ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com/media/feedlogo.gif ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/'The Princess and the Frog' is Good, Old-Fashioned Family Funhttp://www.parentdish.com/2009/11/27/the-princess-and-the-frog-is-good-old-fashioned-family-fun/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/11/27/the-princess-and-the-frog-is-good-old-fashioned-family-fun/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/11/27/the-princess-and-the-frog-is-good-old-fashioned-family-fun/#commentsFiled under: ,


Disney's latest, "The Princess and the Frog," hit theaters this week, and it's not overstating to say this film is historical in a couple of ways: It's the venerable studio's first African-American princess, plus it's the first big Disney release of late to harken back to the Mouse House's classic films, like "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast."

My family -- hubby, 12-year-old son, 11-year-old and 21-month-old daughters -- were swept up by the film, with its beautifully hand-drawn characters, requisite talking animals, lovely musical numbers and the fairy-tales-can-come-true-ness of it all. Do we ever doubt that hard-working, beautiful Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) will get her prince and the successful restaurant she's been working so hard to save for? No, we don't, but we're content to follow her journey, from overworked waitress to the happy ending we're so happily expecting.

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]]>Angie ArgabriteFri, 27 Nov 2009 17:26:00 ESTJim Carrey's "A Christmas Carol" Creepy in a Good Wayhttp://www.parentdish.com/2009/11/06/jim-carreys-a-christmas-carol-creepy-in-a-good-way/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/11/06/jim-carreys-a-christmas-carol-creepy-in-a-good-way/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/11/06/jim-carreys-a-christmas-carol-creepy-in-a-good-way/#commentsFiled under:




When I heard about the latest version of "A Christmas Carol," which opens today and stars Jim Carrey in multiple roles (he's Scrooge, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future), I went in with low expectations for this motion-capture-animated flick.

I'll admit this right up front: I'm not a huge fan of the motion-capture method of animation. If you're not familiar with that term, think "Polar Express." It was the first major movie created with motion-capture technology, and to me, it was a little creepy, and gave the characters a sort of soulless, dead-eyed look.

The next major film to use the technology was "Beowulf," starring Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, John Malkovich and more big-name, respected actors. The creepiness factor didn't bother me so much with this one because it wasn't a movie that was meant to be a heartwarming holiday tale; it was a grown-up take on a literary classic -- a violent, monster-filled fable.

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]]>a christmas carolAChristmasCarolchristmaschristmas carolchristmas storychristmas taleChristmasCarolChristmasStoryChristmasTaleholidayholiday storyholiday taleHolidayStoryHolidayTalejim carreyJimCarreymotion capture animationMotionCaptureAnimationscroogeAngie ArgabriteFri, 06 Nov 2009 17:22:00 ESTScary Movies That Are Kid-Friendlyhttp://www.parentdish.com/2009/10/29/scary-movies-you-can-watch-with-your-kids/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/10/29/scary-movies-you-can-watch-with-your-kids/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/10/29/scary-movies-you-can-watch-with-your-kids/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

With Halloween tomorrow, it's the peak of the spooky season, and if your house is anything like mine, the kids are delighting in planning what they're going to "be" for trick-or-treating, anticipating the loads of candy they'll score ... and enjoying getting scared silly.

Of course, if your kids are young, you'll probably watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," and maybe the new "Monsters vs. Aliens" Halloween special, as well as themed episodes of the kiddies' favorite shows. "Yo Gabba Gabba" is a current fave in our house. But if your brood's in the tween-to-teen range, those viewing options may be too tame. If you're looking for scary movies that you and your older children can watch together -- scary enough but not too scary -- we've got the picks for you.

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]]>corpse brideCorpseBridefright nightFrightNighthalloween moviesHalloweenMoviesmad monster partyMadMonsterPartymonster houseMonsterHousethe frightenersthe nightmare before christmasTheFrightenersTheNightmareBeforeChristmasAngie ArgabriteThu, 29 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST