Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Review

Following up on the successes of 2008′s “Tinker Bell” and 2009′s “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure”, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (Two-Disc Blu-ray/ DVD Combo)
on September 21, 2010. Kaitlyn loved the first two movies, so when the PR firm I work with asked if we wanted to review Great Fairy Rescue, I replied back YES PLEASE!

What it’s about: Before she met Wendy and the Lost Boys in “Peter Pan”, Tinker Bell met another human! It seems that in the summer, the fairies gather for a sort of summer camp in the English countryside. While searching for something to “tinker with”, Tink happens upon an automobile, and ends up trapped in a Fairy House created by Lizzy, a 9 year old girl living with her Father, who is very busy and unfortunately tends to brush off Lizzy’s attempts at a relationship.. Lizzy very much believes in fairies, but her Father only believes in what he can see with his eyes.

Another fairy, Vidia, sees Tink get captured and rallies the other fairies to launch a daring rescue into human territory to help their friend. Meanwhile, Tink and Lizzy figure out a way to communicate and Lizzy learns more than she ever dreamed about fairies and their world! Here’s the trailer:

Why Blu-ray?: This is the kind of movie that it seems Blu-ray was invented for. From the moment the movie starts, you find yourself in an eye-popping, dazzling world of colors and textures. The amount of detail in every frame is just amazing. The greens are so green, the golds are so gold, everything just feels like you could reach through the screen and touch it. Kaitlyn and I have watched three times now, and I see something new every time!

Start making your holiday shopping list now, because the “Previews” section of the bonus features shows clips from all of these upcoming movies from Disney! I know these are going to be on a lot of kids’ wish lists!

  • “Beauty & The Beast” Diamond Edition Blu-ray
  • “Tangled”
  • “The Search For Santa Paws”
  • “Beverly Hills Chihuahua II” on Blu-ray/DVD
  • Disney Nature: “Oceans” and “The Crimson Wing”
  • “Toy Story 3″ on Blu-ray/DVD
  • “Lion King” Diamond Edition
  • “Tinker Bell & The Mysterious Woods”

BONUS FEATURES

1. “Tangled”: Exclusive Sneak Peak – This movie is more than just the story of Rapunzel, it’s also about a daring young man (who is also a thief) and the challenges (and humorous situations) he faces while trying to rescue her. I think the directors were smart in playing up the character of Flynn Rider so that this movie will appeal to boys as well as girls.

2. Deleted Scenes with commentary by the director and the producer -

     A. “A Real Fairy”  Originally the opening of the movie, this scene showed Lizzy’s Father as a child, meeting a fairy. After he confides in a friend who yells the news to everyone else, disaster ensues. I’m glad this was left out, it would have made such a dark opening for the movie.

     B.”Lizzy’s Bedtime Story” –  shown in both storyboard and grayscale versions, this scene is between Lizzy and her Father.  Originally meant to be shown before Tink meets Lizzy, the director decided it was better for the audience to meet Lizzy at the same time Tink does.

     C. “Tea Party” – A scene with Tink and Lizzy having a tea party. The director brought in a group of 9 year old girls and asked them what they would want to do if they met a fairy, and the majority said have a tea party. It was cut because it didn’t move the story forward.

     D.”Cat Attack” – This scene stars Tink and Lizzy’s cat Mr. Twitches, and shows Tink escaping the cat’s clutches. The director and producer ultimately decided to cut it but liked it so much, they finished part of the frames in full color.

3. Music & More - Bridgit Mendler’s music video for “How To Believe”, with Bridgit having fun with friends plus a few clips from the movie.

4. Games & Activities – Fairy Field Guide Builder – Use the Blu-ray remote to answer questions about Fairies and learn all about them.  Illustrations that look hand-colored with crayons are part of the charm of this bonus feature.

5.  Backstage Disney - ”Design a Fairy House”  – In the movie, Lizzy builds a little fairy house for fairies to use in case they come by and need a rest. At the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, kids had the chance to use craft supplies to design their ideal fairy house.  The companion website PixieHollow.com held a contest to design a fairy house, and the winner was flown to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, where she got to help turn her design into a real fairy house! 

6. Learn how to take your favorite movies on the go with the included Disney Digital Copy.

SO.  Convinced yet??! Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue is just a great movie and well worth spending $21.99 on. Please note that if you do click one of the links in this post and purchase the movie during that visit to Amazon.com, I will earn a teeny tiny commission on the sale. Which helps support my coffee habit, so thank you in advance :) What are you waiting for? Go buy it!

Watch this with your kids-Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

NightMuseumBDWhen the lights go off, the battle is on! Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian arrives in a Blu-ray Disc/DVD Combo Pack (Blu-ray, DVD and a Digital Copy) and for a limited time only a “Monkey Mischief” double DVD on December 1 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. We received this on Blu-Ray from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for review, and it was as funny as I thought it would be! This is a terrific movie for families to watch together. If you didn’t see it, here’s the description:

History is larger than life — and twice as funny — in this monumental comedy sequel. Ben Stiller (Meet The Parents, There’s Something About Mary) stars as Larry Daley, a former night watchman at the Museum of Natural History, where the exhibits come alive after dark. But now Larry’s nocturnal friends are being retired to the archives of the Smithsonian Institution, luring him back for a hilarious, all-out battle against a cranky Egyptian Pharaoh who plans to take over the museum… and the world! From returning director Shawn Levy (Cheaper By The Dozen), the film also stars Amy Adams (Enchanted), Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting), Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), Hank Azaria (“The Simpsons”), Ricky Gervais (“The Office”), Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder) and Jonah Hill (Super Bad).

Since I didn’t see it in the theater I don’t have anything to compare it with, but this movie absolutely pops on Blu-Ray. Considering that the majority of the story takes place indoors and at night, colors like bright yellows, reds, blues, and shiny golds are used to brighten up the scenes. The music is muted or non-existent during dialogue scenes, and then punched up to majestic thundering during action scenes.

One of my favorite parts of this movie is how the paintings and photographs on display at the museum not only come to life, but actually become part of the plot. There’s a fantastic cameo by Jay Baruchel (“Tropic Thunder”) as a sailor from that famous photo of a sailor kissing a woman on V-J day in Times Square. If you own a Blu-Ray player, this movie is worth buying on Blu-Ray format.

There are three options for this movie; the Blu-Ray/DVD combo, a two-disc DVD set, and the single disc. Info on all:

Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
The Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack includes a high definition version of the film with over an hour of mayhem, mischief and monumental magic of outrageously funny features – including an interactive museum scavenger hunt game, gag reel, 12 deleted scenes with an alternate ending, “Cherub Bootcamp,” “Phinding Pharaoh With Hank Azaria” featurettes – a Digital Copy and a standard DVD. The pack is available for the gift-giving price of $39.99 U.S. / $49.99 Canada. ($29.99 at Best Buy)

Monkey Mischief
The limited edition “Monkey Mischief” double DVD boasts a second disc including over 30 minutes of entertainment complimenting the bonus materials featured on the first disc, including cast and crew commentary, six deleted scenes with an alternate ending, a gag reel, and more. The holiday two-pack DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $34.98 U.S. / $45.98 Canada. (only $19.99 at Best Buy!)

Single Disc
The Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian single disc DVD has one hour of special feature laughs from favorite stars including commentary by cast and crew, featurettes, six deleted scenes with an alternate ending, and a gag reel for the suggested retail price of $29.98 U.S. / $43.48 Canada. ($19.99 at Best Buy)

Pick up this movie for your own collection or as a terrific holiday gift!

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Watch This: How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days Deluxe Edition

how to lose a guy in 10 daysI had forgotten, until I got this movie on Blu-ray to review, just how freaking funny it is. Kate Hudson is a natural-born comedic actress (seriously, with Goldie Hawn for a Mom? Kate was a shoo-in), and Matthew McConaughey also displays a talent for comedy in this romantic and hilarious tale of the battle of the sexes.

Hudson plays Andie, a magazine writer looking to impress her boss (the terrific Bebe Neuwirth) by writing a piece on “how to lose a guy in 10 days“. She’s going to find a guy, do everything that women do wrong when they are dating, then dump him at the end. Meanwhile, McConaughey is Ben, an ad agent who will land a huge campaign if he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days. They meet, they each try to set their plan in motion, hilarity ensues.

The HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS Deluxe Edition DVD and Blu-ray feature new bonus material including “How to Make a Movie in 2 Years”, “Why the Sexes Battle” and “Girls Night Out”, as well as previously released features including commentary by director Donald Petrie, deleted scenes with optional commentary by Petrie and a music video of Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You”. I watched all the bonus material and listened to part of the commentary. It’s absolutely worth spending $14.99 for the DVD or $29.99 for the Blu-ray. Click this Amazon link (yes, it’s my affiliate link) to pay even less:

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