Disney Archives - Page 8 of 8

Peter Pan Diamond Edition on Blu-ray Combo Pack arrives on 2/5

A few years ago, I got burned by the Disney Vault. My sister and hubby and I were working on a Peter Pan themed “Neverland” mural on our play wall and we needed an aerial image of the island to work off of. The problem was that after 6 book stores, we could find exactly one picture of Neverland as a whole, and it was the background of the table of contents page so it was hard to see much of anything.

While we ended up just finishing up the mural using a very loose representation of Neverland, I would have loved to have a copy of Peter Pan to pop in so we could merely pause it over the aerial view. More than that though, I would have loved to get into the spirit of Neverland by watching the film as we painted, but unfortunately, it was locked away in the Disney Vault.

You’d think with a pirate-themed play area like this, that my kiddos would be all about Peter Pan, right? Ironically, they had never seen the movie and didn’t understand just how cool their little “scrog pit”* is.

Luckily, Peter Pan has recently come out of the vault to celebrate his 60th anniversary, and has been restored in high definition just in time for my kiddos to really appreciate it. We got to check out the new Peter Pan Diamond Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack and it was a very big hit. The timing of the film arriving was perfect as it’s been cold and rainy for almost a week now and we really needed to snuggle up and have a family movie night.

Cinderella Diamond Edition on DVD & Blu-ray

Who doesn’t love a Cinderella story? Growing up, Disney’s Cinderella was one of my absolute favorite movies, something I would watch over and over again with my sisters as we sang along and danced. In fact, I can still recite just about half of the movie in its entirety, which I’m hoping eventually comes up in a game of trivia at some point so I can wow everyone with my amazing Cinderella-memorizing powers.

There was no doubt I’d eventually get Cinderella for my kids as well, the question was just which edition and format to get. Making the decision to switch to Blu-ray for all of our kids movies, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Cinderella in Blu-ray for quite some time now.

5 New Disney Releases on Blu-ray: Mice, Dogs, Cats, Tigger, and History – Oh My!

My family has a long tradition with Disney movies. Always the first to see them in the theatres, then snatching them up as soon as they were released for home viewing, we’ve watched and enjoyed them all. Having amassed a huge collection of Disney movies myself on VHS, they were basically the only reason I still owned a VCR in the early 2000s, and why I held out from going to DVD for so long.

But, then when Blu-ray was introduced a few years ago, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer to upgrade some of those old VHS tapes that were virtually unwatchable after years of kids handling them. Not only was it time to trash the VHS, it was time to get a better film format that wouldn’t break down with wear and show its age.

And, I think I made a great choice on when to start my upgrade process because the quality of Blu-ray is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Rewatching old movies restored in Blu-ray quality is like watching them for the first time ever with all the color and vibrancy of the original drawings.

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of all of my favorites on Blu-ray and making a point to collect them all while I can to replace their worn out VHS. I was thrilled when I heard the announcement that 5 titles would be released on August 21st and even more excited when I heard that 3 of them were ones that I had loved growing up.

On August 21st, 5 new movies are finally going to be viewed in high definition Blu-ray: THE RESCUERS: 35th Anniversary Ed & THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER – 2 Movie Collection, THE ARISTOCATS: Special Edition, LADY AND THE TRAMP II: Scamp's Adventure – Special Edition, POCAHONTAS & POCAHONTAS II: Journey to a New World – 2 Movie Collection and THE TIGGER MOVIE: Bounce-a-RRRific Special Edition.

As you can see, there's a little something for everyone in the new Blu-ray releases. Which are you most excited about?

Capturing memories with the Sony Handycam

Everyone always says it, but I just don’t think you understand it until becoming a parent: time passes much too fast. Even though my kids are still young, there’s been so many times my husband and I would turn to each other and say “do you remember how Bubs used to say _____?” or “what park was that where he took his first steps?”

My mom holding my son when he was firstborn

I can only imagine this gets exponentially more difficult to remember the older they get and there are so many more milestones to keep track of. While I’ve tried to keep up with their baby books and journals, I oftentimes wish we had caught that adorable expression or pronunciation on video so we could watch it over and over and relive all those moments that pass too quick.

BRAVE: A New Disney Princess

For months I have been dying to see the new DisneyPixar movie, Brave, and have been counting down the days until I could take my daughter to see the film. Of course, we were thrilled when we got a chance to see a 3D prescreening in Seattle last week, a few days before it was released in theaters.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock {or rather, away from screens of any kind}, you’ve probably seen the previews of the film a few hundred times. Likely, you’ve noticed the heroine’s striking red hair and signature bow and arrow, as well as the amazing animation DisneyPixar is known for.

The Secret World of Arrietty arrives in theaters today!

This past weekend we headed to Seattle for a much-needed family day. The first stop was to go see a pre-screening of The Secret World of Arrietty, the new movie based off of one of my favorite childhood stories, The Borrowers. If you aren’t familiar with the story, it’s about a family of “little people” who secretly live under the floor boards of an old garden home and only come out to “borrow” what they need to survive.

If you read here frequently, you know how much I love things that are the wrong size, so tiny people living in the floorboards and repurposing everyday items into usable miniatures is just about as cool as it gets. I will admit I wasn’t super excited when I found out that the movie was drawn in Japanese style animation, but I loved The Borrowers story so much that I couldn’t resist seeing the movie. And, surprisingly, I found I really loved the movie and enjoyed the animation throughout the film.

Here’s a blurb about the film: Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger.

Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition Blu-ray + DVD

I have always loved Lady and the Tramp and I vividly remember watching the VHS over and over with my sister when we were young. I think we must have sung the “The Siamese Cat Song” {AKA “We Are Siamese”} every day from kindergarten to 5th grade and even to this day I can’t help but smile as I remember how much we adored the film.

The one thing that wasn’t vivid was the quality of the tape from our youth that had seen its better days and hadn’t been treated as it should. Seeing the Lady and the Tramp this past week in all its restored glory on Blu-ray was definitely the way it was meant to be seen. Bright and vibrant in HD, the film’s hand-drawn artwork doesn’t show its age at all and even my husband thought it was decades newer than it actually is.

My daughter, who knows nothing of VHS tapes, will only ever know of Lady and the Tramp in its beautifully restored Blu-ray release and she was completely blown away. In fact, it’s her new favorite movie, even surpassing her “princess movies” and she’s asked to watch it every single night since it arrived. And, watching it again with her, I had forgotten how great of a movie it really is.

Winnie The Pooh on Blu-ray & DVD 10/25

Have you seen Disney’s new Winnie The Pooh movie? We were sad we missed it in theatres, so I was really excited to review the new Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack a few days ago and have a movie night with the family. Having seen numerous trailers for the release, I had thought the film would be cute, but it turns out that it’s adorable. If you haven’t already seen the film, prepared to be enchanted.

If you are a fan of Pooh, you will love the classic rendition of the gang and the common themes throughout all books, movies, and stories in the Hundred Acre Wood. But, what’s really cool is that even if you aren’t a big Pooh fan, it’s still a fun and lighthearted movie the whole family can enjoy.

Dumbo 70th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack

First Time in High Definition — As A 2-Disc Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and Movie Download

I truly think that the movie Dumbo gets better with age. When I was young, it was a funny story about an elephant with big ears, a mouse, and a funny supporting cast of characters. But, the older I get, the more important the message is. What better than a flying elephant to teach us the power of believing in yourself and that sometimes your biggest handicap ends up being your biggest asset in the end?

Also better, but in this case despite its age, is the film’s newly restored state which returns Dumbo to its original pristine condition. In honor of the 70th anniversary, Disney is releasing the restored classic as well as bringing the flying elephant into HD for the first time ever. I will admit I hadn’t seen the film for over a decade before the newest release, but even so, I was really impressed with the restoration and how it revitalized the 70-year-old film.

Also impressive is how a 70 year old film not only remains relevant, hilarious, and heartwarming, but also how it captivates both the young and old alike. Released in 1941, Dumbo may be Walt Disney’s 4th animated film ever, but the classic film is timeless and elegant even a full 7 decades later. If you haven’t seen Dumbo recently, now is your chance to own the film as it was meant to be seen.

30th Anniversary The Fox and The Hound 2-Movie Collection {$5 off Coupon}

Learn the power of friendship in The Fox and the Hound and The Fox and the Hound 2, in a special 30th Anniversary 2-Movie Collection that features both movies in a single 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack. For the first time ever in high-definition, you can now experience the adventures of best friends Copper and Tod in an all-new digitally restored version of the original 1981 film and 2006 sequel.

Since my husband and I are children of the 80s and love all things Disney, you'd probably be surprised to know that up until a few days ago no one in our family had ever seen The Fox and The Hound… the original or the sequel. So, when it arrived, we all snuggled up and had a family movie marathon as we watched the adorable story of a friendship that beat the odds.

And, it was adorable, from opening credits to finish – which involved singing along to “Best of Friends” karaoke-style together. Since the day the Combo Pack arrived, our daughter has been talking all about Copper and Tod. We’ve used it as a great way to discuss doing the right thing, about being a good friend, and about friends who overcome the odds, which is a great conversation to start with a young child.