Kate & Mim-Mim Flight of the Flowers DVD Review #review

March 9, 2016 By Marijean

FIRST KATE & MIM-MIM DVD,

“FLIGHT OF THE FLOWERS,”

Join the Adventures of Kate and Her Toy Bunny Mim-Mim as They Twirl onto DVD

DVD Available from Public Media Distribution, LLC

This debut DVD features six fun-filled tales perfect for spring. From trying to catch and plant a speedy surprise sapling seed, to getting miniaturized by beautiful sunny shrinking violet pedals, the outdoor adventures within “FLIGHT OF THE FLOWERS” provide a wonderful way to get kids excited about the upcoming warmer weather and heading outside!

I was given the opportunity to review a copy of this DVD. I have 2 children ages 7 and 4 who LOVE Disney Jr. and the 1st season of Kate & Mim-Mim. They were very excited to watch this DVD. Both of my children enjoyed each episode and keep asking when more will come out! This is a very cute show for children of all ages!

In the story “Flight of the Flowers,” Lily is having a Spring Thing party to kick off the season and Kate has an idea to help Lily decorate with some nicer-than-nice spring-tastic flowers. Kate, Mim-Mim, Gobble, and Tack fly silky soft wind flowers to Lily. Along the way Mim-Mim has trouble flying his flower, but with encouragement from Kate to keep trying, Mim-Mim becomes a flower pilot! This DVD also includes a tree-mendous story called “Bunch O’Boomers.” In this tale Gobble is working to create delicious jam from popper peach trees. The group runs into a problem when the peaches start to pop before they can be put into a jar and Boomer uses Tack’s copy-zapper to create several Boomer clones. In the end, Kate realizes that more friends help make a job go faster and she enlists the assistance of all the Boomers to collect the needed peaches for Gobble’s jam!

“FLIGHT OF THE FLOWERS” is now available. The DVD run time is approximately 65 minutes and its SRP is $12.99.

Inspired by a real life little girl, “Kate & Mim-Mim” follows the fantastical adventures of five-year-old Kate, who, together with her toy rabbit Mim-Mim, travels to the fantasy world of Mimiloo where Mim-Mim comes alive as a larger-than-life playmate. In each story, Kate and Mim-Mim and their group of loveable friends discover exciting new places and set off on adventures, all in the hope of solving a puzzling problem Kate has encountered in the real world.

Exploring themes of friendship, adventure, and problem solving, “Kate & Mim-Mim” encourages children to use their imaginations and work together, believing no problem is ever too big to solve! The stories included within “FLIGHT OF THE FLOWERS” are below.

“Flight of the Flowers”

Kate’s riding her bike for the first time without training wheels and she keeps falling. In Mimiloo, Kate and her friends must learn to fly giant wind flowers in order to surprise Lily at her Spring Thing party! But Mim-Mim has never flown a flower before, and Kate must help him gain his confidence to become a flower pilot.

“The Need For Seed”

Kate doesn’t understand why her flower is so much smaller than Mom’s. In Mimiloo, Kate and Mim-Mim help their friends catch a surprise sapling seed – a speedy seed that sprouts in the most surprising way! The wiggly seed leads them on a wild underground adventure in search of its ideal place to grow. But will it be worth the chase?

“Butterfly Flowers”

Kate wants to fix her pop-up book without Mom’s help. In Mimiloo, everyone’s preparing to watch the butterfly flowers fly away after sunset. To get a good view, Tack tries to build a lighthouse all by himself – but loses his light bulb in the process! Kate must convince him that he needs his friends’ help to get his lighthouse working.

“Small Wonders”

Kate’s too small to carry flower pots and can’t help her parents. In Mimiloo, shrinking violet petals fly all over Kate and Mim-Mim, shrinking them to insect-size! To return to regular size, they must traverse the vast jungle of Gobble’s garden. It’s a daunting journey, until they meet Tiny, a teeny little ant who can do big things!

“Babysitting Squoosh”

Kate wonders what’s wrong with her birdhouse – the birds aren’t visiting it. In Mimiloo, Kate, Mim-Mim and their friends offer to babysit a shape-changing baby squoosh so its mama squoosh can focus on building a nest. But getting the squoosh to nap and eat is harder than it sounds!

“Bunch O’Boomers”

Kate needs to find four purple buttons for plushy Mim-Mim’s new sweater, but there are so many to look through, it’s going to take a long time. In Mimiloo, Gobble uses Tack’s copy-zapper to duplicate popper peach trees so he can make the biggest batch of popper peach jam ever. But things get messy when Boomer duplicates himself!

“Kate & Mim-Mim,” which recently launched its second season on Disney Junior, airs weekdays at 11:00 am. Beginning this fall, plush, dolls, figure packs, and role play products will be rolling out from global master toy partner Just Play. Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House, is the North American publishing partner for the brand. Their initial line will launch in fall 2016 and they will offer young readers a variety of formats, including storybooks, leveled readers, e-books, doodle books and sticker books. Other licensed products include a digital app from A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Digital (worldwide).

To find out more information about Kate and Mim-Mim, click here.

***I was given a product in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based on my experience with the product. I am not affiliated with the company and everything in this review is my opinion.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

“KATE & MIM-MIM,” “FLIGHT OF THE FLOWERS” Now Available on DVD!

March 2, 2016 By Marijean

FIRST KATE & MIM-MIM DVD,

“FLIGHT OF THE FLOWERS,”

ARRIVES MARCH 1st

Join the Adventures of Kate and Her Toy Bunny Mim-Mim as They Twirl onto DVD

DVD Available from Public Media Distribution, LLC

Public Media Distribution, LLC announced today it is releasing the first “Kate & Mim-Mim” DVD, “FLIGHT OF THE FLOWERS” on March 1, 2016. This debut DVD features six fun-filled tales perfect for spring. From trying to catch and plant a speedy surprise sapling seed, to getting miniaturized by beautiful sunny shrinking violet pedals, the outdoor adventures within “FLIGHT OF THE FLOWERS” provide a wonderful way to get kids excited about the upcoming warmer weather and heading outside!

“FLIGHT OF THE FLOWERS” is now available. The DVD run time is approximately 65 minutes and its SRP is $12.99.

“Flight of the Flowers”

“The Need For Seed”

“Butterfly Flowers”

“Small Wonders”

“Babysitting Squoosh”

“Bunch O’Boomers”

“Kate & Mim-Mim,” which recently launched its second season on Disney Junior, airs weekdays at 11:00 am. Beginning this fall, plush, dolls, figure packs, and role play products will be rolling out from global master toy partner Just Play. Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House, is the North American publishing partner for the brand. Their initial line will launch in fall 2016 and they will offer young readers a variety of formats, including storybooks, leveled readers, e-books, doodle books and sticker books. Other licensed products include a digital app from A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Digital (worldwide).

To find out more information about Kate and Mim-Mim, click here.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

P!nk To Partner With Disney’s ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS + New Poster!!! #DisneyAlice

February 16, 2016 By Marijean

THREE-TIME GRAMMY®-WINNING SINGER/SONGWRITER P!NK

TO PARTNER WITH DISNEY ON “ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS,”

STARRING JOHNNY DEPP, ANNE HATHAWAY, MIA WASIKOWSKA, RHYS IFANS, WITH HELENA BONHAM CARTER AND SACHA BARON COHEN

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS opens in theaters everywhere on May 27th!

Walt Disney Studios is partnering with three-time GRAMMY®-winning singer/songwriter P!nk on the studio’s upcoming release “Alice Through the Looking Glass.”

P!nk will write and record an original song which will appear in the film and on the motion picture soundtrack from Walt Disney Records featuring four-time Academy Award® nominee Danny Elfman’s score. She has also recorded a cover version of the iconic song “White Rabbit” for the film’s marketing campaign.

“Alice Through the Looking Glass” is an all-new spectacular adventure featuring the unforgettable characters from Lewis Carroll’s beloved stories which stars Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Rhys Ifans, with Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. The film opens in U.S. theaters on May 27, 2016.

Like ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyAlice

Follow ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS on Instagram: https://instagram.com/DisneyAlice

Follow Walt Disney Studios on Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneystudios

http://movies.disney.com/alice-through-the-looking-glass

About P!nk:

Since her debut in 2000, P!nk (Alecia Moore) has released seven records, sold over 60 million albums, over 130 million singles, over 2.4 million DVDs worldwide and has had 14 singles in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (four at #1). In addition, she is the recipient of three GRAMMY® Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, six MTV Video Music Awards, two MTV Europe Awards, two People’s Choice Awards and was named Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2013. Her “The Truth About Love” World Tour played 142 shows in 13 countries. In the fall of 2014, she released a side project with singer/songwriter Dallas Green entitled “You+Me.” Their album, “rose ave.,” debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Folk Album chart and #2 on Billboard’s Digital Album chart. In 2015, P!nk became the newest UNICEF Ambassador. She is also a huge supporter of various charities, including: Make a Wish Foundation, Autism Speaks, Human Rights Campaign and No Kid Hungry. She is currently a spokesperson for COVERGIRL, and made her acting debut in Lionsgate’s “Thanks for Sharing,” alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Ruffalo.

About The Film:

In Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” Alice returns to the whimsical world of Underland and travels back in time to save the Mad Hatter. Directed by James Bobin, who brings his own unique vision to the spectacular world Tim Burton created on screen with “Alice in Wonderland,” the film is written by Linda Woolverton based on characters created by Lewis Carroll. The producers are Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd and Tim Burton. John G. Scotti serves as executive producer. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” reunites the cast from the 2010 worldwide blockbuster phenomenon, including Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Matt Lucas and Helena Bonham Carter and introduces new characters played by Rhys Ifans and Sacha Baron Cohen. Also back are the talented voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Barbara Windsor and Paul Whitehouse, and they are joined by Toby Jones.

About Walt Disney Studios:

For over 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; Lucasfilm; and Touchstone Pictures, the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Seminole County Blog Fam Trip #DoOrlandoNorth

February 9, 2016 By Anne

We’ve driven to Orlando from Jacksonville many times over the past 4 years. We always pass Sanford, FL and I never really thought much about it. I knew there was a small college town in Oviedo and a small airport but that’s about it.

A few weeks ago Seminole County Tourism contacted me about coming to Sanford for a few days with my family to experience North Orlando and all it has to offer. The trip included myself, my husband and my two children.

I love learning about Florida and all the great towns here. Even though I was not born in Florida I’ve always felt like I was a true Florida girl.

I was excited to visit Orlando’s Natural Oasis, Seminole County. There are miles of rivers and acres of beautiful parks. Seminole County is conveniently located just north of Orlando, off Interstate 4 and close to Interstate 95 and Florida’s Turnpike. You are within 45 minutes of Florida’s Beaches or Disney. You will save a lot on hotels as apposed to the hub of downtown Orlando.

Day One of our adventure.

We checked into the Westin Lake Mary Hotel, who welcomed us bloggers and our families with complimentary rooms. The Westin Lake Mary Hotel offers a heated outdoor pool, landscaped courtyard, WestinWORKOUT® Fitness Studio and Westin Kids Club®. It was a bit chilly, so we were not able to try out the heated pool. The Westin Hotel is also a pet friendly hotel, we saw several dogs being escorted to and from their rooms. It offers a nice convention center, as well.

Seminole County Tourism, staff member, Stephanie and Terry and Mary Jane from Paradise Advertising were at the hotel to greet us with goody bags for each of the kids and one for myself and my husband. We went up to the room and unloaded our stuff and just relaxed for a few minutes before heading down to the lobby for our first adventure. All of us bloggers loaded in a 15 passenger van. It was so nice to be chauffeured around during the trip.

We headed over to Rebounderz of Apopka. Rebounderz of Apopka has 26, 000 square feet of fun, including an open area arena, foam pit jumper, in the air dodgeball and a basketball slam. The kids jumped and bounced for a little over an hour. Some of the other adults partaked in the fun as well but my husband I just watched. I was afraid I might hurt myself :-). As we got in the car we were offered snacks and water until we read your next destination.

The next stop was to Hot Pots! Pottery Studio. I thought for sure my husband and my 15 year old son would not like painting pottery. Surprisingly, they both really enjoyed painting the pottery so much, they want to go again! When we arrived at Hot Pots! we were greeted cheerfiully and we were told we could pick anything from their stock. We chose a tee light candle holder, a dog dish, an alligator and a soup bowl. Everyone had a great time and we can’t wait to receive our glazed pottery in the next week or two.

After we were done we headed back to the hotel for a 45 minute rest. Then it was off to dinner.

Dinner was at Gator’s Dockside restaurant. Gator’s has a family-friendly atmosphere, the mouth-watering menu items and the fun, casual dining experience that makes Gator’s Dockside your favorite place to be.
Gators dockside offers a wide variety of food from hamburgers, chicken, fish and even Gator bites. They also have big screen TV’s, pool tables and video games. There are 19 Gator’s Dockside restaurants in Florida.

After we ate dinner we headed over to Congo River Adventures, in Altamonte Springs, for a game of miniature golf. My family loves mini golf so we were really excited to be able to play. I love when the golf courses have hills and water and lots of fun scenes and this Congo River didn’t disappoint. Congo River Adventure has a mobile app to keep score. No more looking for that little pencil!

After mini golf it was back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep.

See what happens on Day Two!

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

February 6: Disney Reads Day at The Avenues Mall #DisneyReadsDay @FirstBook @Disney #MagicofStorytelling

February 5, 2016 By Marijean

Disney and ABC Raise Awareness of the Importance of Reading with Nonprofit First Book Through ‘Magic of Storytelling’ Campaign

Disney Donates its 50 Millionth Book and Launches First ‘Disney Reads Day’

Fans and Families Invited to Celebrate Storytelling with Special Events and Online Challenges

The first annual Disney Reads Day at The Avenues will take place on Saturday, February 6! The interactive event will include Disney cast member visits and read-aloud sessions at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. In addition to reading with their favorite characters, participants will enjoy coloring stations and arts and crafts. Come on in and let story time begin! Journey into a world of imagination, and receive a free giveaway from Disney Story Central while supplies last. Story time begins at 10:30 am on February 6, 2016 in Center Court. For each book purchased at The Disney Store on 02/06/2016, First Book will direct a book donated by Disney, up to 250,000 books, to an organization in the region where the purchase was made. To learn more information, visit the Disney Store in The Avenues Mall.

Today, Disney announced that it will donate its 50 millionth book to First Book, a nonprofit that provides new books to educators and organizations serving children from low-income families. To celebrate this milestone, Disney and ABC are inviting consumers to join the fourth annual Magic of Storytelling campaign through a number of activities between now and March 31, 2016, including the first annual Disney Reads Day on February 6, 2016.

The Magic of Storytelling campaign is a collaboration between Disney Publishing Worldwide and Disney|ABC Television Group to help First Book put brand new books into the hands of children in communities nationwide. The campaign features a public service announcement, special events, an extensive media campaign, social media activations and a 50-State online challenge.

The inaugural Disney Reads Day on February 6 will kick off four weeks of events and special promotions at participating retailers and other organizations, including story time events at Disney Store’s 180 U.S. locations, to raise awareness of the importance of reading.

“The Magic of Storytelling campaign celebrates all the ways that a love for reading benefits a child’s life. We’re tremendously grateful to have a partner in Disney that shares these same beliefs,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. “This year is especially thrilling as Disney donates its 50 millionth book through First Book. We hope communities nationwide join us in our efforts to raise awareness of the importance of reading.”

The Magic of Storytelling campaign will feature a public service announcement (PSA) voiced by Steven Spielberg, Director of The Walt Disney Studios upcoming film adaptation of “The BFG,” based on the beloved book by Roald Dahl, coming to theaters on July 1, 2016. Created to celebrate storytelling and underscore the importance of reading, the PSA will be shared with audiences across Disney including ABC affiliate stations, ABC Network, ABC Family (soon to be renamed Freeform on January 12, 2016), Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Disney Store, Disney Cruise Line and Disney Resorts’ TVs, the ABC Watch app, and more. Additionally, each local ABC-owned station will donate 5,000 books to their local communities through schools and organizations in their respective markets.

“Storytelling is at the heart of everything we do,” said Leslie Ferraro, co-chair, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media and president, Disney Consumer Products. “Great stories change lives, unleash imaginations and foster creativity. We are incredibly proud of our ongoing, long-standing partnership with First Book and the work they have done to bring books to kids in need, and we look forward to sharing the Magic of Storytelling and Disney Reads Day with families and fans.”

Consumers are encouraged to participate and share the magic of storytelling through a number of ways:

In-Store Events: Consumers are invited to celebrate Disney Reads Day at participating retailers and Disney Store locations, which will feature family-friendly events and activities including story time. A full list of all Disney Store locations and participating retailers is available at firstbook.org/BeInspired.
Book Donation: For each eligible book consumers purchase at a Disney Store or other participating locations on February 6, 2016, a book will be donated to an organization in the region where the purchase was made, up to 250,000 books. A full list of all Disney Store locations and participating retailers is available at firstbook.org/BeInspired.
Social Media: Consumers can also participate by posting a “shelfie” – a selfie with a favorite book or in front of a bookshelf. For each shelfie posted to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #MagicOfStorytelling, First Book will direct a book donated by Disney to an organization in need, up to 500,000 books.
Digital Activation: Through March 31, 2016, consumers can visit FirstBook.org/BeInspired to vote online to win a donation of books for kids in need in their state.