School is back in session, and with it comes the daily grind of homework, club and sports team meetings, and e like. Why not make some room in all of that to sit down as a family and watch some TV or a movie together? Whether it’s a weekly event or just once in a while, Netflix has you covered for family movie/tv night with tons of great titles to watch– check out our top recommendations below!
For younger kids:
1. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 Inventor Flint Lockwood battles mutant food beasts created by his notorious machine, including shrimpanzees, tacodiles and jellyfish sandwiches.
2. The Pirate Fairy In this spritely tale, Tinker Bell and her friends set out to find free-spirited fairy Zarina after she makes off with some precious Blue Pixie Dust.
3. Hoodwinked Investigators searching for a candy recipe thief uncover a tangled web of messy delights in this animated spoof of the Little Red Riding Hood story.
4. Angelina Ballerina Angelina Ballerina joins her friends for fun adventures in the palace, where they solve a mystery and put on a grand ballet for the king and queen.
5. Bob the Builder In this collection of tales, Bob and friends have to repair a barn right before a big storm hits, and Lofty the Crane is fitted with a strong magnet.
6. The Muppet Movie After deciding to pursue a career in acting, Kermit the Frog heads to Hollywood. Along the way, he meets Miss Piggy and the rest of the Muppets cast.
For older kids:
1. Strange Hill High Three students investigate numerous unusual occurrences at Strange Hill High, an all-but-forgotten inner-city school with many secrets and mysteries.
2. The Avengers An all-star lineup of superheroes — including Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk and Captain America — team up to save the world from certain doom.
3. The Smurfs 2 Evil magician Gargamel continues his quest to tap the power of the Smurfs, creating a pair of his own “Smurf-alikes” called the Naughties.
4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars Follow the animated adventures of the Jedi knights, including Anakin Skywalker and his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Season 6 available only on Netflix.
5. Free Birds When two adversarial turkeys find a time machine, they take a wild trip to the past to try to take turkey off the traditional Thanksgiving menu.
6. Mako Mermaids: An H2O Adventure This “H2O” sequel follows Zac, a boy who accidentally turns into a merman and threatens the existence of three young mermaids who guard Mako Island.
For teens and up:
1. Clueless Meddlesome Beverly Hills high school student Cher gets more than she bargained for when she gives a fashion-challenged student a makeover.
2. The Breakfast Club The athlete, the brain, the criminal, the princess and the basket case break through the social barriers of high school during Saturday detention.
3. Friday Night Lights Eric Taylor faces enormous pressure when he signs on as the new coach of a small-town Texas football team that’s poised to win the state championship.
4. The Vampire Diaries Trapped in adolescent bodies, feuding vampire brothers Stefan and Damon vie for the affection of captivating teenager Elena.
5. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Ferris convinces his entire school he’s at death’s door, then hits the streets of Chicago with his girlfriend and best friend for a day of fun.
6. 13 Going on 30 When a geeky teen’s birthday party goes awry and she makes a wish that she could be 30, she wakes up to discover she’s flash-forwarded 17 years.
Before you sit down to watch one of these titles – or your own family favorite – check out these tipsfrom Common Sense Media on how to make family movie or TV night a success.
If you or your children happen to be big superhero fans, you are going to love Marvel Universe Live! The show brings together a team of heroes– including Spider-Man, the Avengers, and some of the X-Men– to fight against Loki and a host of other villains, like Red Skull, the Sinister Six, and more, for a total of over 25 of your favorite Marvel characters battling it out before your very eyes!
The story to the show goes as such: Thor, in possession of the Cosmic Cube (or Tesseract, as it is also known) decides to split it into four pieces and scatter them across the globe in hope that no one person will ever again possess the cube’s full corrupting power. But Loki, clever and dangerous as he always is, devises a plan to use mutant energy and one fragment of the cube to create his own clone Tesseract. It’s up to the Avengers (with help from a few friends) to gather up the three remaining pieces of the Tesseract and stop Loki’s march toward world domination. How will they thwart his plans in time? Check out Marvel Universe Live when it comes to your area to find out!
Marvel Universe Live, which incorporates impressive fight choreography, stunts, motorcycle action, pyrotechnics, and of course, the sheer thrill of seeing countless Marvel heroes and villains live on stage, is a blast for comic book and superhero fans of all ages! We saw the show last week at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey and had an incredible time, but don’t fret if you missed it– Marvel Universe Live is still in the area at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn until August 17 and Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale until the 24th. It’s also going to be touring around the country until at least May 2015; you can check out the full tour schedule here.
For more info on Marvel Universe Live, visit the show’s official site.
Also, whether you’ve seen the show already or are eagerly awaiting the chance to go, check out the show’s “Marvel Universe Live Marketplace” on Overstock.com! The shop allows you to get your hands on exclusive Marvel Universe Live merchandise from the comfort of your home. Overstock.com is an official partner of Marvel Universe Live, and as an element of the partnership has (in addition to the Marketplace page) set up an arrangement with the not-for-profit Wounded Warrior Project. Overstock and Marvel Universe Live invited Wounded Warrior guests to attend the show in East Rutherford (with an interactive event preceding the live arena spectacular), and also made a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project in their honor.
If you’re looking for The Avengers, look elsewhere. Even though Guardians of the Galaxy shares some features with the 2012 superhero team-up hit, this movie is its own beast entirely, and quite an interesting one at that! Gone are the familiar heroes that typically inhabit the Marvel Cinematic Universe; there’s not a cape or a mask in sight (well, one mask, but it’s more like a breathing apparatus), and instead we’re met with a crew of misfits that includes a treasure hunter, an assassin, a vengeful warrior, a genetically-enhanced talking raccoon, and a humanoid tree.
Guardians of the Galaxy takes this ragtag band and shows us how they came together into the titular superhero team. Chris Pratt captivates as Star Lord from the second he first appears on screen, emanating roguish charm like a slightly-unhinged Han Solo. As we follow the would-be infamous outlaw through his quest to keep the purple infinity stone away from the villainous Ronan the Accuser, we meet the rest of the team that becomes the Guardians of the Galaxy: Gamora (Zoe Saldana), determined to gain the stone to prevent Ronan from annihilating the universe; Drax (Dave Bautista), sworn to kill Ronan to avenge his wife and daughter; and Rocket and Groot (Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, respectively), who are just in it for profit. When the crew finds themselves in prison and being hunted by both sides of the law, how can they protect the stone and save the universe? Check out Guardians of the Galaxy in theaters now to find out!
(Note: While “Guardians of the Galaxy” may be a summer favorite for tweens, teens, and up, check twice before bringing little ones– there’s some mature language that makes the movie potentially inappropriate for kids under 8.)
While we’ve previously taken a look at the more parent-centric elements of BloggerBash 2014, there was plenty for kids at the conference too. In particular, there was the KidzVuz Back to School Bash, a chance to see some of the hottest kids’ products in movies, toys, games, entertainment, and more that are on the market right now!
Guardians of the Galaxy
Sure to be one of this summer’s big hits, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is the latest installment in the comic book company’s expansive cinematic universe. Building on the success of the Avengers franchise, the movie takes viewers across the expanses of space as we follow the titular heroes– Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot– in their quest to team up and save the universe. The movie, which took this weekend’s box office by storm, will definitely be a favorite for the tween crowd and up.
Hasbro
What’s a superhero flick without action figures? Hasbro featured off its tie-in figures, masks, and more for Guardians of the Galaxy, while also giving ample show to some of its other lines like My Little Pony and classic games like Monopoly (the latest version of which features a personal touch, with the ability to customize the board with personal pawns, locations, and more!) There was definitely something for everyone in the family to enjoy at Hasbro!
WWE
Finally, we got a chance to look at the latest from perennial favorite WWE. The company’s got plenty to celebrate this year, with Wrestlemania 30 and major movie appearances by plenty of its stars (like Dave Bautista’s role as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy.) There were even appearances by WWE wrestlers, like Total Divas star Natalya!
There’s certainly something to be said for Christmas in July. After all, even though the chill of winter may be the furthest thing from our minds as we grill and watch the fireworks this weekend, the holiday season is only a few months away, and it’s never too early to get ready! That’s certainly the attitude Disney had toward things when they recently showcased their upcoming products for the 2014 holiday season. It’s set to be quite the exciting time this year for boys, girls, and even moms and dads, with toys, games, electronics and apparel based on some of Disney’s hottest properties.
For boys, superheroes are a perennial classic, and this year looks to be no different, with a big push toward the sure-blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy (due in theaters this August). The film’s minuscule hero Rocket Raccoon is getting a particular dose of star treatment, with action figures, plush, and more bearing the character’s image (and phrases voiced by none other than Bradley Cooper, who lends his acting charm to the character in the movie as well!) The Avengers are also a big focus this year, with a holiday children’s book featuring narration by Marvel legend Stan Lee, and of course the upcoming Disney Infinity 2.0! Infinity 2.0, a follow-up to last year’s wildly successful Disney Infinity, will center around Marvel heroes like the Avengers, Spider-Man, and more, and is ready to hit shelves this September.
Girls this year will be more than ready to “Let it Go” with the stars of Disney’s Frozen, who will feature on a number of playsets, books, and costumes inspired by the instant classic. The film’s booming fanbase has only continued to grow since the film’s debut last winter, and Frozen‘s spike in popularity has in turn led to the two princess leads, Anna and Elsa, (and their lovable snowman pal Olaf) appearing anywhere and everywhere you could imagine. Coming this winter, be sure to keep an eye out for new Animator’s Collection dolls of Anna and Elsa, an Olaf snow cone maker, and more!
Finally, for the teens and adults in your life, Disney’s got plenty to offer as well, with lines of headphones, speakers, collectible items, and apparel featuring such licenses as Marvel and Star Wars, and of course the classic Disney characters and princesses. Standouts include a partnership with Vans to produce Stormtrooper-based shoes, bags, and apparel, a partnership with Under Armour to create Marvel-themed cleats, workout shirts, and more, and (going back to Star Wars), headphones based around the Rebels and Empire, and a portable Death Star speaker.
We’ve certainly got a great holiday season ahead of us from Disney, and I don’t know about you, but I for one am glad that it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
