Santa Buddies - The Legend of Santa Paws

Join The Buddies (Budderball, B-Dawg, Rosebud, Buddha and Mudbud) in a wonderfully wacky twist on a classic Christmas favorite. When Puppy Paws, the fun-loving son of Santa Paws, gets tired of the North Pole, he finds Budderball on Santa's naughty list and figures he's just the dog to show him how to be an ordinary pup. But when the magical Christmas Icicle starts to melt and the world begins to forget the true meaning of the season, it's up to Puppy Paws and his new found Buddies to save Christmas.

Starring: Christopher Lloyd, Craig Anton, Andrew Astor, Tom Bosley, George Wendt, Field Cate, Tim Conway, Chris Coppola, Josh Flitter, Ben Giroux, Skyler Gisondo, Zachary Gordon and many more.

Rated: G

Just when you thought you had enough, they bring out another Buddies movie. I have to admit though that this film does have it's charms. My children loved this film very much and watched it beginning to end several times over the weekend. It's not often a movie captures their interest that long.

For the grownups, it is definitely watchable at least one time. The story is pretty good. Talks a lot about the spirit of Christmas and what it means. That Christmas is more about giving than receiving and the buddies have to work together as a team in order to save Christmas. In doing so they help transform some of the lives of the people around them, one grumpy dog catcher played in particular.

There is a part or two where the flow doesn't really jive. You see Eli (a real elf) giving a kind lecture to a fake elf about the spirit of Christmas etc and yet you don't see how that ties into the movie. The fake elf wasn't a grump, there were no scenes (unless they were cut) where that Elf lacked Christmas spirit.

I can't really think of any potential warnings for parents. There is some mild action as the puppies are being chased by the dog catcher. In one scene the puppies try to escape and the dogcatcher gets knocked over and falls on his back. That's about all I can think of.

I should add that if you are a Christian you will find the message in the movie falls sadly short on the true meaning of Christmas. However, as always, there are many teachable moments that you can share with your children if you are sitting along with them watching this film.

Movie Mamma

Barbie Diamond Castle

Barbie and Teresa tells us the storey of Alexa and Liana, best friends who share everything including their love of music. One day their lives change when they are given an enchanted mirror and befriend the girl trapped inside. It is up to Alexa and Liana to help their new friend and embark on a dangerous journey to the hidden Diamond Castle. This puts their friendship to the test but through the power of song and the companionship of two adorable puppies, the girls face their challenges together and learn the true value of friendship.

Starring the voice talents of Kelly Sheridan, Melissa Lyons, Cassidy Ladden, Chantal Strand, Maryke Hendrickse and Lara Janine and featuring Katherine McPhee singing Connected. (to name just a few) Rated: G

My daughters were absolutely delighted with this movie. Even my 18 month old son found plenty to interest him with the bright colours and catchy music. Of course, I think what he really loved about the movie was the flying dragon. My youngest daughter (3) asks for this movie at least once a day.

I have to admit that this was a delightful movie. The story was well done and it managed to keep all of us interested throughout the entire movie. I have to really say this is a good gauge to me as to how entertaining this movie is... if my kids sit through it then it MUST be entertaining.

The bonus features include a music video with Katherine McPhee singing the Connected song. Warning... this song will begin to drive you crazy. It's lovely but it's catchy, a little too catch. I work in my video store evenings and we play one of those DVD loops promoting the latest movies and boy I think I heard that song waaaaaaaaaaay too much.

This movie does follow along the typical Mattel format in that there is someone evil trying to take over the world to make everyone miserable without really explaining why. Usually this person possesses some kind of magic which they use against the heroines.

In this case Lydia, a muse, decides she doesn't want to be a good muse anymore and wants to have all the power so she turns against her fellow muses, turns them into stone by a magic recorder and sets off the storyline. What isn't told is why Lydia decides to turn to evil or what has given her this thirsty lust for power.

So it does make it difficult answering my daughter's questions on the who what why and where of it but then on the other hand I don't want to get into big heavy discussions every time we watch a movie either.

So if you have any issues with witchcraft, I would not suggest this movie to you. It is by far one of the more milder magic movies of Barbie's to date but if you have concerns regarding that then this movie is not for your family.

As well there are some action fighting scenes, the dragon burns down their house and Lydia does attempt to do away with the girls multiple times through out the film. Most of it was pretty mild and subtle enough to go over the children's heads. They found the movie suspenseful but not to the point where they were hiding behind a cushion. Of course, the introduction of the darling puppies helps to keep most scenes on the light side.

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Up next: Kung Fu Panda


Cheers,

Zeemaid