Movies

Clifford Live! at the Keswick Theatre {review}

by Alissa on October 19, 2012

Clifford Live at the Keswick {review}

Clifford Live at the Keswick

We had a great time at the Clifford Live! show at the Keswick Theatre last weekend.

I wasn’t quite sure how they’d portray Clifford on stage, but I was impressed with what we saw. I didn’t know how big he’d actually be, but this big red Clifford was the real deal. He towered over the other actors, who were actually adults portraying kids. They were able to construct such a realistic looking Clifford on such a large scale… and he has the same friendly face we love from the books and TV show.

Emily Elizabeth was bubbly and energetic, as she told us the story of adopting her big, red friend. Clifford’s friends Cleo and T-Bone also joined them on stage. Kids will recognize the story of how Clifford met Emily Elizabeth and grew (literally) overnight. We get to see Clifford as a little puppy before he grows into the big, red Clifford that we all know and love.

Check here to see if Clifford Live is coming to a stage near you. If you have an opportunity to see it, I definitely would take the kids.

Clifford the Big Red Dog

This was our first visit to the Keswick and we were happy to find that it’s very family friendly. The stage was easy to see – even for the littlest visitors. The snacks at the concession stand were inexpensive *and* you were welcome to take them to your seat. That was a nice bonus for the kids.

There’s also a free parking lot directly behind the Keswick, which makes it very convenient to get the kids in and out of the theater without having to walk too far or worry about traffic.

We’ll continue to look for more family-friendly programs at the Keswick and we wish our friend Clifford the Big Red Dog well on the rest of his tour!

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Disclosure: We received complimentary passes to Clifford Live as a thank you for helping to promote the show prior to its arrival. We were not expected or asked to post a review, but we loved the show and wanted to share. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Do you plan to take the kids to see Clifford Live?

Tagged as: Clifford big red dog, Clifford Live, Keswick Theatre, the Keswick

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Your Official Invite to the Royal Ball with Cinderella #DisneyPrincessWMT #CBias

by Alissa on October 16, 2012

Cinderella Royal Ball Augmented Reality app

Stretching your arms and stifling a yawn, you slowly wake to the tweets of your feathered friends who have gathered at your windowsill.

If only they knew what a wonderful dream you had been having, they wouldn’t have been so quick to get you stirring.

The rest of the house remains quiet as you prepare yourself for another day of the same old chores, delivering breakfast, singing to yourself as you go. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes…”

Every day it’s the same.

Scrubbing the floors, washing the draperies, the mending, the sewing and the laundry.

“Cinderella! Cinder-ELLA!”

Yes, the day starts out just like every other… or so you think. Today, though, a special surprise is waiting for you that will soon change everything all at once.

Royal Ball AR app

Why, it’s an official invitation to the Royal Ball! (A little birdie told us that everyone can get an invite, via the Royal Ball Augmented Reality App, which your parents can download right to their phones for you. It’s available for both Apple and Android phones.)

It says every little princess is invited, especially the ones who are kind to others and keep up with their chores. Certainly they deserve a celebration the most, of course!

OK, then. There are lots of preparations to be made for such a royal bash! And none of them include scrubbing floors.

They do include dress-up. And that’s perfect, because you and your brother are old pros at dressing up.

Cinderella app dress

You get dressed in your prettiest princess dress. After you finish getting ready, your handy assistant tells you that you can unlock even more dress-up choices by visiting the Cinderella Royal Ball AR app trigger points at Wal-mart.

Your carriage awaits to take you to the dance party, but first you make a quick detour to the store to make sure that all your options are available.

It sounds like a princess-themed scavenger hunt, and one thing this princess knows how to do is to be a big helper to her mom — and how to make it fun as you go!

AR app

These were the images we needed to locate and scan throughout the store. If we found them all, we’d unlock the rest of the features on the AR app. More dress-up costumes, more accessories and more options for building our own carriage are always a good thing!

Here’s what we found when we made it there.

My First Princess Cinderella

My First Princess Cinderella hanging with her BFF Snow White. Hi, Little Cinderella. Hi, Little Snow White! Have you seen any of these images around here? Not yet? OK, we’ll keep looking. Thanks!

Cinderella costumes

Whoa… the ultimate Cinderella dress-up station. I know one little princess who would love to spend some time here, especially knowing that Cinderella wears her favorite color pink, too! But I think we’re getting closer to completing our mission. So we continue on.

And just like that, we turn the corner and we spot it.

Cinderella display

“We found her, Mommy! Look! She’s even wearing the same dress as me!”

Cinderella

I admit I was a little disappointed to find out that there was no special Cinderella Retailtainment event that weekend at the store, as planned. But sometimes princesses’ moms have the right idea when they don’t disclose every last detail of their afternoon adventure plans to their little princesses ahead of time. My little princess was none the wiser and we were still able to have a fun adventure totally on our own. Ahem, with the help of the Royal Ball AR app, that is!

Cinderella with tin bank

Imagine her surprise when I told her we were able to purchase our very own copy of Cinderella on Blu-ray and DVD! There was even a combo pack that included a collectible tin bank. We can’t wait for our next family movie night.

Scanning the DVD cover, our 3D magic carriage pops up and awaits us once again.

And just like that, we’re off to the Royal Ball to dance the night away!

Just another (adventurous) day at our house.

To follow along on our full adventure, check out the rest of our photos here at Google +.

And for more Cinderella-themed fun, follow Cinderella online here and over here or Cinderella on Facebook, and follow Disney on Twitter and Disney Princesses on Facebook.

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Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Disney Consumer Products, Inc. #CBias #SocialFabric As always, though, all opinions are our own.

Tagged as: Augmented Reality, Blu-Ray/DVD release, Cinderella, Disney, Princess, Retailtainment Event, Walmart

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Kid Movie Reviews: Little Red Wagon

by Alissa on October 5, 2012

Little Red Wagon – Movie Review

Little Red Wagon movie

Good news Philly fans!
Zach himself will be at tonight’s premiere at Regal 24 Oaks. How amazing would it be for your own kids to get to meet him in person?

Think one person — one kid, for that matter — can’t make that big a difference?

Prepare to be inspired.

Kid-friendly movie review: Little Red Wagon

Little Red Wagon is the inspiring, real-life story of Zach Bonner. Zach started collecting water and supplies for families affected by Hurricane Charley, back in 2004. He was only 7 at the time, pulling his little red wagon around his neighborhood.

A year later, he continued his outreach efforts by forming The Little Red Wagon Foundation, a nonprofit organization designed to help underprivileged kids (with a focus on homeless youth). He has since put together and distributed over 4,000 backpacks across the country, filled with food, personal hygiene kits and other supplies. He ‘s also committed to including a candy pack and a small toy in each backpack. He wants homeless kids to know he cares about their “kid” needs as well as their basic needs.

Zach, with the support of his mom and sister, walked across the country in 2009. Literally. He walked from Tampa, Florida to Los Angeles, CA, covering nearly 2,500 miles in 2009 to help raise awareness for homeless kids.

I’m a fan of true and inspiring stories brought to the big screen – and this is no exception. I also appreciated some of the bigger themes the movie offered: Everyone has in them the potential to do something extraordinary. These are wonderful messages for kids and we’ll definitely be returning to them again when we talk with our kids after the movie.

Is Little Red Wagon appropriate for kids?

We give Little Red Wagon 5 out of 5 cartwheels.

Little Red Wagon is heartwarming and inspiring without a doubt. Directed by David Anspaugh, who also directed Rudy and Hoosiers, this comes as no surprise.

There were a few instances of very mild language use, but these were pretty rare, so most kids may not even pick up on them at all.

I’m looking forward to sharing Little Red Wagon with our son and getting the entire family inspired to do something small for others… which just might turn into something huge, if we keep at it.