TOMORROWLAND – New Featurette

From Disney comes two-time Oscar® winner Brad Bird’s riveting, mystery adventure “Tomorrowland,” starring Academy Award® winner George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.
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McFARLAND, USA – Fun Facts

  • “McFarland, USA” is inspired by a 1987 true story, in which an unlikely band of inexperienced, under-equipped, young Latino runners with exceptional determination rise to become cross-country state champions under the leadership of their coach, Jim White. Over the years since then, the McFarland High School cross-country teams have won nine state championships and the small school is considered a powerhouse in the sport.

  • Coach Jim White is retired now, but if you go to McFarland, chances are you will see him out there on his bike, keeping up with the kids every evening with a lot of his original team running alongside as well. White retired in 2002 after teaching in McFarland schools for 40 years and coaching for 25 years.

  • A number of the original runners on the championship 1987 cross-country team became educators in the McFarland school district. The former teammates are not only working in their hometown, but also raising their families there and actively supporting the cross-country teams of today by coaching, helping out with the meets and practices and donating goods or money so the teams have what they need.

  • Three out of the seven young actors on the team in the movie are from the McFarland area—Sergio Avelar who plays Victor Puentes and Michael Aguero, cast as Damacio Diaz, are actual runners and Ramiro Rodriguez, as Danny Diaz, was a champion soccer player.

  • Ramiro Rodriguez had no intention of auditioning when he agreed to drive his cousin to the casting tryouts for “McFarland, USA.” He landed the role of Danny Diaz after being pestered repeatedly by executive producer Mario Iscovich to audition.

  • Sergio Avelar is a bona fide runner and a member of the McFarland Track Club. He has been running since 2001 and considers himself a “decent runner.” One of his coaches in middle school was actually Thomas Valles, the real-life person represented by the role that Carlos Pratts plays.

  • Actor Rafael Martinez, who is by nature soft-spoken and polite, admits that he cut school in order to audition for the movie. Needless to say, having won a role, he has no regrets.

  • Prior to the start of principal photography, director Niki Caro organized an informal gathering for the on-screen White clan that proved insightful for her and the actors. In pre-production she assembled the actors together—Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Morgan Saylor and Elsie Fisher—and had them play Monopoly as a family unit. The interesting exercise kick-started a family dynamic that lasted for the entire shoot.

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Hop Into Spring with New Games from Wonder Forge

Disclosure: The games from Wonder Forge mentioned below were provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

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We are a game loving family. There’s not a whole lot better than a game night with some great snacks while spending time with the family. I love that Wonder Forge has created some wonderful games that help instill in our children the love of games.

About Wonder Forge:

In 2007, Jacobe Chrisman (Founder & CEO) and a small group of creative types with a passion for children’s entertainment came together to develop extraordinarily fun, original play experiences for kids and families.

Since it was originally launched, Wonder Forge has always offered top-quality experiences, raising the bar for preschool and family games everywhere. The preschool games help to celebrate the “can do”  attitude in all kids – engaging them physically, socially, and creatively. The family games bridge generation gaps and create wholesome family moments and lasting memories.

Wonder Forge additionally always works to create strong, long-lasting partnerships with licensors. This is wonderful when your children love certain characters.

Today, Wonder Forge makes over 85 games that have won more than 160 top awards for product excellence. They are sold nationwide and in over 11 countries.

About The Games:

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Doc McStuffins Mix Up! Fix Up! Game

Can you cure the mystery boo-boo like Doc McStuffins? Use deduction to figure out what will help Lambie, Stuffy, Chilly, and friends feel all better! Collect the most bandages to win. Put your problem solving skills to the test with this clever guessing game. 
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Marvel’s AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk and Chris Evans as Captain America. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.
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MONKEY KINGDOM – Family Activity Packet & Educators Guide

The Family Activity Packet and Educators Guild can both be easily downloaded from the official MONKEY KINGDOM website.

Life is an adventure for Maya, the clever and resourceful blonde-bobbed monkey in “Monkey Kingdom,” Disneynature’s new feature film set among ancient ruins in the storied jungles of South Asia. Maya’s world is forever changed when she welcomes her son, Kip, into her complicated extended family. Like all families, Maya’s has more than its share of colorful personalities—and she’s determined to give her son a leg up in the world. When their longtime home at Castle Rock is taken over by powerful neighboring monkeys, Maya’s whole family retreats, and she uses her street smarts and ingenuity to uncover untapped resources amidst strange new creatures and unsettling surroundings. Ultimately, they will all have to work together to reclaim Castle Rock, where Maya can hopefully realize her dreams for her son’s future.
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Disney’s “Create TOMORROWLAND” – XPRIZE Challenge

Starting next month, XPRIZE is launching a video contest for 8-17 year-olds to imagine world-changing technology of the future inspired by the upcoming Disney movie TOMORROWLAND!!! Six Winners will have a once–in-a-lifetime mentorship experience with a leader in their area of interest. In addition, each winner will receive a $3,000 check, a 3D Printer from 3D Systems, and registration for FIRST® LEGO® League for the competition season 2015-2016 in the U.S..

About XPRIZE

Founded in 1995, XPRIZE is the leading organization solving the world’s Grand Challenges by creating and managing large-scale, high-profile, incentivized prizes in five areas: Learning; Exploration; Energy & Environment; Global Development; and Life Sciences. Active prizes include the $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE, the $15M Global Learning XPRIZE, the $10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE and the $2M Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE. For more information, visit www.xprize.org.

About Disney’s “Tomorrowland”

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INSIDE OUT – New Trailer

From an adventurous balloon ride above the clouds to a monster-filled metropolis, Academy Award®-winning director Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Up”) has taken audiences to unique and imaginative places. In Disney•Pixar’s original movie “ Inside Out,” he will take us to the most extraordinary location of all—inside the mind.


Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.
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INTO THE WOODS – Fun Facts

  • Production on “Into the Woods” began in September, 2013 at Shepperton Studios and on locations throughout England.

  • Stephen Sondheim has received eight Tony® Awards, more than any other composer in history. He has won seven times: Best Music and Best Lyrics for “Company” (1971); and Best Score for “Follies” (1972), “A Little Night Music” (1973), “Sweeney Todd” (1979), “Into the Woods” (1988) and “Passion” (1994). His eighth honor was a 2008 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

  • The foundation of the Woods set, built on Stage H at Shepperton Studios, was made up of2,000 tons of soil, over 600 ferns, acres and acres of ivy and countless pallets of moss and turf.

  • 95 percent of the trees used on the Woods set were real trees, which included 30-foot pinetrees and hundreds of 25-foot oak tree branches, the leaves of which had to be removed and replaced with artificial ones (so they would last longer). The remaining five percent were full-sized whimsical trees constructed from plaster.

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