Just a friendly reminder that if you’re heading into the weekend and looking for something sweet, funny, and heartwarming to watch, you could do a whole lot worse than Being Elmo, the documentary about giant man/helium-voiced puppeteer Kevin Clash’s journey from backyard puppet shows to Sesame Street.
It’s available now on iTunes, DVD, Netflix, and premiered on PBS’s Independent Lens this week. Check your public listings for showtimes and set your DVR — or just splurge on the on-demand option of your choosing.
Another year, another new release from Recess Monkey. It’s almost like a holiday. Every year passes and you wait for news on a new album.
The kindie veterans are set to release their EIGHTH (8th!) album in June. In Tents features the band on a circus theme and will no doubt be just as fun as their previous albums.
Here’s the video for the leadoff single, “The Dancin’ Bear.
As I’ve mentioned previously, we’re big fans of Willliam Joyce’s Guardians of Childhood series in my family, so I’ve been watching the news of DreamWorks’ upcoming animated adaptation with great interest. I’ve had my doubts as to whether a mainstream studio can preserve the marvelous tone of the books, especially with all the constraints and expectations that go along with turning them into a cartoon — and after watching the first trailer, those doubts haven’t exactly disappeared.
Still, Rise of the Guardians looks like a fun time, even if it suggests that the movie will play up the action-adventure elements of the books at the expense of the saga’s thoughtful (and really quite beautiful) childlike spirit. I’m not sure I would have expected anything less, and really, when you hand an animation studio a version of Santa who grew up with Russian bandits, you’re going to get an action hero in return. Synopsis below:
Rise of the Guardians is being written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro and Michael Siegel. It stars Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law. More than a collection of the well-known childhood legends, Rise of the Guardians is an epic adventure that tells the story of a group of heroes – each with extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world.
Take a look here — but if what you see excites you, please do yourself a favor and check out the books. You and your children will love them.
