We often go to cheesy kid movies with our kids out of love for them. We pretend to understand everything they talk about, and to love everything they remotely care about because… that’s the motherly thing to do. Take Assassin’s Creed for example. Do I love Cal Lynch? Uh, well, which one was that again? But, If you ask my son what I think about Assassins Creed? He’ll say, “I love it.” That’s just what we do as parents. We adore our dang kids, and want to find things in common with them. But I have found that my son and I actually DO have something in common. We both enjoy movies! Earlier this month, we got a sneak peek of MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL.
My son loves Syfi, action, and comedy flicks. I love dramas, romcoms, and adventure films. Finding movies that bond our two loves, can be tricky. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, however, left us both on the edge of our seats, eager to see what was going to happen next. The movie itself sent many powerful messages. This twisted fantasy was everything I hoped for (and more).
A formidable queen causes a rift between Maleficent and Princess Aurora. Together, they must face new allies and enemies in a bid to protect the magical lands which they share. In this movie, you will experience bold, cinematic visuals. My son pointed out that the women in the film were “fearless” and “unique,” just how a woman should be portrayed.
The mythology that goes along with the cast’s spectacular performance, fits into the list of Disney Classics perfectly. Angelina Jolie goes above and beyond to not only fit the physical qualities of Maleficent, but she also accurately portrays the emotional qualities of this complicated witch. Through the course of this film, the audience will learn the importance of confidence and individuality. As a 43-year-old woman, I felt unbelievably empowered by the portrayal of all the women in this film. My son witnessing characters like Maleficent, is extremely important to me. Quite frankly, it’s important for the development of all young boys. This film has no damsel in distress, has no woman dependent on a man, and that is what I like and expect to see more of in the future movie world.
BRAVO Disney! This movie is for all the women, and girls ready to be portrayed as the strong heroes that they are. Maleficent: Mistress of evil is now on my list of favorites. I’m so glad I got to watch it with my little guy!
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba sithi uhhmm ingonyama! The Lion King has hit the big screen for a second time. The new LIVE action film has been recreated, with an all new star studded cast. Last week, we got a sneak peek of the new film, and I could not help but to feel a little nostalgic. The film stays true to its original 1994 roots, honoring the original release. So don’t worry, Lebo M who created its original magnificent scores, with homage to Africa has recreated the magic once again!
Disney Studios has created a cinematic masterpiece, and who better to recreate the magic with Beyoncé, and Donald Glover? This epic duo creates sensational harmonies, while Seth Rogan and Billy Eichner add hilarious improvisational humor. To everyone’s surprise, Seth Rogan sings exceptionally good, rifting and showcasing other professional vocal qualities.
Thank you Disney Studios for inviting me to screen “The Lion King” and attend the Press Junket. All opinions are my own.
Director Jon Favreau, (The Jungle Book, Chef) crafted a stunning, photorealistic CG. The film is so futuristic, that it is perhaps the pillars for CG technology evolution, as a film like this has never been created before.
Favreau said, “We are dealing with very engaged audiences that often times have grown up with these properties. And they have an emotional connections to them—in certain cases spanning generations within their family. So, you’re not just remembering ‘The Lion King,’ you’re remembering ‘The Lion King’ when you were 7, or when you brought your kid to it, or when you saw it then later introduced it to your kid. People have a whole basket of memories and emotions that are related to this movie, and there’s a certain protectiveness that people feel because those memories belong to them.”
Disney’s upcoming film journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his. The all-star cast includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon, and utilizes pioneering filmmaking techniques to bring treasured characters to life in a whole new way.
Another exciting bonus, is the playful 40 second easter egg. Prepare a for unbelievable sunsets, and sensational musical vocals!
We laughed, we cried, and the new film moved us. Much like the original…
Don’t miss the magic. Watch The Lion King in theaters today!
Last week, my daughter and I headed to the Montage hotel in Beverly Hills to meet with the sensational cast of Disney’s, The Lion King. In celebration of the new film, Clarissa and I jammed out to Donald Glover’s and Beyonce’s music on our way up to in the car. Not only because these are our favorite musicians, but they are also the voice talent in this upcoming new film!
Thank you Disney Studios for inviting me to screen “The Lion King” and attend the Press Junket. All opinions are my own.
The talent in attendance were: Donald Glover (voice of “Simba”), Seth Rogen (voice of “Pumbaa”), Billy Eichner (voice of “Timon”), Chiwetel Ejiofor (voice of “Scar”), Alfre Woodard (voice of “Sarabi”), Keegan-Michael Key (voice of “Kamari”), Florence Kasumba (voice of “Shenzi”), Eric Andre (voice of “Azizi”), John Kani (voice of “Rafiki”), JD McCrary (voice of “Young Simba”), Shahadi Wright Joseph (voice of “Young Nala”), Director Jon Favreau, Composer Hans Zimmer, and Lebo M (AfricanMusic Consultant / Performer)
Below are some of my favorite excerpts from last week’s press junket!
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JULY 10: Creator/producer African vocal/choir arrangements Lebo M. and Clydene Jackson perform during the Global Press Conference for Disney’s THE LION KING on July 10, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
A woman dressed in traditional African clothing slowly raised her arms. The room silent stood still, and then a harmonious choir began to sing. It was surreal.
Lebo M and Carmen Twillie surprised the room, by singing some belting recognizable iconic notes, “Circle of Life”. The two moved their feet in sync and their hearts were connected to every lyric they sang. It was mind blowing, and my tears were flowing uncontrolabley…
After this memorable and heartwarming performance, we were introduced to the cast by the moderator. “Just look at this stage. There’s so many names up here. Everyone up here is so accomplished.”
Disney’s upcoming film journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his. The all-star cast includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon, and utilizes pioneering filmmaking techniques to bring treasured characters to life in a whole new way.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JULY 10: Director/producer Jon Favreau attends the Global Press Conference for Disney’s THE LION KING on July 10, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
MODERATOR: And then how long did you work on the film? Because I saw the footage at Cinemacon two years ago. And then you slowly teased it out to the world and it broke the Internet with 224 million views in the first 24 hours when folks got to see what I got to see two years ago. So how long have you been working on this now?JON FAVREAU: I’ve been working about three years on this one. And a lot of them have been working for the same amount of time. Because they came in back when it was pencils. So it was a huge leap of faith for this fantastic cast we have. And of course musically, Lebo M and Han Zimmer, who were so involved with the first one to trust that it would turn out well. It was a big leap of faith for everybody. And in many cases, they kept coming back and recording again and trying new things, especially with the comedy bits.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JULY 10: Donald Glover attends the Global Press Conference for Disney’s THE LION KING on July 10, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
MODERATOR:Yeah. I heard your son was very excited to just be able to see it. What did you tell him going into it? You’re like, just so you know, daddy is Simba. DONALD GLOVER: I didn’t tell him anything. I really didn’t. It’s his favorite movie. I was like oh, I’ll just wait until he gets there. But somehow he found out about it, but still didn’t know I was in it. He was just like oh, the one with Beyonce. And then during the movie, he’s like oh, dad’s in it, too. This is great. Bonus. You know.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JULY 10: Seth Rogen attends the Global Press Conference for Disney’s THE LION KING on July 10, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Seth Rogan always makes me laugh. He doesn’t even need to try. He’s is just hilarious!
MODERATOR:It’s really amazing. Again, people are going to want it. So Disney, make it happen. Billy and Seth, you guys robbed every scene last night and stole every scene last night. It was completely hilarious. I couldn’t hear a lot of your dialogue, because people were laughing over it. So I just kind of have to ask you guys. How much was you and how much did y’all just pull out as you were going through it? SETH ROGEN: Yeah. Okay. I’ll start. It was a lot of improvisation with Billy. Yeah. And we were actually together every time that we recorded, which is a very rare gift to have as someone who is trying to be funny in an animated film, of which I’ve done a lot, and you’re often just alone in there. And I think you can really tell that we’re playing off of each other. It’s an incredibly naturalistic feeling. And they really captured Billy. That is what is amazing. I would say, he essentially played himself on a TV show for years. And this character is more Billy than that character somehow. It’s like endlessly, it’s remarkable to me how his character specifically makes me laugh so hard.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JULY 10: JD McCrary attends the Global Press Conference for Disney’s THE LION KING on July 10, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
MODERATOR: Okay, so JD, you grabbed the mic. So tell us about the video game. JD MCCRARY:It was so cool. It’s like watching your favorite movie, but everything, like you’re in it. You’re in the movie. That’s exactly what it was. You did an amazing job with this. So it was me and Shahadi and Mr. Favreau. We put on the headsets, we had these little controller things in our hands, and we could fly. It was like we were Zazu. We were birds. We were whatever we wanted to be. And we saw everything. We saw the Pridelands. We saw Pride Rock. We saw the watering hole. We saw the elephant graveyard. We saw it all, man. And it was so cool, dude. It was so cool.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JULY 10: (L-R) Actors Eric Andre, Keegan-Michael Key, Florence Kasumba, Billy Eichner, Creator/producer African vocal/choir arrangements Lebo M., Composer Hans Zimmer, actors John Kani, Shahadi Wright Joseph, JD McCrary, Seth Rogen, Alfre Woodard, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover and Director/producer Jon Favreau attend the Global Press Conference for Disney’s THE LION KING on July 10, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Disney never disappoints at these junkets, and I always look forward to them. There were many laughs and memorable moments at this press conference. This movie is a wonderful entry into the world of CG photorealism, along with a proper homage to the unseen beauty of Africa!
Disney’s ALADDIN soars into theatres this weekend with the tough job of following in the footsteps of animation gold.
The story of Aladdin centers on a poor but good-hearted young man (Mena Massoud as Aladdin) as he attempts to impress the girl of his dreams (Naomi Scott as Jasmine) with the help of magical friends (Will Smith as Genie).
Riding on the heels of Beauty and the Beast’s live action success in 2017, Disney gambles on bringing the film’s memorable cast of characters into a whole new world. Disney’s decision to green-light Aladdin as a live-action is tough in that the whimsical aspects of the most memorable sidekicks appear less dimensional and less interesting.
Prior to shooting, director Guy Ritchie took a lot of heat from the movie world when casting Will Smith as Genie—because let’s face it, Robin Williams is a tough act to follow. I was most hesitant about what to expect from Smith, but in the end, he genuinely helps the film grow into a more grown-up version of the original story.
Though the film delivers all the poignant scenes you know and love from the animated original, it does bring to light some of the problematic dramas involved with its main characters. This is the film’s redeeming quality—its awareness of its characters true intentions, especially Jasmine and villain Jafar (Marwan Kenzari). Though Aladdin centers on its main protagonist, the film’s diamonds in the rough are conversations Jasmine and Jafar’s dreams for themselves and the fictional nation of Agrabah.
The film’s ending proceeds as you might expect, but attempts something different with Jasmine. Though two original songs are written for her (the only ones unique to the live-action), a powerful punch isn’t made until the end in a conversation with her father. If this point were fleshed out more effectively in the plot, Jasmine would have experienced the most poignant development of all the film’s characters.
Aladdin is a visual masterpiece, with gorgeous cinematography (Alan Stewart) adding a crispness to the film’s enjoyable choreography. As always, Alan Menken’s music injects another layer of life, and brings the nostalgia home.
Vanessa Bañuelos-Dawson is a Disney-loving, nonprofit professional based in Southern California. She contributes to lifestyle blogs when not enjoying the sights, sounds, and shopping at Disneyland. A graduate (B.A. and M.A.) of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film, she’s an avid fan of movies.
Disclosure: Disney Book Group is partnering with me for a giveaway!
My son can easily get lost in a book…
He is required to read 20 minutes a day for homework, but I want him to enjoy what he is reading. So I am thrilled to introduce him to Disney’s new book, Aladdin Far from Agrabah!
This stunning original novel will tell an all-new story set in the world of the new film, featuring Aladdin and Jasmine.
A magic carpet ride full of adventure, suspense, and wonder written by New York Times best-selling author Aisha Saeed, this story will be a must-read for any Aladdin fans who find themselves drawn into and enchanted by the magical world of Agrabah and beyond.
Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win:
From Agrabah to the silver screen! One (1) winner will receive
a copy of Aladdin: Far from Agrabah,
plus a $50 Fandango gift card to get excited for the upcoming movie release.
About the Author
Aisha Saeed is the author of Written in the Stars which was listed as a best book of 2015 by Bank Street Books, a 2016 YALSA Quick Pick For Reluctant Readers, and named one of the top ten books all Young Georgians Should Read in 2016. She is also the author of the middle grade novel Amal Unbound which has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus and is a Global Read Aloud for 2018. Aisha is also a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books™. She has been featured on MTV, the Huffington Post, NBC, and the BBC, and her writings have appeared in publications including the journal ALAN and the Orlando Sentinel.
Last week while the kids were at school, Carlos and I headed to Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to celebrate the upcoming in-home release of SOLO: A Star Wars Storyreleased Digitally Sept 14 and on Blu-ray Sept 25th! The Special Bonus Showcase/Press Day included an interview Ray Park (Darth Maul) and lightsaber training. We also met Solo’s sidekick Chewbacca!
My fam bam loves this incredible film and you will too! It was so much fun to get the behind the scenes scoop. Our kids were super jealous, and thought it was cool that their papa took over my social handles for a day.
Star Wars Fans! Get ready for the ultimate ride and experience the galaxy like never before when you watch SOLO on digital or Blu-ray.
Join us for a #SoloBluRay Twitter Party! We’ve got fabulous door prizes. *See the details below.
Thank you Walt Disney Studios for inviting us to your SOLO event. All opinions are my own.
Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in Solo: A Star Wars Story, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
Actor Ray Park (Darth Maul) gave us lightsaber training. It was by far one of the coolest things we have ever done! I have to admit it was not as easy as I thought, and I almost whacked Ray Parker in the face… Oops
Ray Parker talked about his 8 hour a day intense training while preparing for his role. His story is truly inspiring!
Mr. Camacho was all smiles because he can now watch SOLO at home!
This fun and fast-paced space adventure, compliments the saga and is a special treat for longtime fans.
I love these two adorable hairy men! lol
Twitter Party
Join us this Monday September 24th at 6 PST, in your PJs to celebrate a Star Wars#SoloBluRay Party on Twitter! We’ve got fabulous door prizes in store for our guests!
Earlier this month Disney Villains released their newest book, Mother Know Best! This wonderful book is a great compliment to their fun Villain series. I am thrilled that the Disney Book Group has partnered with me for a giveaway! Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win the complete book series and the Sephora Hair bundle pack!
I love to cuddle up with my son at bedtime, and read a good book. I know sooner than later, he’s going to grow up and he will be too big for story time. But for now, I’m going to cherish this special time with him and read this series with him…
Disclosure: Disney Book Group has partnered with me for this giveaway. All opinions are my own.
My young prince loves a good Disney story… Your kiddos will enjoy this series too!
The Disney VILLAINS series by Serena Valentino explores how the antagonists in Disney movies became some of storytelling’s most iconic villains. In the first five VILLAINS books, we see how the Evil Queen, the Beast, Ursula, Maleficent, and Mother Gothel fall into darkness, through the instigation of the mysterious Odd Sisters: Lucinda, Martha, and Ruby.
The tale of the legendary golden flower is widely known. The story has been told many times and in many ways. But always the flower is coveted by an old witch to keep herself young and beautiful. And always the flower is used to save a dying queen, who then gives birth to a princess with magical hair. Not willing to lose the flower, the old witch steals the princess and locks her away in a high tower, raising her as her own. But the princess always finds out who she truly is and manages to defeat the old witch.
And yet this is only half the story. So what of the old witch, Mother Gothel? Where does she come from? And how does she come across the magical golden flower?
Here is one account that recounts a version of the story that has remained untold for centuries . . . until now. It is a tale of mothers and daughters, of youth and dark magic.
It is a tale of the old witch.
GIVEAWAY LET DOWN YOUR HAIR!
ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN:
For hair as long and twisted as the one in this tale. One (1) winner receives:
Serena Valentino has been weaving tales that combine mythos and guile for the past decade. She has earned critical acclaim in both the comic and horror domains, where she is known for her unique style of storytelling, bringing her readers into exquisitely frightening worlds filled with terror, beauty, and extraordinary protagonists. The books in her best-selling VILLAINS series are best enjoyed when read in the following order: Fairest of All, The Beast Within,Poor Unfortunate Soul, Mistress of All Evil, Mother Knows Best.
This sensational book series is so much fun to read. The recommended age for this series is 12+
