Kung Fu Panda 2

Dreamworks

I took Bean to see Kung Fu Panda 2 today, and I have to say, this may be the rare case where the sequel is even better than the original. As Po would say, "It was AWESOME!!"

I loved the story and that they finally revealed Po's past, and that, shockingly, he's adopted. The Furious Five have truly become a team and work very well together. This time they must save all of China from an evil Peacock, voiced by Gary Oldman. All of the original cast appears to have returned, so the voices sound the same, which is great. The movie was at times hilarious and sad, serious and silly. I won't give any spoilers because it's well worth watching and you'll want to discover every moment for yourself.

All I can say is I really loved it. Bean asked me why we couldn't just take it home and watch it again, which she only does with movies she really likes. And keep an eye out during the opening credits. That's not the normal little boy on the moon that Dreamworks usually uses, it's Master Oogway from the first film, in a swirl of peach blossoms.

Beastly

I watched Beastly recently and I was surprised by how good it was. It was a fantastic, updated, retelling of a classic story. I haven't read the book it's based on, but my friend loved the book and when we talked about it, she said it sounded like they were very close to the same story, which is good. The acting in the movie was well done. You feel Kyle's pain and understand his transformation. Alex Pettyfer was the perfect choice for the beastly role: pretty, but with some depth. And Vanessa Hudgens makes a sweet and soulful beauty, Lindy. I always love Neil Patrick Harris and he's fantastic as Kyle's blind tutor Will, hired by Kyle's father so that no one will see the horror he's become. And the housekeeper Zola, played by Lisa Gay Hamilton, is wonderful at making Kyle see that life goes on, whether you want it to or not. And that you need to truly see the person you think you love and not just expect them to live up to your expectations. I also loved that it showed that you can't go through life alone, you need the help and support of your family, be they chosen by blood or mutual affection. I've always loved the Tale of Beauty and the Beast and find this new addition to be most welcome.

Muppet Movie Poster

Here's the new poster for the Muppet Movie debuting this fall. I love the Muppets!

The Mortal Instruments

A friend loaned me the first three books of the Mortal Instruments series last week and I must say, I'm totally hooked! These books are fantastic! I love the story line and the characters are well written and believable. These books may become my new obsession. So far, I've completed reading the first two books and am nearly done with the third. The only problem with these books is that once you finish one book, you want to move on immediately to the next. I'm sad that there is only one more book to read at the moment. Cassandra Clare has two more books to write to complete the series. Fortunately, much like JK Rowling, she seems to know where she intends to go with the stories.

The stories follow the life of Clary Fray and how everything changes when she meets a certain boy, Jace Wayland. In meeting Jace, a chain of events is set in motion that will lead Clary to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the world around her. Jace, and the family that have taken him in, are Shadowhunters, a secret group of Demon fighters. The monsters humans think are merely fairy tales, are real. There are Demons, Vampires, Werewolves, Warlocks, and the Fey, or Fairies. Drawn into this world almost against her will, Clary must find her place among the Shadowhunters and aid them in their battle to save all of humanity.

I love these books and was excited to learn that they are currently casting for a movie based on the first book. The studio has only announced the casting of the two leads, but more should be released soon. Lily Collins, of the Blind Side, will play Clary. Jamie Campbell-Bower, of Sweeney Todd and the Twilight series, will play Jace. So far, it sounds alright, although I wished they'd picked Alex Pettyfer for Jace because as soon as I saw him in Beastly, I realized that's who I'd pictured. If you like supernatural, teen, romance/adventure books, The Mortal Instruments may be the series for you.

UP House

Bangerter Homes

Carl and Ellie's house from UP is just a scene in a movie no more. An enterprising home builder in Herrimen, Utah has recreated the house, down to the last tiny detail. Bangerter Homes, in cooperation with the Salt Lake City Home Builders Association, built the life-size replica to bring visitors and buyers to their annual Parade of Homes. Disney & Pixar gave their blessing for the creation and sale of this fantastic house. The home features many recognizable features, such as the rolled garden hose and bright colors outside, and Ellie's paintings over the fireplace and in the baby's room.

The home will be furnished for the Parade of Homes and will include specially created armchairs like Carl and Ellie's. The house, which has several bedrooms and a movie theater, is 2,800 square feet and is expected to list for $399,999. Personally, I love it!

Happy Birthday Disneyland!

Disneyland opened its gates 56 years ago today. Although I haven't been to Disneyland in several years, I've always enjoyed the Happiest Place on Earth and hope that the magic continues for many years to come. I've always liked Walt's dedication speech, so I'm going to share it with you here.

“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
 

Happy Birthday, Disneyland!

Star Wars at Williams-Sonoma

This weekend, I was in our local Williams-Sonoma and they had finally marked down the Star Wars cookie cutters-embossers, pancake molds, and sandwich cutters in the tin lunchbox. All of the sets look like spaceships from the Star Wars Universe and are on sale for $9.99. The cookie cutters, including the Death Star, Millennium Falcon, Vader's Tie Fighter, and X-Wing Fighter, and pancake molds, Millennium Falcon, Tie Fighter and X-Wing Fighter were originally $19.99 each. The tin lunchbox featuring are from the original Star Wars, episode IV, has two metal sandwich cutters, the Millennium Falcon and Darth Vader's Tie Fighter, and was originally $29.99. I thought that the sale price was fantastic, so I bought a set of each. The pancake molds are huge, but awesome. I can't wait to try them out. Bean was super excited too. We recently got her hooked on the old Star Wars films, and she thought eating spaceships would be awesome.