Category: Movies

February 28, 2017

The Hottest TV Shows Rounded Up on DVD with Shout Factory

My kids love their favourite television shows and to be honest it brings back great memories of when I was a kid. My siblings and I would spend hours together on the weekend and sometimes after school enjoying our favourite shows together. Shout Factory has released some of the top rated television shows during the month of February on DVD.

Here is the Hottest February TV Show DVD Round Up:

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Exploring the Crystal Empire

My Little Pony – Friendship Is Magic: Exploring the Crystal Empire is coming to DVD on February 7, 2017 in the U.S. and Canada from Shout! Kids in collaboration with Hasbro Studios.

Join Twilight Sparkle, everypony’s favorite studious princess, and her very best friends – Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Spike – as they explore the wondrous arctic kingdom, the Crystal Empire! Old enemies return and new friends are made in this collection of episodes that will have you exploring the Crystal Empire with magical adventure!

Episodes Include:

The Cutie Re-mark, Part 1
The Cutie Re-mark, Part 1
The Cutie Re-mark, Part 2
The Crystalling, Part 1
The Crystalling, Part 2
The Times They Are A Changeling

Littlest Pet Shop: Pet Stars

A pet star is born! On February 14, 2017, buddy up with Blythe and her superstar pet pals with Littlest Pet Shop: Pet Stars on DVD from Shout! Kids, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios.

Sinister king cobras, comedy festivals, pet hotels and a monkey on Mars?! It is all here, as Blythe and her best friends – Russell the Hedgehog, Pepper the Skunk, Zoe the Spaniel, Minka the Monkey, Sunil the Mongoose, Penny the Panda and Vinnie the Gecko – share one outrageous adventure after another in The Littlest Pet Shop: Pet Stars!

Episodes Include:

Heart Of Parkness
Standup Stinker
The Secret Recipe
A Night At The Pawza
Sue Syndrome

Transformers Rescue Bots: Protect and Explore

Get ready for big adventures and rescues in the great outdoors! Transformers Rescue Bots: Heroes of Tech will be released on DVD on February 21, 2017 from Shout! Kids, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios. Featuring five episodes that the whole family can enjoy, this DVD is priced at a suggested retail price of $14.93.

When a mysterious iceberg is spotted off the coast of Griffin Rock, it brings both danger and the interest of an old nemesis. On a nature hike, the Rescue Bots team will have to battle escaped snakes. And when the Burns family is stranded at sea by a swarm of jellyfish, the Bots must control miniature souvenir replicas of themselves. Enjoy these adventures and more in Transformers Rescue Bots: Protect and Explore!

Episodes include:

Tip of the Iceberg
Buddy System
No Place Like Dome
Thieves Like Us
The New Recruits

Now my Canadian and American readers can now enter to win a prize pack that includes all three of the above mentioned DVDs! Enter via the Rafflecopter form below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received copies of the above mentioned DVDs. All opinions expressed are my own.

February 7, 2017

Canadian Release of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir #Giveaway

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir is set to release on DVD in Canada on February 7th!

About Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybuy and Cat Noir is coming to DVD in Canada on February 7, 2017, from Shout! Kids, in collaboration with ZAG. The release features seven incredible episodes, bonus features, and a French language track – très bon! Wildly successful on Nickelodeon in the United States, and now airing on the Family Channel and YTV in Canada, its legions of fans worldwide know that Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir is superhero super fun.

Marinette and Adrien, two seemingly normal kids live what appears to be an ordinary teen life in Paris with daily encounters that create amusing circumstances in school, with friends, family, and even with strangers. But when the evil Hawk Moth threatens their beloved city of Paris, they transform into the superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir using super powers gained with the help of their magical friends. Hawk Moth is using his evil energy to transform normal people into super villains, so our two heroes need to use all their skills to defeat him.

Becoming Ladybug is a complicated process. First, Marinette needs a “Kwami,” which is a tiny magical assistant (called Tikki). She also needs a “Miraculous,” which is a magical accessory (her special pair of earrings). Tikki uses the Miraculous to transform Marinette, but her Ladybug super powers only work for a limited time!

It is a good thing that she gets a little help from her superhero partner, Cat Noir even though she insists she doesn’t need him. If only she knew Cat Noir’s true identity – her school crush, Adrien! It will take a lot – friendship, teamwork and skill – to outwit Hawk Moth. Will Ladybug and Cat Noir be able to balance their double lives and keep Paris safe? Will they ever find out each other’s true identity? Until then – there is a whole city of baddies to defeat… SPOTS ON, CLAWS OUT!

Episodes:

The Bubbler
Mr. Pigeon
Stormy Weather
Timebreaker
Copycat
The Pharoah
Lady Wifi

Bonus Features

Episode Animatics
Sing-Along
Cast and Crew Interviews

Our Thoughts

We love the tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir and was super excited for this Canadian release. Where else can you find a funny, strong female superhero that both boys and girls will love. The graphics and animation are fantastic and well suited to young children. The humour is the best – appropriate for young children, slightly older children and adults (which is a must for the shows that we watch together). This DVD is perfect for after school fun, PA days and holidays.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Canadian readers can now enter to win their own special Canadian release of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir via the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this DVD in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

January 24, 2017

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir: Be Miraculous!

Straight from the heart of Paris, a third volume of the action adventure, comedy of Ladybug and Cat Noir is coming your way! This DVD will have you laughing and ready to Be Miraculous! The DVD will be available on January 10th, 2017.

The time is now and the city is Paris. And two amazing heroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir, stand to protect its citizens against evildoers. But can this uncanny duo continue to keep their city safe from these dastardly ne’er-do-well and get their homework in on time?! That’s right. The superheroes known as Ladybug and Cat Noir are actually Marinette and Adrien, two young students with super-secret lives filled with super-awesome excitement!

Episodes

Ladybug & Cat Noir (Origins, Part 1)
Stone Heart (Origins, Part 2)
Animan
Simon Says
Pixelator
Guitar Villain
Kung Food

Our Thoughts

Our favourite two superheroes are back: Ladybug and Cat Noir! These two characters are funny, brave and always positive. They are the perfect superhero characters for your children in the positive messages that they send to children – not to mention their great humour! The characters are real, with everyday problems (even though they super powers) and are characters that your child can relate to. The animations are fantastic and one of the best cartoon animations that I have seen in a long time. This DVD is better suited for children 5-12 to truly appreciate the humour, lessons and plots. Be Miraculous is not only great for afterschool but will be a great addition to family movie time.

The Giveaway!

My Canadian and American readers can now enter to win their own Be Miraculous DVD and get ready to be fabulous with Ladybug and Cat Noir! Enter via the Rafflecopter form below – Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of this DVD in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

January 19, 2017

When Kids Want More From Their Movies and TV Series #StreamTeam

I still remember to this day when my parents decided we as children were finally ready to start watching adult comedies and horror. I remember being so full of pride and excitement – we were finally being accepted as adults. Granted we had to cover our ears and eyes at many of the bad parts BUT we were finally allowed to stay up late to watch these movies. While most were harmless, I still am a bit traumatized by Child’s Play – I don’t think I will ever be able to look at my porcelain dolls without just a tad bit of fear they are plotting my demise.

But how do we as parents decide when our children are ready for more mature comedies, adventures and even some horror? I have no idea how my parents figured out we were ready to watch it and while I think it is a personal decision for parents to decide, I do believe there are some verbal and non-verbal cues that our children are ready for just a bit more.

Is your child interested in adult conversations? Maybe they are trying hard to be included in the conversations you have when friends come visiting? We definitely noticed a switch in our eldest two years ago and even more so now. He wants to be included in our adult conversations with friends, he likes to start up his own conversations with our friends about sports and his thought process has matured. He is craving and needing a more mature audience and this also translates over to his viewing preferences. He has begun to enjoy series like That ’70s Show and Two and A Half Men (although I cringe a bit inside at parts of this show!). We have had to adjust and adapt to allow him to grow. He now watches a greater variety of movies and series but we still monitor his choices to ensure they aren’t too mature for him.

Is your child verbally asking to watch more mature series and movies? While our five year old is constantly asking to watch The Walking Dead, we know that he is not ready for it and that he is doing it for the shock value but we also realize that his viewing preferences are changing and that we as parents need to understand and respect that. It is finding the right shows to help him make the switch that is the tough part.

Netflix has some great options for both your older child and your younger children as they graduate into a more mature viewing preference. One of the newest shows to air on Netflix is Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. In this series, we watch the orphans deal with terrible trials and the evil Count Olaf to uncover family secrets. It is a darker comedy that is the perfect transition for older children into more mature comedies and movies.

If you are still not sure check out the trailer above to get a better idea if this series is right for you and your children.

At the end of the day, we as parents know our children the best. We can watch for cues that they are ready for more but the final decision lies with us. What works in my home, may not work in yours and that’s okay!

How did you as a family decide when it was time to transition into a more mature viewing preference for your child?

Disclosure: I am a #StreamTeam member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.

November 25, 2016

Laugh, Explore and Learn With the All New Teletubbies!

Laugh, Learn, Explore With the All New Teletubbies

Growing up as a child, I am sure many of you were able to watch the Teletubbies on television. It was on almost non stop in our home when I was growing up as all three of us children were huge fans (I loved Po!). The characters were silly and full of adventure, every show was unique and designed to encourage, motivate and get your child moving and having fun.

An all new modern Teletubbies has returned to Family Junior ( you can even watch the show online or on their app) and has been updated to include new graphics, state of the art technology and 3-D printing. The Teletubbies even have their own touch screen tummies and a cell phone! Talk about embracing the new technology – these characters are completely up to date with the current times (amazing that these characters made their debut in 1997 – it definitely does not feel like it was that long ago for me). The show airs weekdays on Family Junior at 9:00am and at 8:45am on weekdays.

The best part of the Teletubbies the developmental and learning skills that the show has to offer your child. It is so important that your child is not only watching a favourite show of theirs but that they are also learning and growing at the same time too. This show helps to build your child’s confidence, improve their emotional and physical skills while learning to embrace their true self. There is never no need to conform to societal norm when it comes to the Teletubbies. They welcome and accept you for who you are and this is a message that kids just don’t hear enough. It is so important for them to feel comfortable being who they are and who they want to be.

Just in time for the holidays, parents can not only welcome the Teletubbies on their television (or online if you are tech savvy) but they can also purchase plush products of their favourite friends to accompany their child at home. We welcomed a talking Po into our home and I have to admit that I couldn’t get enough of making him talk. It brought back so many great memories from my childhood. The dolls are soft with a firmer face but still make the perfect cuddle buddy for your child. I found my children love having large plush friends of their favourite characters, they bring them with them whenever they go out, when they go to bed and even to school show and tell.

Did you watch Teletubbies as a child? Who is your favourite character from the show?

Disclosure: I received a Po product to help facilitate this post. All opinions expressed are my own.