By Eddy

I was fortunate enough to catch an IMAX 3D screening of John Carter yesterday.  Directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo and Wall-E) and starring Taylor Kitsch as the sparsely clothed title character, John Carter, we were brought on an adventure from the post civil war U.S. to obviously Mars.  We followed John, a former Confederate Captain, mining for gold in Arizona who somehow stumbles upon a transport to a totally unrecognizable and fully populated Mars.   From here he is introduced to a long going war in Mars and its inhabitants who want to use his super jumping skills and strength (due to the lower gravity in Mars) to their causes in the battle.  Along the way he falls for a Martian princess (who coincidently looks human) and must ultimately save her from the bad guys.

Check out the 10 minute of the film.

You could definitely tell that Andrew Stanton was a definite fan of the book when he was younger, and he would have to be to choose this project as his first live action film after creating some of the best Pixar animated films.   You can feel the fanatical detail that only someone who really cared for the project would do. Yet this is a double edge sword.  For the most part the people who are watching John Carter are people who have not read the books so they are coming in at a bit of a disadvantage, they don’t know the characters and places as well as those who read the book.  Unfortunately, the movie struggles to figure out what is the best way to please everyone in the audience.  When I was watching the film I got the sense there was way more behind the side characters than the few lines of dialogue instead the movie tried to focus our attention solely on John Carter and his Martian Princess. 

This super condensed feeling is apparent through the entire film; I got the feeling as if I was watching the movie through the eyes of a 12 year old boy.   Think of it this way, try to remember a story you loved when you were that age.   You remember all the action and pseudo-sexual innuendo, you remember the main characters and everything seems to be much bigger, spectacular and melodramatic.  That in a sense is all you need to know about John Carter, this is Andrew Stanton trying to relieve his memories of the character out on the silver screen in IMAX and 3D. 

Unfortunately, it cheats the kids coming into seeing the film from being able to experience the same thing, he has already digested it for us, leaving so little to the imagination that I fear that kids wont want to read the books, which is a shame.  It is almost the opposite of the Lord of the Rings, the epic detail put into the films gave us a sense of wonder as well as a sense of curiosity, kids and adults alike went from watching the movie then to wanting to read the book.  I did get that feeling leaving the theater last night.

Yet it isn’t the entire director, the source material is from a different time, when cowboys and Indians were the height of adventure for children.  This was a time where Heroes always saved the day and the princess no matter the odds.  This was a time in United States with different ideas and priorities.  A place where different expectations were placed on their heroes and for better or worse this isn’t that United States any more.  John Carter is an antiquated hero being brought to life in a modern world, kind of like Captain America.  Yes, I agree with the technology of today, the rendering of the Martian world was amazing and the 3D was quite literally out of this world, but I am still left with the question whether John Carter was better off left in the confines of paper and ink rather than on film.

Disclaimer: We recieved free tickets to attend the preview showing.

About Divina Rodriguez

Divina is a wife, a Mami of 2 boys under the age of four and a full fledged social media butterfly with a Masters in Communications. She loves sharing the best of Disney on TheDisneyFiles.com whether its movies, video games, shopping or the themeparks. In addition to TheDisneyFiles, Divina writes about entertainment, technology and family products on www.DancingHotdogs.com and is a founding mother & partner at Trumpeting Media, a social media consulting company that is dedicated to using social media for social good.

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By Eddy

Wow this game surprised me.   I actually thought it was better than the movie itself.  In its simplest terms the game is Mario Kart with cooler weapons.  Just let that sink in!  Yet even being closely linked to the famous racing series doesn’t mean that it is all it has to offer.  In addition to the combat (kart) style racing the game also feature a number of interesting modes such as hunting down enemy cars through a large arena or playing capture the flag.

The plot of the game strays away from the movie and sticks you in the role of a spy from C.H.R.O.M.E (the spy agency in the film) you start out slow building your spy car chops in training missions, but as you progress through the game, the challenges become more dangerous as well as more exciting. There is a large roster of playable character including all the stars of the film.  The game also includes most of the original voices of the characters as well (except for Lightning and Finn McMissile).

The thing that struck me was how easy it was pick up and play.  The game supports up to 4 players (unfortunately no online play) playing at the same time and with the added feature of being able to drop in or drop out at any point during the game.  As this is primarily a children’s game the controls are easy to understand and put to use.  Fortunately, there are some additional skills and tricks that add a good amount of depth to the game as well.  These tricks include flips and spins, driving on two wheels as well as driving backwards.  You are also able to side swipe cars off the track in addition to the machine guns, bombs etc.

Visually the game developers, Avalanche Software along with Disney Interactive , were able to translate the look Continue Reading

About Divina Rodriguez

Divina is a wife, a Mami of 2 boys under the age of four and a full fledged social media butterfly with a Masters in Communications. She loves sharing the best of Disney on TheDisneyFiles.com whether its movies, video games, shopping or the themeparks. In addition to TheDisneyFiles, Divina writes about entertainment, technology and family products on www.DancingHotdogs.com and is a founding mother & partner at Trumpeting Media, a social media consulting company that is dedicated to using social media for social good.

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Update: This giveaway is closed.  Congrats to Shilo!

By Divina
Today is the day! June 24^th! Cars 2 is back! Racing into theaters across the United States.

Cars 2 finds star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix, Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage!

Big Brother loves the first film, and while it wasn’t love at first sight, Eddy and I have come to really enjoy the film as well. I know the Dancinghotdogs family is super excited for the new release! And to get you excited we have team up with Disney to giveaway the following Cars 2 items! Continue Reading

About Divina Rodriguez

Divina is a wife, a Mami of 2 boys under the age of four and a full fledged social media butterfly with a Masters in Communications. She loves sharing the best of Disney on TheDisneyFiles.com whether its movies, video games, shopping or the themeparks. In addition to TheDisneyFiles, Divina writes about entertainment, technology and family products on www.DancingHotdogs.com and is a founding mother & partner at Trumpeting Media, a social media consulting company that is dedicated to using social media for social good.

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By Eddy

When D and I first saw Cars I wasn’t particularly impressed.  With such a spectacular line up of films to have to live up to including the first two Toy Story‘s, I was left pretty underwhelmed leaving the movie theater.  I especially didn’t really connect with the Mater character played by Larry the Cable Guy (I was never big fan of his comedy).  Yet in the years to follow after its release, the movie has really grown on me; to the point that I now appreciate its place in the Pixar cannon.  Along with that with the advent of Mater’s Tall Tales show I have learned to appreciate Mater as well. Mater’s Tall Tales are animated shorts which feature Mater as he tells his friends the crazy things he has done. Also starring in the short films are all the characters from the original Cars films including most notably lightning McQueen. 

To commemorate the completion of two seasons and the its popularity, Disney released a video game for the Nintendo Wii allowing you to play in many of the episodes of the show.  The game has a surprising amount depth that I was really not expecting.  Players start out in a garage area where they are allowed to customize their cars with a number of different enhancements including body types, stickers, color and hats.  Additional, prizes including story boards and other unlockable items can be found or won throughout the game.  Up to four people can play at the same time and players can play either cooperatively or competitively with each other. Continue Reading

About Divina Rodriguez

Divina is a wife, a Mami of 2 boys under the age of four and a full fledged social media butterfly with a Masters in Communications. She loves sharing the best of Disney on TheDisneyFiles.com whether its movies, video games, shopping or the themeparks. In addition to TheDisneyFiles, Divina writes about entertainment, technology and family products on www.DancingHotdogs.com and is a founding mother & partner at Trumpeting Media, a social media consulting company that is dedicated to using social media for social good.

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By Divina

You all know I REALLY love Disney and I am and forever will be a Disney Princess.  I love the movies but now that I have grown up Disney has also grown beyond what it used to be.  Disney has branched out to create magazines, Broadway shows, wedding dresses, cruises, virtual worlds and so much more.

Of course, I was aware of the Broadway show, the dresses, cruises etc but not the virtual worlds. Luckily, when I attended Toy Fair 2010, I was given the opportunity to try out not one but all the Disney’s virtual worlds like Club Penguin , Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow , Pirates of the Caribbean Online , Disney’s Toontown Online and the soon to be released World of Cars AND I am so jealous!

I wish that I had these when I was growing up!  Babyboy is such a lucky boy for growing up with all this amazing technology.  Fortunately for me as a first time parent, these worlds are not only fun but safe for my loved ones.

The fun stuff first; the newest virtual world based on one of my favorite Pixar/Disney films Cars and the much anticipated sequel Cars 2 that should be released in summer 2011. The game allows your son or daughter to log on, design their own car and play lots of fun mini-games for minimal fee every month.

What is really cool about the game along with the fantastic graphics is that Lightening McQueen, Mater, Fillmore, Sarge and Frank all make appearances as you race or explore the open road.  Most of the voice talents actually came back for the virtual world so you really do feel like you are IN THE MOVIE.

World of Cars is perfect for kids 6 to 12 and as I mentioned before Disney has added many safety features, like white vocabulary list that not only stops fowl language but also the posting of personal info like your address.  Did I mention there is no external advertising? So you don’t have to worry about that either! Lucky lucky children and parents!

The other worlds were also amazing! The graphics, the activities and the endless possibilities of having fun and making friends makes me happy that Babyboy will have all of that.

Can you image, going to Pixie Hollow, designing your own fairy person and not only get to hang out but shop with Tinkerbell!

Or play ice games with Penguins?

Or start cartoon mayhem and play gags on the evil Cogs in Toontown?

Or explore new lands and sail the high seas with Pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean in 3D!?!

All these worlds have free play but paying the $4.99 to $9.99 monthly membership fee is worth it. It gives your kids priority access and more opportunities to personalize their experience.  All worlds have moderators to keep the worlds kid friendly.

Most importantly, I loved how all these worlds have a feeling of community as your loved ones interact and have fun.

Bravo Disney!

Disclosure: I attended a Disney sponsored event but my post is my unbaised opinions on the products.

About Divina Rodriguez

Divina is a wife, a Mami of 2 boys under the age of four and a full fledged social media butterfly with a Masters in Communications. She loves sharing the best of Disney on TheDisneyFiles.com whether its movies, video games, shopping or the themeparks. In addition to TheDisneyFiles, Divina writes about entertainment, technology and family products on www.DancingHotdogs.com and is a founding mother & partner at Trumpeting Media, a social media consulting company that is dedicated to using social media for social good.

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