Category Archives: DVD

My Pet Dinosaur a Family Movie from Australia

Directed by Matt Drummond, who is an Emmy winner, My Pet Dinosaur is only available on Demand.

The story is a blend of E.T and Monster’s Inc.  My Pet Dinosaur fixes on the quirky friendship between a boy and a dinosaur.  Cast includes Jordan Dulieu, Annabel Wolfe, Christopher Gabardi,  and Tiriel Mora.

The movie features high-end visual effects, a heart-warming tale of friendship and the beautiful Australian countryside. Produced in Australia, My Pet Dinosaur is a perfect addition to family movie night list of films to see.

Watch the trailer and discover how a  finds the remnants of a failed military experiment. Then, his troubled town is plunged further into chaos as he accidentally makes a new friend – a dinosaur.

Alpha and Omega: Dingo Digs

AO-Dino-Digs_ocard_pack-shotDirected by Tim Maltby and written by Tom Kane, the wolf pack is back in action as a fun and entertaining story for young kids in Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs.

This is the sixth installment of the Alpha & Omega franchise, and some of the scenes are funny and cute with a wonderful musical score. The animation is of poor quality and blurry at times. Still, the 47-minute movie will entertain the kids.

The movie starts with a “65 million years ago…” and we watch to cartoonish dinosaurs facing the destruction of their civilization.  We then cut to and follow Humphrey and Kate with their three pops when they are forced to find a new location for their den.

Their new place has kind of a unique name – wolf-burbia, a nice play on the word “suburbia.” While they are moving into their new grounds, they discover Amy, an affable dinosaur who is unfamiliar with the new world. The scene where they meet Amy is really cool to watch and each facial expression will engage your kids.

Amy is a friendly raptor that magically comes to life when she is uncovered during a big dig. The pups and their forest friends show Amy the wonders of their new world and must work together and try to stop the diggers from unearthing the dangerous T-Rex before it is too late.

The movie is great for kids, teaching life lessons about being a good friend, helping your friends, and confronting and solving problems.

The trailer for the movie is no longer available at my YouTube Channel.  The above link to the movie takes you to Amazon where the trailer is still live.  Parents can view it and see if the movie is appropriate for their kids.

Power Rangers Dino Charge: Resurgence

POWER_RANGERS_Dino_Resurgence_ocard-pack-shotPower Rangers is never boring for kids. They just love watching the series. It is like they are battling alongside the dynamic team that is known as the Power Rangers. In Power Rangers Dino Charge: Resurgence, the Red, Black, Blue, Green, and Pink Rangers unite and save the world from prehistoric monsters.  I am amazed at how the boys are glued to the screen whenever the live-action Power Rangers battle against evil Cavity monster.

The kids learn teamwork and team building skills as the Power Rangers are, once again, put to the test as they rescue Chase and discover the destructive Ankylo Zord and have a battle against a team of Power Ranger clones.

All in all, you can’t go wrong with the Power Rangers. The series has been around a long time, and here we are at season 12. Yet, each new generation of kids get a kick out the battles and imaginative monsters the dynamic team goes against in each episode.

Care Bears: Bearied Treasure

Care Bears Bearied TreasureCare Bears creates the funniest puns in their titles.  Care Bears: Bearied Treasure is just too cute as a title and the best one so far. The story is about the bears finding a treasure map, so they each want a treasure for themselves.

They go on an adventure by jumping aboard a ship and sail the sea to Starshine Parade and look for treasures. While they are sailing they help a lost baby star and other delightful and innocent adventures.

But, there is a lesson, and this time, the Care Bears work together to find a buried pirate treasure for each of them but find that the real treasure is their special friendship, which is such a good message for preschoolers.

The pirate jargon coming from the Care Bears is entertaining and the quality of the animation is top-notch.  I recommend it.

Chuggington Dash at the Docks

Delivery Dash at the Docks is the newest installment in the adventurous Chuggington DVD collection. The DVD holds six episodes from the fifth season of the Disney Junior series. The disc even has extra bonus features like Badge Quest Episodes: Buddy Badge and Follow the Leader and Coloring Pages. Kids should enjoy the bonus features as a special treat. We even meet two new characters, Daley and Skipper Stu.  Mothers know this preschool storyline is even fun to watch with their kids.

We follow Koko, and he is thrilled to be spending the day training with Chuggington’s new express delivery engine, Daley. Together they pick up and deliver important packages all around Chuggington, frequenting the bustling docks where Skipper Stu, Chuggington’s new Dock Master, is loading and unloading the ship. All of them go on adventures that any child will enjoy and learn the importance of patience, paying careful attention to detail and teamwork.

Of course, all the delightful engines will entertain and inspire youngsters again and again. They will be able to visit with Brewster, Koko, and Wilson, along with the other engines in Chuggington, on these grand adventures.

Power Rangers: Dino Charge Unleashed

PowerrangdinoI believe kids, young and old, will like the new Power Rangers series. It is cool how they get their powers from gems, called Energems. There is even a Power Ranger who is a caveman. He is still alive and looks young because the gems stop the aging process of any Individual who holds it. Each ranger uses a gem and is ageless. Each ranger also has a unique talent they bring to the team.  There is a new evil villain named Sledge, and he has minions that the rangers go against

Watching the new episodes (1 – 4), I saw the fledging rangers work together and grow as a team. Fighting together, they became familiar with each other while at the same time working together at the Dino Café. Dino Charge can easily be a favorite of any Power Ranger fan since the story is unique and different from all the others.

Sledge is an intergalactic bounty hunter, and he wants to get his hands on the Energems, which the rangers unearthed and use for their own powerful dinosaur spirit. The rangers use Dino-fueled weapons, new Mega Zords, too. Together they must protect these gems at all costs from Sledge’s monster minions while keeping the whole universe safe.

“Hatched” Fun Adventure for Kids

hatchedDirected by Xu Kerr, Hatched is billed as an animated adventure featuring the voices of Jeff Foxworthy (The Smurfs) and Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings). The movie is about farmyard animals that are crazy and silly for kids to enjoy genuinely. I have to say, the characters are out-of-this-world, and take a look at their names.

Hatched has many chickens in the movie, so the DVD can be popped into the player for Easter or Spring Break. The film is part of a planned trilogy with playfully named characters like Cluck Norris, voiced by Astin, and Charlie Horse, expressed by Foxworthy.

We follow Cluck Norris as he handles mishaps with young chicks destined to learn how to fly. Chickpea, Tiny SchwarzHENegger, Meryl Cheep and Angelina Poultrie are the crazy farmyard animals that help get the youngsters flying.

Everyone sees that the chickens really can fly, but when their tiny alien pal, Magic, is in danger, the young chicks join the efforts of their animal neighbors to save their home and their friend from the villains. The villains are not scary, so the kids shouldn’t get too scared watching this silly animated movie. The chicks become heroes and learn a lesson about the meaning of friendship.

All in all, let the kids watch the movie because the parents might get bored with all the silly farm animals’ quirky situations. The clever names based on current movie stars will go over the kids’ heads, but at least the parents can chuckle or two when they hear them.

Wiener Dog Internationals

wienerdogintDirected by Kevan Peterson, Wiener Dog Internationals is the sequel to Wiener Dog Nationals and is a fun movie for kids. We meet up again with John Shelly, the U.S. wiener dog racing champion, who with the Jack family kids, takes on the adventure of a lifetime by going to the Wiener Dog Internationals. I must admit there is plenty to bark about because the movie received the Dove Foundation seal of approval. That means it is safe for kids of all ages to watch.

The movie stars Golden Globe nominee Morgan Fairchild, who is best known for starring in another canine movie called Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2. Bryan Batt and Jason London also star in the wholesome movie.

The DVD also contains four episodic movies called “Minuscule” as a bonus for the purchase.

The Jack family and their wiener dog, Shelly, is at it again, and are entering the International World of Wiener Dog Racing. But this time, it is the kids sneaking off to enter Shelly in the Internationals. Yet, they find themselves caught in a sneaky plot orchestrated by Miss Merryweather, played Fairchild, which could hinder all wiener dog races for quite some time.

All in all, the sequel is better than the original movie. I will not spoil the movie by telling you the end. Still, the movie is fun to watch. We get to follow the kids and Shelly to see if they stop Miss Merryweather, and if Shelly wins another championship.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Zexal Season 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Season 2The second season of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal 5D’s covers episodes 27 to 64 with some season 3 and 5 episodes added, and is titled Earthbound Immortals for the English language viewers, though my DVD has the original title. The story spins around the waging war between the united Signers, and the evil Dark Signers. The box set is very similar to the season 1 box set.

You open up the box and see four individual DVD cases each with two discs per case. By combining both Season 1 and 2 box sets you will have the complete series about Yusei and Jack. You might be sad to know this is the last DVD release for Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s because there are a total of three seasons.  The third season is estimated at only 30 episodes that are not dubbed. For that reason, the set will not be released. No telling if that is a final decision.

With all that packaging of the series out of the way, the second season of this amine adventure takes place much like first season. There are some episodes that are not well dubbed. For example, the time Jack goes to the Nazca where he receives his Red Nova Dragon, and Team 5Ds go against another opponent during the WRGP tournament.  Other episodes with questionable dubbing are the Divine Temple and Ark Cradle Arc.

The anime is filled with many monsters going against other monsters like in Duel Runner Tournament, Duels for fun, and Plot build.  Like I wrote earlier, you will be surprised to see some of Season 3 and 5 in the set.

All in all, the set looks and seems perfect for any anime fan, but with the added episodes from the preceding seasons and some dubbing flaws makes the set haphazardly put together. But, I don’t think it is a reason not to purchase or view the episodes.  Being an amine fan or fanatic is all the reason to own this set.

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Friendship Games

My Little Pony Equestrian Girls Friendship GamesMy Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Friendship Games is a full-length movie as an adventure in itself. The Ponies come to life and share the magic of friendship with silly humor that kids can enjoy. There is a storyline, too, adding a little bit of drama, when the girls magically gain pony-like ears, tails, and wings.

Directed by Jayson Thiessen and Ishi Rudell, the story begins with Twilight Sparkle because she is only pony able to go from the human world to the pony world. It has been quite some time since she was in contact with any of her human friends.  When she does come in contact, it isn’t the Twilight they know.  At the same time, all the six human friends are getting in better control of their hidden magic powers. This is good because they need to learn how to control their powers for the friendship games at Canterlot High School – an athletic as well as an academic competition between rivalry schools.

What is really fun about this movie is it reinforces the idea of developing the positive reputation for the My Little Pony Friendship. The storyline keeps the characters in exciting circumstances along with twists and turns while learning important messages, such as when help arrives, it is best to accept it.

The animation looks very doable in 2-D. Thiessen and Rudell took a creative turn including 3-D camera shots. The voice talent for the characters works well. Tara Strong is the voice for Twilight Sparkle, and her voice really does sparkle while one can pity her flaws and intolerable actions.

A great scene that comes to mind is where they are on a dirt bike course, and two of the main characters are competing with the enemy high school. It includes Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. The race starts well, but Twilight Sparkle inadvertently casts a strange magic spell, and the whole race goes whacky.

If you follow the TV show, it will help you to understand the characters, but it is not truly necessary. The first movie, My Little Pony: Equestrian Girls, is quite popular, and you should watch that one first to help understand the overall story.