American Girl McKenna Shoots for the Stars Movie Trailer

May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We are so excited for the American Girl McKenna movie to arrive on BluRay & DVD on July 3rd, 2012. The DVD will be available exclusively at Wal-Mart, American Girl Stores and americangirl.com. It will also air on TV too! How cool is that? American Girl McKenna Shoots for the Stars is scheduled to air on TV on Saturday  July 14, 2012 at 8/7c on NBC. 

Here is a sneak peek at the movie with this fabulous trailer for the American Girl McKenna movie. My 6 year old and I just watched it and we can not wait to watch this story brought to life on film after reading the books this past winter.

Here’s more official scoop on the movie and cast from Universal Studios:

A talented young gymnast turns trials into triumphs in the inspiring new feature-length movie, An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars™, coming to Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, and Digital Download on July 3, 2012, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.  Inspired by the beloved American Girl® line of dolls and featuring the celebrated 2012 Girl of the Year®, the film stars Oscar® nominee 
Nia Vardalos (My Life In Ruins, My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Jade Pettyjohn (“The United States of Tara”) as McKenna™, Ian Ziering (“Beverly Hills 90210”), Kerris Dorsey (Moneyball, “Brothers & Sisters”) and former Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby (Broadway’s “Peter Pan”).  

 

Look for a American Girl McKenna Shoots for the Stars Movie Trailer on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Movies, Reviews, Videos Tagged With: ,

Adding our favorite movies on DVD to the Digital Cloud

April 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

What movies can’t you live without? Nowadays thanks to that infinitely growing “cloud”, you can purchase digital rights to your favorite movies and live stream them anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Walmart is now offering a “Disc to Digital” service at all their photo centers for customers who want to upload their DVD’s to the digital cloud and then be able to live stream view them via VUDU.com.

20120422-054812.jpg

How do you do this? Adding your favorite movie on DVD to the Digital Cloud is very simple, but does involve a few key steps to make the process run smoothly. We tested out the service today – the actual process took under 5 minutes. Very easy, however, since the service is brand new this week, it took about 30 minutes for my Walmart to find the right full time sales associate who knew how to do this as I was the 1st customer to come in to try out this new offering in our area.

What movies do you love to watch? My kids are OBSESSED with Harry Potter so we decided to go Disc to Digital with Movie #3 in the Harry Potter series.

20120422-054829.jpg
We’ve downloaded Harry Potter and Disney movies to our iPad devices before -especially for airplane trips, but having a Harry Potter live on the cloud will be fabulous as we’ll always have access to it wherever we are without the hassle of downloading it.

I’ve outlined all the key steps below for your convenience. This will make it super easy for you to get your fave flicks on the cloud.

Here’s a video explaining the process below too.

1. Set up a VUDU account at home. Yes you can do this in store, but it will be much quicker to just set this up at your leisure at home.

2. Select which movie you want to go Disc to Digital with. Add it to your movie list.

3. Print this list of movies and bring it to the Walmart Photo center. Conveniently, this slip of paper also has all your VUDU account info on it that Walmart will need to access to give you the

4. Remember to bring the DVD with you when you go to Walmart.

5. Tell the Sales associate which movie you want to go Disc to Digital with. Give them your copy of the DVD. Walmart will authorize the digital copies and place them in your VUDU account. No upload is necessary, and you get to keep your physical discs.

6. Pay for the movie to go disc to Digital. $2 for BluRay and $5 for SD to HD.

20120422-054846.jpg

7. Your DVD will be stamped to prove that it has already gone disc to digital. This keeps everyone honest so no one else will try to do the same thing with your DVD copy.

8. Enjoy live streaming on the go or at home on your iPad, iPhone4, PC/Mac, or TV if it is HD Vudu enables, Blu Ray that is Vudu enabled, or XBox.

What movies can you do this with?

Bring your movie collections from the participating studio partners – Paramount, Sony, Fox, Universal and Warner Bros. You can check online before going to Walmart on Vudu.com to see if the DVD you want to put on the cloud is available. For instance, right now Disney is not part of this partnership so you won’t be able to do this with any of your favorite Disney DVD’s.

How much does it cost?

Convert a standard DVD or Blu-ray movie for $2; or,

Upgrade a standard DVD to an HD digital copy for $5.

20120422-054853.jpg

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Walmart Moms, Walmart has provided me with compensation for my time to test out this service and facilitate this review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

 

Look for a Adding our favorite movies on DVD to the Digital Cloud on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Movies, Reviews, Videos Tagged With: ,

You won’t believe it until you see it: Disneynature’s CHIMPANZEE

April 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

On April 20th, meet Oscar as Disneynature’s CHIMPANZEE will hit theaters everywhere.

Disneynature has captured another wildlife story that will amaze you with the new movie CHIMPANZEE. Originally, this movie was supposed to be a story about the special bond between a mother chimp and her adorable baby Oscar.

But Oscar’s mother is injured and disappears after another pack of chimpanzees attack their camp. Oscar can’t find any other chimps to adopt him , so he begins to lose weight and slowly starve to death.

The video crew shooting the movie thought that they had lost their story and were ready to pack up, call it quits,  and head home.

Before the crew could leave, the most extraordinary thing happened that has never been captured on film before.

The alpha male in the pack decides to adopt Oscar. He starts teaching him how to find food for himself and lets Oscar hop onto his back just like his mom used to do. Your entire family will be in awe as they cheer for Oscar trying to find his way in this big world and may even fight back a few tears as they watch the most unlikely story of love unfold before them.

Take a peek at the trailer here:

I was very impressed with the great editing in this movie. In one scene, the chimps attack a group of monkeys, but the scene is careful not to show the actual attack or the eating of the monkeys. These edited scenes helps to make this movie appropriate even for your younger children.

Your entire family will enjoy this movie. And if you have animal lovers in your family, you definitely won’t want to miss out!

Even better,  if you see CHIMPANZEE opening week, Disneynature will donate money to the Jane Goodall Institute to help protect chimpanzees.

“Like” CHIMPANZEE on Facebook: Facebook.com/Disneynature

CHIMPANZEE hits theaters everywhere on April 20th!

 Disclosure: Thanks to Disney for paying my travel expenses to San Francisco to attend an early screening of Chimpanzee. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

 

Look for a You won’t believe it until you see it: Disneynature’s CHIMPANZEE on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Disney, Movies, Reviews, Videos Tagged With: , ,

What Life Would Be Like Working at Pixar

April 11, 2012 By

I think it’d be pretty cool to work at Pixar. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want to eat, breathe, and dream of fun movies all day long and get paid for it?!  Well my dreams came true last week as I went on an excursion to Pixar Animation Studios in San Francisco. Take a look at some of my favorite spots around the campus. Imagine how different your Monday mornings would be going to work at a place like this.

Can’t miss the fun oversized Pixar logo right outside the building’s entrance.

When you step inside the doors, make sure you say hello to Buzz and Woody!

You can’t miss the overflowing display of Oscars that have been awarded to Pixar over the years.

Currently, Pixar looks like a scene straight from the new movie Brave. Employees say they feel like tourists because they get to experience so many different decorative themes with new movie releases.

On extra special days, employees get to experience the movies in real life. In this picture, I’m testing out my archery skills just like Merida from Brave. Other fun activities employees have done – think learned how to cook French food for Ratatouille and visited the local dump for Toy Story 3! Never a dull day at this place, right?!

Boys, if you need to take a break, follow Woody from Toy Story. Ladies, Little Bo Peep will be happy to lead the way for you. Originally, Pixar was suggested to have only ONE bathroom for employees. The idea was to spark creativity in all central locations throughout the company…even the bathrooms.

Favorite spot of all: The free cereal bar for all to enjoy any time of the day. Have a bowl. Or two. It’s like college all over again.

Disclosure: Thanks to Disney for paying for my travel expenses to visit Pixar Animation Studios for the Brave press junket. Brave hits theaters in 3D on June 22, 2012. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Movies, Videos Tagged With: , , ,

Hop: Family Movie Night is a hopping good time!

March 24, 2012 By

20120324-021022.jpg
My kids LOVE the movie Hop. Hop released on DVD in stores yesterday, March 23rd, 2012 – just in time for Easter. It’s on sale for about $19.99 for the combo pack that comes with both a regular DVD, Blu-Ray and a digital copy too! We love the digital copy – we’ll be loading this on our iPad tonight so the kids can watch it this week when we’re flying to Florida.

We took the kids to see it in theaters last spring before Easter and both Kenzie and Kyle could not have been more excited to watch the movie again. My son Kyle was sick yesterday with double ear infections so an afternoon style “family movie night” was just the thing to cheer him up. After having a really tough night and morning, he was beyond thrilled for this treat.

20120324-021038.jpg

We cuddled on the coach and ate popcorn for the movie.

They loved it again and found it super cute. Hop is a fantastic movie for the entire family too as it is full of jokes, music, and all around fun for the entire family.

E.B. is utterly adorable – I just want to hug him myself and wish we had a pet bunny of our own that pooped jelly beans!

20120324-021102.jpg

Both Kenzie and Kyle have been playing Easter Bunny ALL DAY long today now. Non stop Easter Bunny role play happening at our house. Great way to gear up for Easter! Hiding eggs, carrying baskets, and distributing easter hay all over the place.

Here’s Kyle enthralled in the movie and his popcorn.

20120324-021055.jpg

Official Synopsis:

From the makers of Despicable Me comes an all-new comedy about candy, chicks
and rock n roll! He was destined to be the Easter Bunny, but all he wanted
to do was rock! When teenage E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand) leaves for
Hollywood in pursuit of his dream to become a rockstar drummer, he meets
Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker with his own lofty goals.
Together the two encounter a series of hilarious mishaps and misadventures
and in the end help each other recognize the importance of family.

Here’s some sweet  LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFERS for HOP:

- Best Buy – Get a free 7″ Bunny Minion Plush when you buy HOP on Blu-ray
Combo Pack

- Target – Receive free wearable bunny ears & printable Easter party kit when
you Buy HOP on Blu-ray Combo Pack

- Find all details here: http://www.iwantcandy.com/retailers

Disclosure: Thanks to Universal Pictures for providing us with this fun family movie night kit. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

Filed Under: Kids, Movies, Videos Tagged With:

Friends with Kids Twitter Party tonight at 9 PM EST #friendswithkids

March 8, 2012 By

Twitter party alert!

I’m hosting a fun Twitter Party tonight about the new movie Friends with Kids, releasing on Friday March 9th.

Join my co-hosts  @WhitneyMWS @AudreyMcClellan and I for the party.  We’ll be giving away gift cards to Fandango so you can see this movie (and others) for free!

Where: Twitter, with the Hashtag #FriendswithKids

When: Thursday, March 8th at 9:00 PM EST

How: You can use the TweetGrid we’ve set up for this Friends with Kids party – login and put your username in the right hand column to follow along!

Follow @ClassyMommy @AudreyMcClellan @WhitneyMWS

What: This movie looks super cute – it’s a comedy/drama and we’ll be talking about parenting and celebrities so it promises to be a fun chat!

We’ll be giving away $250 in Fandango Gift cards too!

Here’s the official scoop about the movie Friends with Kids below. Take a peek at the trailer too:

SYNOPSIS:  Friends With Kids is a daring and poignant ensemble comedy
about a close-knit circle of friends at that moment in life when children
arrive and everything changes. The last two singles in the group observe
the effect that kids have had on their friends’ relationships and wonder if
there’s a better way.  They decide to have a kid together – and date other
people.

Jennifer Westfeldt wrote, directed, and stars in the romantic comedy Friends
with Kids. She plays Julie, a Manhattanite whose biological clock is about
to run out, so she convinces her longtime platonic best friend, Jason (Adam
Scott) to father a child with her. They seem to have a much easier time
juggling the responsibilities of new parenthood without the complication of
being in a relationship with each other, which is in contrast to the two
couples they are closest to. As their friends’ marriages implode, Julie and
Jason’s happy equilibrium topples over as well when he falls for a hot
young artist (Megan Fox) and she begins dating a successful businessman
(Edward Burns).

There are big laughs and unexpected emotional truths as this unconventional
‘experiment’ leads everyone in the group to question the nature of
friendship, family and, finally, true love.

Friends With Kids stars Adam Scott (“Parks and Recreation”), Jennifer
Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and
Edward Burns.

Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein).

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will release Friends With Kids on
March 9, 2012.

 

Filed Under: Videos Tagged With:

The Muppets Parody the Hunger Games Trailer

March 6, 2012 By

For all you Hunger Games fans (yes I profess that is me!!!!), you might get a kick out of this parody trailer with the Muppets from Yahoo Movies! Take a peek here:

I can’t wait to see both the Muppets on DVD with my kids and to see The Hunger Games in theaters later this month.

The Muppets is Available March 20th! The Wocka Wocka Value Pack, contains the movie on Blu-ray high-definition, DVD and Digital Copy (3 discs) plus a download card for the film’s soundtrack from Walt Disney Records!

Filed Under: Disney, Movies, Videos Tagged With: ,

Behind the Scenes: Why the Lorax matters today for kids

February 29, 2012 By

“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” — The Lorax

Doesn’t that line just sum up so much about life? Love this quote from Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax.

ClassyMommy.com saw a sneak peek early screening of the Lorax a few weeks ago – you can read our in depth Lorax movie review here.

. The Lorax arrives in theaters on March 2nd  and I got a chance to sit down with the writers of the movie.  Yes, interviewing celebrities who star in movies is great, but I must admit that I look forward to talking to the writers the most. They always leave me with a passion and a better understanding for the motivation behind the creation of the movie.

The Lorax writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio left me wanting to tell The Lorax message to everyone I saw on the streets that day. They were so excited about their work and were proud to show their kids the finished product. I’ll leave it to these two creative guys to tell you how their families affect their perspective on what they do.

On the valuable message of the movie:

Cinco Paul: I tell you, from the very beginning, our meetings with Audrey and meetings with Chris [Meledandri, Producer], it was always something talked about like this is a timely message and this is a message that we need to get out there.

And what I have noticed is no one is more of an environmentalist than kids.

Ken Duario: They’re born that way.

Cinco Paul: They’re born that way, and it gets beaten out of us, I guess, as we get older. This was never a burden. We just felt the responsibility to get that message across as so beautifully expressed in the book.

Ken Duario: And it’s very difficult, also, because the message is clear in the book. That’s what the book is there for. And we wanted to make a movie that was entertaining, and we didn’t want people to switch off feeling like, oh, I’m being preached to, and this is just medicine. We did not want that. And so, it’s a fine balance between entertaining the audience, but not letting go of that message and making it powerful at the end.

On why they don’t write for children:

Cinco Paul: We never actually write for children.

Ken Duario: Yes.

Cinco Paul: I write to make Ken laugh and he writes to make me laugh.

Ken Duario: Yes.

Cinco Paul: Or to entertain. We just try to entertain each other. You guys all have kids. They’re just people, really. They’re just little people, you know? They don’t need to have kid glove treatments.

On why movie was rated PG

Ken Duario: Yes, we don’t understand.

Cinco Paul: We personally don’t understand that at all. We wrote a G script. But, we’re both dads, and so we’re very conscious of that.

Ken Duario: We’re very aware, and we are not about pushing any envelopes anywhere. We feel like you don’t have to to tell a good story or to have a great movie. You don’t have to go for those laughs.

Watch and share The Lorax trailer on Facebook! Watch clips, play games, get free mobile downloads and download printables! 

THE LORAX is now on Pinterest! Browse the film’s boards at http://pinterest.com/theloraxmovie.

Take a peek at the trailer here:

Disclosure: Thanks to Universal Pictures for paying for my travel expenses to attend the press junket for The Lorax – which hits theaters in 3D on March 2nd, 2012. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Movies, Videos Tagged With: ,

Movie review: The Lorax entertains while telling a powerful message

February 21, 2012 By

If you’ve been wondering which Dr. Seuss book would be hitting theaters next, the big news is out! On March 2, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax will be transformed and brought to life on the big screen for all of us to enjoy. The Lorax will fast become a must see family film that parents and kids will likely love for generations to come with catchy music and a plot everyone can enjoy all wrapped around a message of protecting the environment.

The movie drew me in immediately with a very catchy opening song and colorful imagery, and  I was hooked for the entire film. The story follows a 12 year old boy named Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) on his journey to find a real living tree to give to his dream girl Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift).

On Ted’s quest, he finds himself on a wild adventure to plant the last Truffula Tree seed in his town.

Flashbacks during the movie tell the story of the Lorax and the Truffula trees. When a young entrepreneur plans to make useless thneeds (one of many fun Dr. Seuss words) out of trees, the Lorax desperately tries to stop him. The man ignores his warnings and destroys the land around him. Now it’s up to Ted to keep the Truffula trees from disappearing forever. Of course, the movie thickens the plot with an added villian Mr. O’Hare who will stop at nothing to make sure the town is full of fake trees, bottled air, and polluted water.

I was impressed how the movie shared a very serious message in a light-hearted way that kids of all ages will enjoy while still grasping the bigger moral of the story. I think parents will find The Lorax a great conversation-starter with their kids on the importance of going green and this will trigger families to talk about ideas on how they can help make a difference.

Kids will love the movie for the clever story and fun songs, and parents will feel great about the valuable lesson portrayed throughout the tale. You won’t want to miss sharing this movie with your kids and maybe even with the adults in your life. I know I left that movie theater feeling inspired myself to think twice before I forget to recycle my plastic bottles. Every little bit counts.

Side note: For those Despicable Me fans, if you listen close enough, you can catch a few humorous references (hint: check out the Converse shoes).  Make a game out if and see who in your family finds the most!

Watch and share The Lorax trailer on Facebook! Watch clips, play games, get free mobile downloads and download printables! 

THE LORAX is now on Pinterest! Browse the film’s boards at http://pinterest.com/theloraxmovie.

Take a peek at the trailer here:

Disclosure: Thanks to Universal Pictures for paying for my travel expenses to attend the press junket for The Lorax – which hits theaters in 3D on March 2nd, 2012. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Look for a Movie review: The Lorax entertains while telling a powerful message on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Movies, Reviews, Videos Tagged With: ,

Lady and the Tramp: Free Valentine’s Day Cards & Coloring Pages

February 7, 2012 By

Here are some sweet and very FREE printables from Lady and the Tramp.Releasing on DVD today, The Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition Blu Ray, DVD, and Digital copy set is now on sale in stores everywhere.

If you haven’t seen this flick yet with your kids, it’s a must watch movie. My 4 year old son has seen it 3 times in the last week since we received our review copy. He adores the “doggies” and I know you will too! Such a total classic. And perfect for Valentine’s Day. My favorite scene is when they are eating spaghetti!

20120207-043841.jpg

Here’s a widget to help you download all the free goodies from Lady & the Tramp below. Our favorites are always the coloring pages – like the one I printed below and free Valentine’s Day cards Kenzie is clipping in this photo.

20120207-043848.jpg

And a favorite trailer – Bella Note!

Disclosure: Thanks to Disney for sending us a review copy of Lady and the Tramp on DVD.

 

 

Look for a Lady and the Tramp: Free Valentine’s Day Cards & Coloring Pages on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Disney, Movies, Reviews, Videos Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts