Walt Disney Motion Pictures Canada Archives

If you have Disney-loving offspring in your household, chances are, you’ve got July 18th circled on your calendar. Why? Well, it’s the North American release of Planes: Fire & Rescue, of course!

“Planes: Fire & Rescue” is a new comedy-adventure about second chances, featuring a dynamic crew of elite firefighting aircraft devoted to protecting historic Piston Peak National Park from raging wildfire. When world-famous air racer Dusty (voice of Dane Cook) learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, he must shift gears and is launched into the world of aerial firefighting.

Dusty joins forces with veteran fire-and-rescue helicopter Blade Ranger (voice of Ed Harris) and his courageous team, including spirited air tanker Dipper (voice of Julie Bowen), heavy-lift helicopter Windlifter (voice of Wes Studi), ex-military transport Cabbie (voice of Captain Dale Dye) and a lively bunch of brave all-terrain vehicles known as The Smokejumpers. The fearless team battles a wildfire and Dusty learns what it takes to become a true hero.

Planes: Fire & Rescue I’ve got two little fans who cannot wait to see the new movie, and I’ve got a special surprise for them – we’re attending the advanced screening on July 16th in Toronto! Yup – they’ll get their Dusty-fix before anyone else (which translates to two more days of hearing roaring plane engines for me).

The best news: you can join us! I’ve got one Family Pass of 4 to give away to the advanced screening of Planes: Fire & Rescue on July 16, 2014 in Toronto. The show will take place at Cineplex Yonge & Dundas at 7:15pm.

If you’re interested in treating your family to this epic aerial adventure, simply leave a comment on this post. I’ll randomly draw for a winner on Sunday, July 13th, 2014. Good luck everyone!

Regular readers of my blog will know that we waited for this one. Ten very, very long months, to be precise.

It all started last December at our media trip for the New Fantasyland, where Reid met Ariel, and promptly fell in love with her. His first crush – on a Princess, no less! And all of a sudden, he wanted everything to do with the world of The Little Mermaid. In fact, at the Art of Animation’s gift shop, my husband and I were both surprised when he walked straight to the Ariel figurine and pointed – “Her.”

And that’s when it happened. The colossally bad move on my husband’s part.

“We’ll buy you the movie when we get home!” he promised excitedly. “Then you can watch her all the time!”

I frantically made arm gestures at him, signalling to zip it, shut up, no, no, NO! There’s a little thing called the Disney Vault, and I happened to know that The Little Mermaid was securely locked inside. Translation: unless we were willing to shell out $200+ for a copy on eBay, there was no way Ariel was making it to our home. Sigh.

Until now. We waited patiently. Oh, how we waited! And on October 1st, The Little Mermaid splashed its way into homes for the first time ever on Blu-ray – for a limited time only. Now, viewers can experience Ariel’s adventures like never before with sparkling high definition picture and sound, and explore the making of this modern family classic with all-new bonus treasures.

Now I’m sure y’all know exactly what The Little Mermaid is all about, but for those newbies:

“Ariel (voiced by Jodi Benson), is a free-spirited mermaid, who is off on the adventure of a lifetime with her best friend, the adorable Flounder (voiced by Jason Marin), and the reggae-singing Caribbean crab Sebastian (voiced by Samuel E. Wright) at her side. But it will take all of her courage and determination to make her dreams come true—and save her father’s (voiced by Kenneth Mars) beloved kingdom from the sneaky sea witch Ursula (voiced by Pat Carroll).”

Since receiving The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition for review, we’ve watched the movie at least a dozen times (or more). For one, Reid is united with his lady love! It is an utter joy to see his eyes riveted to the screen, clapping along with all the songs or shielding his eyes at the scarier parts. Ryder, a boy’s boy, also loves the movie for its adventure, intrigue and of course, Ursula’s maniacal laugh :)…

Planes: Fire & Rescue – Win a Family Pass! (GTA)

Seven Life Lessons from The Little Mermaid