Disney Archives - Page 2 of 5

Disney’s Moana is now playing in theaters everywhere

My daughter has been trying to get me to take her to see Disney's Moana ever since she saw the Moana toys hit stores this summer. She was 100% positive that the movie had to be out if the toys were, and she tried her best to persuade me to take her. So, when the Seattle pre-release rolled around, I knew I had to make it work even with our busy holiday schedules.

In my mind I thought I was doing her a favor, but it was only minutes into the film when I realized that I was really glad I didn’t miss it. It had all the heart I’ve come to know with Disney films, all the laughter, and all the beautiful animation.

In short: you should definitely see it.

The movie is set in the Pacific Islands and the animation of the lush islands surrounded by turquoise water and coral reefs were simply gorgeous. Seeing the beautiful island scenery immediately took me back to the Cook Islands where my husband and I spent our honeymoon, and it was my first real introduction to the Polynesian culture and its mythology.

Embrace the magic with Pete’s Dragon – in theaters this week

When I think of my own childhood, I definitely wouldn’t describe it as magical. Sure, it was a good childhood, and I have some really awesome memories, but it was always rooted in reality. Since I was the fourth of five children, it meant that if the older siblings figured out something, I did to. I honestly never remember believing in Santa, in fairies {tooth or otherwise}, or anything else that would be described as magical, and I knew that there were some serious limitations to our finances that meant sometimes we went without.

In parenting my own children now, I’m experiencing the magic of childhood through them. And, I’m always surprised by how that magic really makes everything more fun. It’s not that I now believe in Santa or fairies or that I don’t worry about finances anymore, but there is something really amazing about watching the magic of childhood right in front of you, and it makes me long for that type of magic in my everyday life. So, when choosing films, TV shows, and books to read with my kids, I always struggle with the balance between reality and fantasy. I figure they have their whole lives to explore reality, so while they are young I am very much enjoying exploring fantasy with them in ways I never did as a child. But, because I’m an adult, over-the-top fantasy and make believe is hard to get into, so this means walking a fine line between the two worlds and finding things we can all enjoy together. Since my son is obsessed with dragons and both kids love magic and adventure, I knew they would be thrilled to see “Pete’s Dragon” at the Seattle media preview. But, even though I knew the kids would love it, I honestly wasn’t expecting that much from the film. Maybe this is because I was picturing a very cartoonish dragon based on the quick previews I had seen, and I was thinking it was going to be one of the movies that leaned too far toward fantasy for my liking.

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10+ reasons why you should own ZOOTOPIA on DVD and Blu-ray

It’s the day we've been waiting for! ZOOTOPIA is now out on DVD and Blu-ray!

As soon as I saw Disney's ZOOTOPIA movie, I was smitten. In so many ways, ZOOTOPIA was just as good, and in many ways better, than I had hoped. It had action, it had adventure, it had heart, and it had a really wonderful message.

Even months later, we’re all still talking about takeaways from the movie and parts that we really enjoyed as a family. The conversations are only getting better as we process the movie and discuss it further. Clearly this was a movie we needed to own.

Why should you own ZOOTOPIA? I'm so glad you asked. Here are just some of many reasons:

Take in the wild and beautiful ride of Alice Through the Looking Glass

As you may know, I have a really big soft spot for Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Maybe it’s that I watched the animated version hundreds of times growing up or maybe it was that Lewis Carroll’s books were some of my absolute favorites, but I loved the curious {and couriouser} world of Alice. So, as soon as I heard that a sequel to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland {2010} was planned, I knew it would be one that we had to see.

But, then at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, Suzanne Todd gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of James Bobin’s movie, Alice Through the Looking Glass. Hearing some of the backstory and all that went into bringing it to life made me even more excited to see the film. Knowing how much work went into each and every scene and how deliberate all the little details are made me so excited to see how it all came together on the big screen.

Marvel’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR is now in theatres everywhere

Earlier this week, I got to attend the pre-screening of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR at the Seattle Science Center IMAX theatre, and it was amazing. That may seem like an canned response because at this point we’re all pretty familiar with how superhero movies work, and I always appreciate a good Marvel film. But, with … Read more

Take your kids to see Disney’s ZOOTOPIA today

It’s the day that every kid and kid-at-heart has been waiting for! ZOOTOPIA is now playing in theaters everywhere!

As soon as I saw the toys hit stores for the new ZOOTOPIA movie, I was sure I was going to love it. Not knowing anything about the characters or the movie plot specifically, I was already drawn in just by the diversity and flair of the main characters. One hilarious preview in, and I was counting down the days to March 4th for the theatrical release of ZOOTOPIA.

I'm not saying that I'm always good at predicting a blockbuster, but I did call that Frozen was going to be a sensation, so….

We got to see ZOOTOPIA at the Seattle pre-screening, and it was just as good, and in many ways better, than I had hoped. It had action, it had adventure, it had heart, and it had a really wonderful message. Even days later, we’re all still talking about takeaways from the movie and parts that we really enjoyed as a family, and the conversations are only getting better as we process the movie and discuss it further.

Bring The Good Dinosaur home today

We missed seeing Disney•Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur in theaters by mere hours, and my kids have been reminding me about it ever since. The kids are both dinosaur obsessed, and since it’s Disney•Pixar, it’s always a safe bet so I thought it would be a fun film to own once it came out. But, I will admit I knew absolutely nothing about the film, except for the fact that it was about prehistoric times and it had a boy in it.

The Good Dinosaur finally arrived on DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack, Digital HD, and Disney Movies Anywhere {DMA} today, February 23rd, and we immediately sat down for a family movie night to check it out with the kiddos. It turns out I was right, it was about prehistoric times {thank you, obvious title}. And, I was definitely right that this is a film that we needed to own. But, I had thought that the movie was about a boy who finds a dinosaur. It turns out it’s about a dinosaur who finds a boy. I know that probably seems like a distinction without a difference, but if you have seen the film, you understand.

Create a Mickey-inspired Disney Baby basket

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MagicBabyMoments #CollectiveBias There has been a big baby boom recently, and just in our family alone we have welcomed 4 babies in the past year. But, while all babies are celebrated, only first babies get a big baby shower with extended family and friends, second {and third, and fourth} babies get what is known as a Meet & Greet.

Never heard of a Meet & Greet? It’s basically the answer for the non-baby shower that takes place after the baby is born to celebrate each birth and to introduce them to the family. Where baby showers focus more on the pregnant woman and showering the parents to be with presents, the Meet & Greet is more about the baby.

But, that doesn’t mean there can’t be a present or two. It’s for these occasions that I love the welcome baby basket. Instead of bathtubs and baby gear that the parents likely got with the first baby, the baby basket is more about items that often need replaced after each child like sippy cups, baby care kits, bibs, utensils and blankets. Of course, there has to be one or two fun things for the baby, too, like the awesome Disney Baby Winnie the Pooh Cloud B lamp and a blanket.

Why you should take your kids to see Disney•Pixar’s Inside Out

Sometimes I forget how hard it is to be a kid. Navigating childhood is a mine field filled with mean kids, peer pressure, tough schoolwork, and embarrassing moments. And, all the while you are figuring out who you are and how you fit into your family, your school, your teams, and with your friends. Now that my kids are getting older, I find myself looking at them a lot and wondering what is going on inside their heads.

Is that a tired look, or is that sadness? Is that pure joy, or are they holding back for some reason? Are their friends including them or are they feeling left out? Try as I might to find out what’s going on, most of the time when I ask how things are going or about how they feel about specific people and situations I get the same response.

“Good,” they say. Good? What does “good” mean, anyway?