female heroine and villains |
| Date Released to Theaters: | October 6, 2013 |
It may be a coincidence that a Russian animation studio decided to make a movie based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the Snow Queen at the same time as Disney’s big-budget feature, “Frozen,” inspired by the same source. But it is probably not a coincidence that the low-budget, low-quality Russian version got distribution in the United States as it would otherwise not have attracted any interest beyond the straight-to-DVD bin. Russia, which once produced animation of exquisite beauty and storytelling
This version of the story has a little girl named Gerda (Jessica Strauss) in search of her brother just as The Snow Queen (Cindy Robinson) has sent her troll (Douglas Erholtz, trying to sound like a Borscht belt comic) to find her. The Snow Queen has frozen the world. Gerda’s brother is her captive. And Gerda may have some sort of secret power to conquer the Snow Queen, having to do with a mirror that reveals the true self.
Gerda and the troll have various PG encounters along the way that all seem to be half-heartedly designed to teach lessons about cooperation, bullying, and family. There’s a king with squabbling children, a lady who grows fragrance-less flowers in a hothouse, and a pirate captain and her daughter. The flat affect of the vocal performances and bland expressionlessness of the characters has a soporific quality. Both seem…frozen.
Parents should know that this film has fairy tale/fantasy peril and violence, with guns, fire, and pirates. Parents are killed.
Family discussion: How did being bullied affect the girl with special powers? How were Gerda and the pirate girl alike? What made the flowers smell?
If you like this, try: “The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship”