“Care Bears Advent Calender” Hits iTunes App Store!

Come along with the Care Bears for a very magical countdown to Christmas in The Care Bears Advent calendar app from American Greetings. Packed with all of the fun sights and sounds of the holiday season children can start the countdown by ‘unlocking’ 25 activities like holiday-themed puzzles, videos, coloring pages and more, returning each day to unlock another activity. Children can design hundreds of snowflakes and create their own white Christmas with the Care-a-Lot Snowflake maker, decorate the Care Bears Christmas tree with special ornaments, and enjoy other wintry fun activities. On Christmas Day, a full-length Care Bears video episode is unlocked.

Available now for iPads for $2.99 on the App Store. A PC and MAC desktop app can be downloaded at https://www.americangreetings.com/care-bears-advent-calendar

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Filed Under: Toys Tagged With: advent, app, bears, calender, care, hits, ...

Blu-ray Review “Disneynature’s Bears”

Narrator: John C. Reilly
Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: August 12, 2014
Run Time: 78 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Bears” is the latest in the Disneynature series. I thought that their past films like “Chimpanzaee” and “African Cats” were amazing but this film is literally the best of bunch. It is not just a boring documentary. It has has an epic story. It includes some really breathtaking cinematography. It also has this very beautiful and intimate feel. If you don’t fall in love with Sky and her two newborn cubs, Amber and Scout…you have no soul. Not only sweet, this is actually laugh out loud funny as well. John C. Reilly (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) is not what I expected from a narrator and actually a nice addition to the film. A must see for any fan of Disneynature films. Can’t wait to see what they have planned next.

Official Premise: From Disneynature, the studio that brought you Earth and Chimpanzee, comes Bears – an epic story of breathtaking scale. Showcasing a year in the life of a bear family, mother Sky teaches her two impressionable cubs, Amber and Scout about life’s most important lessons. Set against a majestic Alaskan backdrop, their journey begins as winter ends. Emerging from hibernation, the three face the bitter cold and an exciting but very risky outside world. Astonishing footage captures the fast-moving action and suspense of an endearing family learning to live life to its fullest in one of the planet’s last great wildernesses.

“Bears” is being released by Disney as a combo pack including a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD Ultraviolet Copy. The 1080p transfer looks stunning. Some of the shots from the film are just simply breathtaking. The film has such a large scale yet you feel like you are spending time alone with Sky and her cubs. Match that with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and this is a real win. George Fenton, who is known for his scores from the BBC series “The Blue Planet” and “Planet Earth”, really delivers a perfect match for this film.

The special features included for this release are also impressive given us a an entertaining and also education look into how this film was made. First off we have “Welcome To Alaska”, which follows the filmmakers into the Alaskan wilds to film Sky and her cubs. “The Future For The Bears” looks into the behind-the-scenes into the interactions with the bears during the production. “A Guide To Living With Bears” tells us about the safely precautions taken with these animals. “How Did They Film That?” shows us how this film got its best shots. Lastly there is a music video for “Carry On” by Disney Channel star Olivia Holt.

 

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bears, bluray, disneynatures, review

Book Review “Bears in Beds”

Author: Shirley Parenteau
Illustrator: David Walker
Reading level: Ages 2 and up
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Candlewick
Release Date: August 14, 2012

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

“Bears in Beds” is fantastic children’s for story time or more importantly bedtime! Kids are going to be wishing for you to read them to go to sleep and I am sure parents are going to love that idea.  These cute bears are fun, cute and this story from Shirley Parenteau is very fun to read and rhyme aloud. The illustrations are very impressive thanks to David Walker. Must have for all parents! You will thank me later! Trust me!

Synopsis: “It’s time for Big Brown Bear to tuck all four little bears into their beds. Then he’s ready to climb into his own bed and turn out the light. Five warm beds, holding five sleepy bears, until a sound goes whoosh in the middle of the night, and all the bears wake up in a fright. Will they ever get back into bed? Luckily, Big Brown Bear knows just what to do! A fun, rhyming read-aloud that parents will love and tired little cubs will be happy to snuggle up with.”

Author Shirley Parenteau and illustrator David Walker have worked together on a number of children’s books including “Bears on Chairs”. There is also a third book in the series planned called “Bears in a Bath” scheduled for release in the U.S. in Spring, 2014. This is a great series and I look forward to future releases. Shirley is also working with Candlewick again for a middle-grade novel currently titled “Ship of Dolls”. Look forward to that as well.

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Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: bears, beds, book, review

DVD Review “Care Bears: The Original Series Collection”

Created by: Linda Denham, Elena Kucharik
Starring: Billie Mae Richards, Jim Henshaw, Dan Hennessey, Chris Wiggins, Melleny Brown, Luba Goy, Eva Almos, John Stocker, Tara Strong
Number of discs: 6
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Run Time: 923 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

It is hard to believe that The Care Bears are approaching 30 years already.  I remember watching them on television every day when I was a kid. Now with a child of my own, I am looking forward to her growing up watching this series as well. The message that this show represented was sharing and caring and those are two great qualities to have.  Let’s just say that some television shows today for kids aren’t that classy.  Thanks to Lionsgate for releasing this limited edition 30-year anniversary collectors’ set. This 6-DVD set features 64 classic episodes and a full-length movie, “Care Bears: The Nutcracker”.

Synopsis: Originally created by American Greetings, the lovable bears of Care-a-lot – Cheer Bear, Share Bear, Harmony Bear and all their buddies – with unique belly badges and a caring mission – have been delighting fans for 30 years! Whether it’s learning the value of friendship, helping someone in need or using their special powers to brighten up the day, the adorable Care Bears are always ready for caring, sharing and giving goodness!

All of your favorite Bears are included in this collection including Cheer Bear, Share Bear, Tenderheart Bear and all of the Care Bear Cousins. Though 30 years old, the Care Bears are not going anywhere soon.  They have resurfaced in the last 10 years and have been more popular than ever appearing in various new series and films including this year’s “Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot”.  The original 80’s episodes are still very colorful and eye-catching though and still fun to watch.  The DVD has the episodes presented in 4×3 Full Screen (1.33:1) and with an audio track of 2.0 Dolby Digital.  A must for all kids that grew up in the 80’s and are still young at heart…or have kids now.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bears, care, collection, dvd, original, review, ...
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