HORTON (FROM DR. SEUSS’ HORTON HEARS A WHO) GETS BALLOON IN THE MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!

Monday, November 24, 2008 – New York, NY - On Thursday, November 27, 2008, Horton will make his world premiere as a brand new balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! For the first time ever, the lovable Dr. Seuss character comes to life as an enormous balloon to help celebrate Thanksgiving in one of the world’s most exciting and colorful parades!

Above, you can find four teaser images of the this beautiful new balloon (the entire balloon will be revealed during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade). Please feel free to use them to promote this special occasion as one that your readers will not want to miss on Thursday.

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The following images, concept art, and behind the scenes shots have been released to celebrate the upcoming November 18th release of WALL-E on DVD and Blu-ray!

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Movie Info:
Writer: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Director: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Cast: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan , Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim
Rating: PG
Studio: Dreamworks

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: June 6, 2008
DVD Release Date: November 8, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $20.99

I’m going to start this review off with a warning. If you have young kids, you may want to sit them down *before* watching Kung Fu Panda and have a discussion about what is a movie. Our four year old nephew, Lil B, saw Kung Fu Panda. He’d been talking about seeing it non-stop. After checking it out at the movie theater, he proclaimed, one day, that he wanted to show his aunt, Ashtyn, his Kung Fu moves. He then proceeded to kick her, full on, in the knee. When asked where he learned such moves, he said he learned them because he was the “Kung Fu” panda.

That being said, it’s not that I think that you should ban your child from watching this movie. You just need to remember that young kids like to emulate what they see. We now have a “no Kung Fu in the house or on other people” rule enforced. So far, we’ve had no trouble with said rule being upheld. With all that in mind, I have to say that Kung Fu Panda really is a good movie. If you can avoid having your child practice their ‘Kung Fu moves’ on you, then you should really be able to enjoy this as a family.

While Kung Fu Panda is a traditional “believe in yourself” kind of heartwarming movie, you should find plenty of humorous moments and quirky lines to amuse and entertain throughout the movie. It really is kind of funny to think of a tubby panda as the “master” of Kung Fu, but with Po (portrayed fabulously by Jack Black) you can pretty much believe anything. While probably not the most realistic animation out there (it is a cartoon - so disbelief suspension is required!), this film has a lot of heart and a nice, moral lesson to go with it.

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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.

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Movie Info:
Writers: Henry Gilroy, George Lucas
Director: Dave Filoni
Cast: Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, Tom Kane, Nika Futterman, Ian Abercrombie, Corey Burton, Catherine Taber, Matthew Wood, Kevin Michael Richardson, David Acord, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee
Rating: PG
Studio: Warner Home Video

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: August 15, 2008
DVD Release Date: November 11, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.99

I love Star Wars. I was born in 1980. I remember watching Star Wars since I was really little. I even had two pairs of Star Wars themed, thermal pajamas. One of them was for Return of the Jedi. This pair had R2D2 and C3P0 on them. I also had a pair with Ewoks on them. I loved my Star Wars pajamas. I also loved the entire Star Wars franchise. The toys, the movies, the whole shebang. As you might have guessed, I find all of the new Star Wars movies, animated specials, and what not, to be interesting. Well…at least until I actually check them out.

I’ve found that the newer Star Wars offerings are either hit or miss. I liked parts of Episodes 1-3, but they just can’t compare to the original trilogy. So, I wasn’t sure if I would like Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I went into this review with an open mind and hoping to find a cartoon that both new and old audiences could enjoy. This was only partly true. While I’m certain younger, newer audiences will be able to get into the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series airing on television, as well as this movie, older audiences, especially old fans of Star Wars, will most likely find this series boring.

It’s not that Star Wars: The Clone Wars is necessarily bad. Yes, I was kind of peeved over the fact that Anakin suddenly has a Padawan (though I’m sure they’ll have to discuss what happened to said Padawan between Episodes 2 and 3. Yes, I was kind of grumpy about the new voice actors, especially the lack of Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman. However, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is bad for me, merely because it is obviously geared towards a younger, more juvenile audience. Throw in the wine because this one is full of cheese.

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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.

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America’s Favorite Bears Learn About Love

THE BERENSTAIN BEARS: KINDNESS, CARING AND SHARING Based on the Best-selling Children’s Books Debuts on DVD on January 20, 2009

Culver City, CA (November 10, 2008) –Join Bear Country’s most loveable family in this new-to-DVD collection of animated stories as they get ready for Valentine’s Day with family and friends. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release THE BERENSTAIN BEARS: KINDNESS, CARING AND SHARING on DVD on January 20, 2009 with a family-friendly SRP of $12.99.

THE BERENSTAIN BEARS: KINDNESS, CARING AND SHARING will include the original Valentine’s Day network special called “Comic Valentine” plus four additional episodes about birthdays, new neighbors and kite-flying! THE BERENSTAIN BEARS: KINDNESS, CARING AND SHARING stars Mama, Papa, Brother and Sister Bear. As in all THE BERENSTAIN BEARS adventures, this close-knit family presents positive role models for parents and children.

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Movie Info:
Writers: Gary Trousdale, Sean Bishop, Theresa Cullen, Bill Riling, William Steig
Director: Gary Trousdale
Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Cody Cameron, Susan Fitzer, Christopher Knights, Gary Trousdale, Conrad Vernon
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Original Air Date: November 28, 2007
DVD Release Date: November 4, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $11.99

When I initially heard about Shrek the Halls, I had to groan. I figured this was just another movie to profit off a series that was dying with each and every film that was made in it. Don’t get me wrong, the original movie was brilliant. Two and three weren’t that bad either, but after three, it felt like it was about time for the story to be over. Apparently not, considering all of the original cast members came back to reprise their roles for this exciting, holiday special.

While Shrek the Halls is set sometime after the ending of Shrek the Third (the Shrek babies are still little), I actually think that this is actually better than Shrek the Third. I can’t imagine how the next two Shrek films are going to turn out. I had thought that this holiday movie would be boring and trite, merely because the third film was a declining version of the original two in the series. If four and five return to the humor level of one and two, they could be good. Shrek the Halls has given me hope of that, but, if for some reason they don’t, it will be just another wasted series of movies, made just to gain a profit.

The thing I like about Shrek the Halls is that it had humor, even some dirty humor (dirty diapers), but it wasn’t all stupid humor. The movie also had a lot of heart. Shrek reminded me of the lovable yet disgusting ogre he was in the first film. Shrek is a gross, nasty ogre with a bad temper who smells bad and likes anything completely disgusting. Shrek is incredibly likable despite these flaws. I didn’t feel that the third movie accurately captured Shrek in all his glory. Since this pretty much sums up Shrek in Shrek the Halls, I feel this movie should be more of an extension of the first two movies (though pertinent information from the third movie is helpful to understand how Shrek got all those ogre babies).

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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.

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**Walmart - Exclusive Gift Set with Ty Beanie Babies PO the Panda Plush!

**Target - 3-Disc Value Pack includes the DVD, the All-New Adventure SECRETS OF THE FURIOUS FIVE, and the Complete Kung Fu Panda PC Game from Activision.

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In anticipation for the upcoming release of Disney’s newest movie we have posted several Wall-E Clips for your enjoyment. Wall-E will be released on November 18, 2008 in standard definition editions and in Blu-Ray. This is sure to be one of the hottest DVD gifts this holiday for kids so you’ll want to make sure to get a copy when it’s released! In the meantime, enjoy the clips.

Treasures & Trinkets

Elbows (Bonus)

Notes on a Score (Bonus)

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Movie Info:
Cast: Andrew McMahon, Norm MacDonald, Emma Roberts, Carly Baker, Patrick Fitzsymons, Morgan Jones, Susan Slott, Alan Stanford, Paul Tylack, Susan Zelouf
Rating: G
Studio: Weinstein Company

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: October 25, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $10.99

Going into a movie knowing that parents were complaining about it made me somewhat wary when I popped The Flight Before Christmas into my DVD player. I’m not one to listen to the crowd, but everywhere I looked on the web, I was warned. DO NOT LET YOUR YOUNG CHILD WATCH THIS. I’m always intrigued by what parents consider inappropriate for their kids. Apparently, most parents think The Flight Before Christmas is one movie young kids shouldn’t watch.

Well, after watching this, I can’t exactly agree. Seriously. The issue for most parents is that The Flight Before Christmas contains a theme in it that might make young kids cry. Apparently, a group of cartoon wolves want to eat Santa, take over Christmas and then eat little children when they visit their houses in Santa’s place. The latter part (you know, about eating children) doesn’t seem to be the troubling part. Parents think their young kids will cry because the wolves want to eat Santa.

You know what? I’d let my four year old nephew watch this. I don’t think he’d cry. In fact, since you can safely assume (this is a kids movie) that no Santa was eaten in this movie, it’s about as harmless as watching Wile E. Coyote try to capture and eat the Roadrunner. Look at all the hunters who try to catch/eat Bugs Bunny. He’s a pretty lovable yet kids realize that the bad guys probably aren’t going to catch Bugs. It’s just common sense. So, I don’t know why the prospect of cartoon wolves eating Santa is absolutely terrifying, since it’s pretty much the same concept.

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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.

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Movie Info:
Rating: G
Studio: Hit Entertainment

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 9, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $17.99

For the last twenty or so years, one of the most popular kids shows has been Thomas & Friends. While Thomas can be a hit or miss with parents, most adults seem to be able to at least tolerate it and the kids all seem to really enjoy it. It’s surprising that this is the first full length movie to come out of the show since it has been on the air.

While the show has had a couple of narrators in its day, this time around the narrator is Pierce Brosnan. This may not be that impressive to the kids, but parents should appreciate the big name, talented celebrity. He also does a pretty good job here, which will add to the pleasing nature of the film.

The animation here is a little different than the average cartoons of today. It’s live action-ish animation. You can see the trains moving more than anything, but the people rarely move. It is the sharp writing and witty storytelling that will please children more than anything. It’s also this very thing that will help adults watch the show without getting the boredom effect that sometimes happens with other shows.

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Kassidy received her degree in Journalism in 2002. She lives in the Midwest with her husband of six years, Jason, their two little girls, Madison (6) and Emma (3), and four month old, Little J (Jason Jr.) . The couple is very excited to welcome their first son. Passions in life for Kassidy include painting, writing, being a Mommy, watching romantic comedies, and dancing.

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