Category: For kids

IN MY younger days, I tried to grow my hair long enough to sit on. At one point, if I threw my head back far enough, it was actually possible. Yes, what an achievement! OK, so what does this all have to do with Tangled?  Well, it’s a Disney animation based on the classic fairytale Rapunzel– the one with the super long hair.

In this modern twist on the classic fable, Princess Rapunzel is born with golden locks featuring magical abilities – eternal youth, beauty and healing. You may scoff at pop princess Mandy Moore as the lead, but she honestly provides real personality and a bit of spunk to long-haired lass, Rapunzel.

The evil Mother Gothel kidnaps her, hiding her in a tower for 18 years. She raises her as her daughter, all the while using the hair’s power to keep herself young and beautiful. Each year on Rapunzel’s birthday, she becomes mesmerised by the “floating lights’’ seen through the tower window. She longs to see them. And her wish is soon made possible when the kingdom’s handsome outlaw Flynn Rider (voiced by Zachary Levi) stumbles across the tower and Rapunzel.

And so begins the “hair’’-raising, and often hilarious, adventure. You can probably predict what happens in the end – yep, evil woman dies, couple fall in love, live happily ever after. It is a fairytale, after all. However, don’t disregard it. This one – a film with real heart – is certainly worth the ride.

I laughed out loud at the physical comedy and witty script and I sobbed uncontrollably (oh, that lantern scene). It’s a captivating storyline immersed with uplifting songs sung beautifully by Moore. And to think, such a successful formula, yet it’s not part of the Pixar line-up. Finally, Disney is back! Stellar.

There’s a host of great bonus features, including a 50^th animated feature countdown, which Ella watched on repeat. Tangled is Disney’s 50^th animated release and is out May 11 on 3D Blu-ray Pack ($54.95), Blu-ray Value Pack ($39.95) and DVD ($24.95).

So you want to win a copy? Well, to go in the draw, simply tell us what special power you would love. Me? I’d love to be invisible. Imagine the fun!  The giveaway is open to Australian residents only and will be drawn randomly on Tuesday, May 10 at 9am

Want more entries? Then here’s how you can up your chances in the draw. Each task is worth one extra entry, but must be included  as a separate comment.

1. Click the Facebook button below and share this giveaway with your Facebook friends. Then leave a separate comment saying something along the lines of “I’ve shared this on Facebook’’.
2. Click the Twitter button below and share this giveaway with your Twitter followers (Twitter handle is @ThreeLil). Then leave a separate comment saying something along the lines of “I’ve shared this on Twitter’’

Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of the DVD courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment via Aussie Mummy Bloggers. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

SUNDAY afternoons in our house are movie afternoons. They include the whole family, freshly popped popcorn and a movie-length DVD. While Princess Ella’s still only three, her attention span has improved enough that she can sit through a full movie now.

This week we brought movie afternoon forward a few days to review Handy Manny: Motorcycle Adventure, due for release April 6. The tool-toting Hispanic, who has taught my daughter the odd bit of Spanish (see Our kids give us a sign to learn about her language learning skills), is now in his first full-length adventure.

However, it wasn’t just Ella excited about this one, after discovering it celebrated what Sunday afternoon means to us: family. The story follows Manny and his talking tools as they head out on a road trip to Manny’s family reunion.

Along the way they encounter the usual road trip obstacles – fixing motorbikes, running out of fuel, flat tyres, cows blocking roads and large ravines. However, it’s screwdriver Pat veering off in search of his own family which causes their plans to take the biggest turn of all.

Favourite parts:

• The strong message of family values and the definition of family being more than simply blood relatives.
• As always with Handy Manny, the importance of working together as a team to achieve their goals.
• A toe tapping soundtrack with fantastic melody and rhyme that wasn’t long picked up by our singing diva.
• Getting out of neutral-coloured Sheetrock Hills and using some incredibly lush countryside settings.
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Goofy’s Magical Mix-up as the bonus feature – Mickey is a favourite in this house.

In all, this is another great edition to Disney’s full length releases. It will sustain the attention of little viewers, while warming the hearts of parents through its wondeful message. 

 

To go in the draw to win a copy of Handy Manny: Motorcycle Adventure, simply:

• Leave a comment telling us your child’s favourite Disney character
• Make sure you like us on Facebook

The giveaway ends April 8, 2011. Winner will be announced on this site. Open to Australian residents only.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of the DVD courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment via Aussie Mummy Bloggers. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own