Tag Archives: Disney Movies

Godmothered on Disney+

Posted on by

Godmothered on Disney+

By Erin

Disney’s “Godmothered” is an all-new magical Christmas comedy in the classic Disney tradition, starring Jillian Bell and Isla Fisher.

Disney+ has a new sweet, sugary Christmas movie premiering on December 4th, “Godmothered.” Set at Christmas time, “Godmothered” is a comedy about Eleanor, a young, inexperienced fairy godmother- in-training (Bell) who upon hearing that her chosen profession is facing extinction, decides to show the world that people still need fairy godmothers. Finding a mislaid letter from a 10-year-old girl in distress, Eleanor tracks her down and discovers that the girl, Mackenzie, is now a 40-year-old single mom (Fisher) working at a news station in Boston. Having lost her husband several years earlier, Mackenzie has all but given up on the idea of “happily ever after,” but Eleanor is bound and determined to give Mackenzie a happiness makeover, whether she likes it or not.

Godmothered Be Careful Who You Wish For

“Godmothered” also stars Santiago Cabrera, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Jane Curtin, June Squibb, Jillian Shea Spaeder, Willa Skye, Artemis Pebdani, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Stephnie Weir.

“Godmothered” is Directed by Sharon Maguire and Produced by Justin Springer. Diane L. Sabatini, Tom Pollock, Ivan Reitman and Amie Karp serve as the film’s Executive Producers.

This is a hilarious Christmas comedy that turns the traditional fairytale completely upsidedown. When an offbeat fairy godmother forces herself on a reluctant human protégé, they’ll both discover life isn’t as simple as “happily ever after.” Fantasy faces a hard reality in Disney’s “Godmothered”, as they learn that “happily ever after” doesn’t mean the same thing for everything and it doesn’t mean you have to fall in love with some prince charming.

Eleanor is an apprentice fairy godmother, highly enthusiastic and eager to learn the tricks of the trade, but not quite there yet. All her life she has lived in The Motherland, the Gothic fantasy other-world where fairy godmothers come from and where they are raised and trained and have existed for a thousand years. There, she has been taught by her imperious headmistress Moira (Emmy winner Jane Curtin), who literally wrote the book on “godmothering,” all the very traditional fairy tale notions of what girls aspire to—going to balls in beautiful gowns, marrying Prince Charming and also things like turning pumpkins into carriages and mice into footmen.

Mackenzie is a world-weary widow who lives in Boston with her daughters Jane (Jillian Shea Spaeder) and Mia (Willa Skye) and is exhausted from trying to juggle all the responsibilities of motherhood with a high pressure and mostly unrewarding job on the number four local news program. After her husband was killed in a car crash four years ago, she’s closed herself off from any dreams of romance or happiness and has just focused on getting through the day. With babysitting help from her sister Paula (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), Mackenzie has tried her best to raise her daughters to be as pragmatic as she is about what life has to offer.

Eleanor’s and Mackenzie’s worlds collide one day when, due to a lack of demand for fairy godmothers, The Motherland is in great danger of shutting down, with everyone to be retrained as tooth fairies. Desperate to find something that will validate the need for fairy godmothers to continue to exist, Eleanor finds a letter from Mackenzie asking for help, unaware that she sent it decades ago. With the help of her roommate, Agnes (Oscar® nominee June Squibb), Eleanor is transported from The Motherland to 21st century Boston, in order to find Mackenzie and use what she has learned from Moira to bring happiness to her life.

The woefully naïve fairy godmother expects to find things perfectly situated as you might in a typical fairytale story. But instead, she runs right into the wall that is Boston in the present day. A lot of the comedy is just her trying to make sense of today’s world.

There’s conflict between Eleanor’s expectations and what she thinks being a fairy godmother and what she thinks magic is like. But then when she’s confronted with the real world, all her expectations come crashing down in a hilarious way.

It’s filled with magic: wands, fairy godmothers and woodland creatures, but we also get to subvert that legacy for comedy. Eleanor is untrained in magic, so none of her spells go according to plan and Happily Ever After is delivered in a very different way than we’ve come to expect in previous Disney movies.

From her first encounter with the much-older-than-she-expected Mackenzie, it is evident that this assignment is not going to be easy for Eleanor. Their differences make them a comically unharmonious odd couple, a recipe for laughs galore.

From her first encounter with the much-older-than-she-expected Mackenzie, it is evident that this assignment is not going to be easy for Eleanor. Their differences make them a comically unharmonious odd couple, a recipe for laughs in a buddy comedy.

Sweet, sugary, naïve Eleanor runs into this cynical kind of pragmatic woman who’s lost her belief in magic. She started as a young girl who believed in fairy godmothers and magic and all that could be. But life has worn that down for her and she no longer prioritizes her own happiness. She’s not worried about finding her Prince Charming, she’s just pragmatically trying to make it through things. Eleanor is trying to nudge her in the direction of following a formula to become ‘happily ever after’ when Mackenzie’s not really looking for that.

This is such a heartwarming film, filled with great messages of hope, self-discovery and believing in yourself with lots of laughs along the way. That the true meaning of ‘Happily Ever After” isn’t what we’ve all grown up to think it means in fairy tales. “Godmothered” is a great uplifting film to watch during this holiday season on Disney+!

Upside Down Magic On Disney DVD Now + Giveaway

Posted on by

Upside Down Magic On Disney DVD Now + Giveaway

By Erin

Upside Down Magic on Disney DVD

*An Enchanting Twist on a Classic Story of Friendship and Self-Discovery*

Featuring Exclusive Bonus Content Including Bloopers and Five Deleted Scenes

Upside Down Magic is about 13-year-old Nory who discovers she can flux into animals and her best pal Reina can manipulate flames. They then enter the Sage Academy for Magical Studies. But Nory’s wonky magic and tendency for turning into a “Dritten” – a half-kitten, half-dragon – lands her in a class for those with unconventional powers, and she and her classmates must prove that their upside-down magic beats right-side up!

If you’re a fan of the books, the movie is nothing like the book, but that’s not bad. Watching a movie exactly like the book would be boring.  I like the message of “be the best version of yourself.” These kids are outcasts but in the end turn out to be better than anyone realized. The story and characters were cute and it kept us engaged.

Cast:                   Izabela Rose as Nory Boxwood Horace;  Siena Agudong as Reina Carvajal;  Kyle Howard as Budd Skriff;  Max Torina as Andres Padillo; Elie Samouhi as Elliot Cohen; Alison Fernandez as Pepper Paloma; Vicki Lewis as Headmaster Knightslinger; Yasmeen Fletcher as Chandra; Callum Seagram Airlie as Phillip; Cynthia McWilliams as Professor Argon; Elaine Hao as Professor Han; Amitai Marmorstein as Professor Lewis

Director:                              Joe Nussbaum

Executive Producers:      Joe Nussbaum, Suzanne Farwell and Susan Cartsonis

Teleplay by:                       Nick Pustay and Josh Cagan

Based on:                            The novel “Upside-Down Magic” by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins

Bonus Material:                

Bloopers (DVD Exclusive)  – Laugh along with the cast as they flub their lines, make mistakes and act goofy on set.

Deleted Scene #1 (DVD Exclusive)  –“Night Before Sage”

Deleted Scene #2 (DVD Exclusive)  –“How’d You Do?”

Deleted Scene #3 (DVD Exclusive)  –“Hey, Goat”

Deleted Scene #4 (DVD Exclusive)  –“Don’t Wait Up”

Deleted Scene #5 (DVD Exclusive)  –“Ready for Anything”

Music Video #1 – “Everything’s Magic” Performed by the Cast

Music Video #2 – “A Place For Us” Performed by Izabela Rose & Siena Agudong

Here’s a super FUN activity you can do while watching the movie! It’s Upside Down Magic BINGO! As you watch the movie, check off the things you see and hear, including the icons!

Upside Down Magic BINGO game

Now for the other really fun part! Enter below in the rafflecopter for your chance to win your own copy of Upside Down Magic just in time for the Holidays! Must be a US resident +18 years or older. Ends 12/11/20 at 12AM PST. Go to the sweepstakes tab on the blog for all giveaway rules. Good-luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Need some more family movie night ideas? Try these!

Mulan

Toy Story 4

Frozen 2

Mulan + Giveaway

Posted on by

Mulan + Digital Movie Code Giveaway!

By Erin

Disney presents “Mulan,” a live-action reimagining of the legendary female warrior immortalized in the centuries-old Chinese ballad. Honoring its Chinese roots, the film features an ensemble of ethnically Chinese talent of both established and rising stars. Add Disney’s Mulan to your collection with bonus features for the whole family! Now on Digital, Blu-ray & 4K Ultra HD.

Disney Mulan Live Action

Acclaimed filmmaker Niki Caro brings the epic tale of China’s legendary warrior to life in Disney’s Mulan, in which a fearless young woman risks everything out of love for her family and her country to become one of the greatest warriors China has ever known. When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation…and a proud father.

Disney’s MULAN..Mulan (Yifei Liu)..Photo: Film Frame© 2019 Disney Enterprises

Yifei Liu (“The Forbidden Kingdom,” “Once Upon a Time”) was cast as Hua Mulan following a year-long global casting search. Joining her in the film are: Donnie Yen (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Ip Man”); Tzi Ma (“The Farewell,” “The Quiet American”); Jason Scott Lee (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny,” “Soldier”); Yoson An (“The Meg,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny”); Ron Yuan (“Marco Polo,” “The Accountant”); Rosalind Chao (“Plus One,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”); Nelson Lee (“All Saints,” “I Was a Simple Man”); and Cheng Pei-Pei (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Lilting”) with Gong Li (“Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Raise the Red Lantern”) and Jet Li (“Shaolin Temple,” “Lethal Weapon 4”).

The screenplay was written by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (“Jurassic World,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”) and Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin, based on the narrative poem “The Ballad of Mulan.” The producers are Chris Bender, p.g.a. (“A History of Violence,” “Under the Silver Lake”), Jake Weiner, p.g.a. (“The Butterfly Effect,” “Monster-in-Law”) and Jason T. Reed, p.g.a. (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”) with Bill Kong (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Hero”), Barrie M. Osborne (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy), Tim Coddington (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “Marco Polo”) and Mario Iscovich (“McFarland, USA,” “You Again”) serving as executive producers.

Caro and the producers assembled a team of exceptional filmmakers to lend their talents to the production of “Mulan”: director of photography Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS (“The Mountain Between Us,” “Hidden Figures”); production designer Grant Major (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “King Kong”); editor David Coulson (“Whale Rider,” “The Zookeeper’s Wife”); costume designer Bina Daigeler (“The Zookeeper’s Wife,” “Submergence”); composer Harry Gregson-Williams (“The Martian,” “The Chronicles of Narnia”); hair, makeup and prosthetics designer Denise Kum (“Whale Rider,” “Death Defying Acts”);  visual effects supervisor Sean Faden (“Power Rangers,” “Fantastic Four”); and first assistant director Liz Tan (“Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “McFarland, USA”).

“Mulan”: A Hero’s Journey

Inspired by the Chinese “Ballad of Mulan,” the film brings audiences an incredible tale that celebrates the richness of Chinese culture and the power of female strength. A story that is Chinese yet transcends borders, “Mulan” reflects the breadth and depth of Chinese identity. A combination of relatable emotions with awe-inspiring action sequences and breathtaking visuals, “Mulan” is a movie with universal appeal that embodies the timeless themes of honor, family, respect for elders and duty.

Disney first interpreted the story of Mulan as an animated feature in 1998. “Mulan” was a box-office hit as well as a fan favorite and featured Ming-Na Wen as the voice of Mulan.

“The original ‘Ballad of Mulan’ was written centuries ago and has been popular ever since,” says producer Jason Reed. “The animated movie brought it to Western audiences. Now we’re hoping to take elements from the original ballad and the beloved Disney animation and create something that is new and exciting, while honoring the essential elements of this inspiring story. We focused on how someone can embrace bravery, loyalty and duty while still being true to oneself.”

“What stands out about Mulan is her spirit,” adds Reed. “Mulan herself is what draws me to the story. When I watched the original animated film, I loved the locations, I loved the music, I loved the comedy, but what really stuck with me was her character. Even though she’s a woman and Chinese, her struggle spoke to me growing up. How do you fulfill your duty? How do you do what’s right? How do you fit in and how do you find your place? I think those are really important questions, and it’s the foundation on which we built the live-action adaptation.”

Executive producer Bill Kong feels that today’s audiences will be able to easily relate to Mulan, although the exploits of her bravery were first told centuries ago. “Mulan may have existed in stories a long time ago, but her character and her actions reflect women of today. And especially young Chinese women today. What Mulan represents is very much related to today’s world and the way people think today.”

GIVEAWAY

Mulan
Disney’s MULAN..Mulan (Yifei Liu)..Photo: Jasin Boland..© 2019 Disney Enterprises.

Now the really fun part! Enter for your chance to win a digital copy of the film! Must be +18 to enter and live in the US and enter by 12/4 at 12AM PST. See Sweepstakes tab on the blog for full details about giveaway rules. Good-luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway