release Archives - Page 2 of 3

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.

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:

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.

Disney’s Cinderella is available on Digital HD, Blu-ray & Disney Movies Anywhere

Ever since we saw the Seattle screening of the new live-action Cinderella movie, my kids have been begging me to watch it again. We even thought we were going to watch the new Cinderella one night at an outdoor movie event with our neighbors and were so excited. It was more than a little disappointing when it ended up being the older animated version that we already own, but I’m happy the kids handled it as well as they did and enjoyed the older movie together.

Knowing that they were crazy excited to watch the film again, I had the release date off 9/18/2015 set in my calendar so I could make sure I picked it up as soon as it came out. We were thrilled when we finally got a chance to have a Cinderella viewing party with our neighbors who were also owed a re-do on the Cinderella movie night.

Just in Time for the Holidays: Finding Nemo on Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D

Tonight as we were getting ready for bed, my daughter asked if I would search all over the ocean for her if she ever got lost. After explaining that she probably wouldn’t be in the ocean, and that I can’t really swim, and that’s why I need her to stay right with me whenever we’re … Read more

BRAVE on Blu-ray and DVD Today

Sometimes when I’m snuggling with my daughter, she will put her hands on both cheeks, look into my eyes and say, “I never, ever want to turn you to a bear!” The reference, of course, is the DisneyPixar movie, Brave that we saw last spring and she has been talking about ever since. A heartwarming … Read more

An Evening in Seattle with Tom Douglas and Macy’s Culinary Council

Please tell me I'm not the only one who's scared of cooking for others. Yes, I cook for my family every day, but I don't really entertain over dinner. If you come over around dinnertime I will come up with clever ways of not cooking that don't involve ordering pizza, or I will throw something together … Read more

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial Anniversary Edition Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack

Before this week, I had never seen the movie E.T. Sure, I knew of it and that it was about a little boy who eats Reese’s Pieces and turns into a googl-y eyed monster with a glowing finger that scares Drew Barrymore. Then through the kindness of others and the determination to win, he eventually … Read more

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.