Barbie: A Perfect Christmas

Barbie and her sisters, Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea are headed for New York for the perfect Christmas.  When their plane is diverted due to an unexpected storm, the girls find themselves disappointed, far away from New York and their holiday dreams. In the remote town of Tannenbaum, they find shelter at a magical inn, where they make new friends and give the town the gift of song in exchange for the hospitality they receive. Following a series of magical experiences, the sisters soon realize that the joy of togetherness is all they need for a truly perfect Christmas.


Starring the voice talents of: Diana Kaarina, Jennifer Waris, Rachel Harrison, Nevada Brandt, Lauren Lavoie, Danielle Bessler, Ashlyn Drummond, Luca Vecchio, Maryke Hendrikse, Allie Feder, Aidan Drummond, Alistair Abell, Patricia Drake etc…


Rating:  G


To be Released on DVD on November 8th.


It just wouldn’t be Christmas without another Barbie Christmas movie. My girls were very excited when I told them we’d be watching Barbie’s A Perfect Christmas.

Well Barbie definitely didn’t disappoint with her usual stellar graphics and catchy music tunes.  All the Barbie movies tend to focus on storytelling through music but this one really seemed to be musically inclined as it seemed to break out into song constantly throughout the film.  The upbeat tunes sure got my girls’ attention as they couldn’t help but get up and dance around.  Especially when I played the Perfect Christmas music video for them later from the Special Features section.

While I have to admit that Barbie Christmas Carol was my favourite, I did enjoy this Barbie movie particularly as it has such a great message about Christmas.  The girls were after the perfect Christmas and felt that they wouldn’t get one now that their plans had been ruined.  They learned that Christmas is what you make it and a perfect Christmas can be as simple as just being together. 

This film keeps the wonder of Christmas alive with frequent glimpses of magic and the possibility of the realness of Santa Clause around every corner.  As far as parental concerns go, I had none watching this film.  There were no villains or bad guys at all.  The girls don’t always get along but underneath it all you know they love one another very much and they are working out their relationships continually.

Also included in the Special Features section are outtakes and a Barbie Camping with the Girls short clip. Because if your girls are like mine, they just can’t get enough Barbie.

So I would definitely put this on your “Christmas Movies” to Watch list. If you are thinking of purchasing this film, it is available for pre-order on Amazon at a great deal of $13.99 for the DVD and the Blu-Ray for just $17.99 which is $5.00 off regular price. To buy the DVD on  Amazon click here or the Blu-Ray click here.

Igor

IGOR   

In a world filled with Mad Scientists and Evil Inventions, one talented evil scientist's hunch-backed lab assistant has big dreams of becoming a Mad Scientist himself and winning the annual Evil Science Fair. Only nothing goes as planned. 

Featuring the voice talents of:  John Cusack, John Cleese, Sean Hayes, Eddie Izzard, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Coolidge and Jay Leno (to name just a few). 

Rating:  PG

I had big hopes for this movie.  I like John Cusack and usually enjoy his dry wit and humour.  Haven't really found a John Cusack movie that I didn't like.  Didn't understand mind you (thinking of War Inc), that's another story er review. 

As a mom with small children, I found this movie to be disappointing. The first time I watched it, I didn't enjoy it at all, saw nothing humorous.  The second time I watched it with my husband and I began to find it somewhat more amusing than at first.  We didn't watch the ending, it was getting late.  But I did find myself wanting to watch the rest of the film the next day.  

What I find disturbing in this film; however, is not really the level of violence etc but the completely disrespectful way the characters talk to each other.  Dr. Schadenfraude and his girlfriend Jaclyn have a stormy relationship and are continuously throwing out snide comments and barbs at one another. Their arguments escalate to hitting each other, which instead of actually hitting each other they hit their Igor instead.  While I get that these two people are "evil" and obviously are not going to have a loving and respectful relationship, I couldn't in good conscious let my children watch that and let them think that that is how two people talk to each other and that hitting is a good way of resolving conflict.  

As for violence, there are scenes of people getting blown up, references to being thrown into a recycler where your body gets chopped up and recycled, trying to kill each other, shoot outs, chase scenes etc. 

There are a lot of little things like that throughout the film.  The ending is good, poor Malaria's problems get resolved and the film has a good moral tone about how everyone has an evil bone in their body is just whether they choose to be evil or not.  

So please stick with the ratings guideline. If your children are under 8 years old, I highly recommend that you do not let them watch this film.  If your child is between 8 and 10 then I suggest that you prescreen this movie and then decide whether you are comfortable with them seeing it. 

As always, only you can decide what you feel is appropriate for your child.  I realize that each family is unique and has their own individual value system.  What's right for one family may not be right for another. 

Tinker Bell

Meet the fairies of Pixie Hollow. This enchanting movie allows us to see how Tinker Bell came to be and how she got her name. Each fairy has his or her own very special talent but Tinker Bell isn't so sure about hers so she sets about to change it. With the help of some very special fairy friends Tink learns the key to solving her problems lies within her own very unique abilities and discovers that when she is true to herself, magical things can happen. Rated: G

Featuring the voice talents of Mae Whitman, Raven Symone, Lucy Liu, America Ferrera, Jane Horrocks and Anjelica Huston to name just a few.

This was overall a delightful movie from start to finish. The imagery and graphics were simply stunning. The story line was simple and sweet. I was thoroughly charmed by this tale of a young fairy on a voyage of self-discovery and assure you that it was well worth the wait for it to come out on video. My girls were delighted as well and played fairies for days afterwards.

Much lighter than the Peter Pan movies, have no fear of letting your young children watch this film. I do not have a single reservation on recommending this film. The dialogue is well written and thought out. There are no scary parts to take you by surprise and other than some wild antics of some thistles there is no violence. Afraid you might fall asleep from the lack of action? Have no fear, the story line is well paced and the storyline is captivating enough to keep even an adult's interest.

What most impressed me with this movie is that unlike many other Walt Disney movies it does not contain violence or witch craft. There is no evil persona trying to take over the world by force. While I recognize that the triumph of good over evil is essential movie formula, I do get tired of trying to explain to my 5 year old why that lady was so mean and why she wants to take over the world. They at that age just do not understand that level of selfishness. While movies that promote discussions are always good and have their place, at some point you need to bring things back down to the children's understanding level.

Tinker Bell does this. We were able to talk about how everyone comes in different shapes and different sizes with different talents and how we should be content with who we are. We talked about the consequences of being mean to others. And, of course, we talked about whether fairies were real or not and if they weren't how does spring arrive?

The bonus features on this disc were fun too. If your child can't get enough of the movie try "exploring" Pixie Hollow. Tinker Bell takes you on a delightful and interactive tour of the Hollow.

As you can tell, I am not a professional reviewer but I hope that this has been helpful and feel free to post any questions you may have if you'd like more detailed information.

Up Next: A Barbie Christmas Carol

Cheers,

Zeemaid