Have you ever heard of a Truffula tree? Or met a Bar-ba-loots? If not, you might want to check out Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, which comes out on DVD and Blu-ray today. But before you press play, crack open the book and meet Dr. Seuss’ original tree-loving Lorax, the star of this playful yet serious story about the importance of protecting our Earth. My favourite line from the book? “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Which did you like better: the book or the movie? Let me know!
Easter is here! Celebrate with a classic tale like Here Comes Peter Cottontail, now remastered and out on DVD. This stop-animation movie tells the story of how a young rabbit and his hoppy friends save Easter and deliver colourful eggs to children everywhere. It’s full of cute characters and fun songs that the whole family can sing.
Click here to print out a Peter Cottontail colouring page.
If you’re looking for a movie that will get you into the holiday spirit, check out Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure (now available on Blu-ray & DVD). In this heart-warming tale, the lovable Beethoven is on a mission to help Henry the elf. Henry has just crash-landed Santa’s sleigh in a tree after fleeing the North Pole. But that’s not the worst of this elf’s problems. Henry discovers Santa’s magical bag of toys has somehow fallen out of the sleigh! Hilarity ensues when Henry the elf, Beethoven and Beethoven’s teenage pal, Mason, set out to find the bag before it gets into the wrong hands.
Here are some things I liked about the movie:
1. There are tons of cute dogs! If you like pooches, this flick is for you!
2. There’s lots of silliness. You may find yourself with a case of the giggles. I did!
3. There are tons of festive decorations and holiday songs.
Here are some things I would warn parents about:
1. There is occasional name-calling and up-aged vocabulary.
I just saw Happy Feet Two. This 3-D sequel is about a shy, young penguin who finds his voice (and his happy, dancing feet) when his penguin community gets trapped in an ice pocket and is in need of help.
Here are some things I liked about the movie:
The animation and 3-D effects were amazing. It really feels like you are right there in the Arctic with the penguins.
The penguins are really cute, especially the fluffy babies!
The song and dance numbers are fun and will get you up and moving.
Here are some things I would warn parents about:
There is a some name-calling and up-aged vocabulary.
The Gruffalo is a fantastic children’s book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler and now it has been adapted into a 30-minute short film. The story follows a brave mouse in search of a nut to eat. In his journey he meets several forest dwellers that want to eat him. He scares them off with his story of the Gruffalo, a creature with terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaw. The mouse marches on through the woods, feeling pretty good about himself, until he comes face to face with the one and only Gruffalo. Now the mouse must convince the Gruffalo not to eat him too!
I won’t ruin the ending for you, because this movie is a must-see for fans of the book and of animated movies.
Here are a few fun facts about the film:
1) The animation is brilliantly done with great detail; it is as if the storybook has come to life in front of your eyes.
2) It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Animated Film and a BAFTA award in England.
3) Just like the book, the entire movie is told in rhymes. Who doesn’t love rhyming mice?
4) A sequel is already being made is and expected to be out around Christmas 2011. The second book in the series The Gruffalo’s Child is the story of the Gruffalo warning his children about the dangerous mouse that lives in the forest.
If you are in Toronto, make sure to check out The Gruffalo, or any of the movies playing at Sprockets this weekend.
Loading ...