Finding yourself inside and unable to go to school can be difficult for everyone. Parents are worried and stressed about, well, everything right now and know that your kids are also feeling some of that worry as well. While little minds may not be able to understand everything that is happening, they do know that their daily lives are being disrupted with not being able to go to school, not playing with friends, and not seeing family members outside of their own house. Times like these call for good old fashioned family time to make everyone feel a bit better. I've compiled a list of some of my favorite movies currently on Disney+ that you can enjoy with your family. . .either just for fun or with an educational component! Check them out!
Lady and the Tramp
I loved this remake of the animated classic, probably even more than I liked the original. Here is my review of the film if you're wondering if it's right for your family. Looking for a way to turn this into a family fun night? Why not set up your own Tony's restaurant! Your kids can design menus including pasta, breads, salads, and drinks. They can take orders and add up a bill to practice some of those math skills. Then your family can enjoy a night of spaghetti and meatballs while watching Lady and the Tramp come to life in your living room!
Oh Natasha. The original female Avenger is finally getting her own movie! Black Widow is set to be released by Marvel Studios in May 2020 and the trailer is nothing short of action packed - with a dose of wit and humor we expect from the MCU. Let's watch it together.
So what do you think? I can't wait to find out more about Black Widow before she was Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson is back in the role we all know and love. In the trailer, we also meet David Harbour's character, Red Guardian. Who is he to Natasha? I don't know about you, but I think his costume resembles Captain America a bit. Her "family" seems, well. . .interesting. I know we'll be heading to theaters with some of our Avengers loving friends when this hits theaters. Until then, check out my reviews of previous Marvel movies here and follow along with Black Widow on social media below.
So, you may notice a theme in my posts from The Geekly Retreat that talk about Disney+ shows and movies - and it's crying. Seriously, by the end of Disney+ Day on the retreat, my face was puffy and my makeup had been completely washed off my face. Many shows and movies will leave you feeling big emotions, and Marvel Hero Project is no different.
The Premise
During our screening, we had a chance to have the show introduced by Dan Silver, Disney+ Vice President of Non-Fiction Content. The "origin story" of this series is just as sweet as the show itself. The idea came from Silver's son while they were walking to see Spiderman: Homecoming. His son was talking about kids that he knows as everyday heroes which brought the idea to Silver, who was working at Marvel at the time. From there, the idea began taking shape. The series selects a different kid in each episode who is doing incredible things.
This is definitely a show to watch with the whole family. It's a perfect conversation starter on a number of topics - namely, to quote Walt himself, "it's kind of fun to do the impossible!" In the episode we saw, and others that I'm aware of, kids and their families have some definite challenges facing them, but they choose to not let anything hold them down. Others highlight kids in tremendous acts of service to others. They are stories of heart and perseverance with life lessons for all of us. We have the ability to make the world a better place, one small act at a time!
At our screening, we were shown one of the episodes. I'm not going to tell you which one or ruin any "plot points" for you so you can enjoy it with your family, but I will say to bring the tissues. Maybe I'm just a big softie, or maybe it's being a mom, or maybe it's being an educator, but I love stories of incredible kids doing incredible things! I cried along with the mom as she talked about coming to terms with her son's struggles and as she talked about his courage to overcome EVERY obstacle in front of him. I cried with his coach as he talked about the inspiration he has been for the team. And I cried as the gifted artists at Marvel turned his story into a one-of-a-kind comic book. That's something cool they are doing for each story they feature on the series and families can read the comics online after watching each episode!
I can't wait to watch this with my kids. While I think my 7 year old will enjoy it more than my 4 year old, I will certainly watch it with both of them so they can see the amazing stories of other kids! Regardless of whether you are a Marvel fan or not, this is something you won't want to miss.
About Marvel Hero Project
In life, it doesn't take wearing a suit of iron, carrying a mythical hammer or swinging from spider webs to be a real hero. Sometimes the person who can make a positive difference in the world is the person who simply sees a problem and has the passion to find a creative solution. And in Marvel's Hero Project, the new Disney+ series, those people are kids. Like the girl who helps loved ones with Alzheimer's make connections through puzzles or a boy who grows an urban garden to feed the hungry, despite his family financial hardships. The first non-scripted reality series from Marvel Entertainment takes an up close and personal look at the lives of twenty amazing kids from across the country, each of whom is doing remarkable things to help his or her community. Each week, Marvel surprises these young heroes, who have dedicated themselves to performing selfless acts of bravery, kindness, and betterment, by welcoming them into Marvel's Hero Project, inspiring viewers of all ages.
Every great story comes to end and Marvel fans have waited over 20 films to get this one. If you haven't heard the hype surrounding Avengers Endgame, you were probably destroyed by Thanos last year because this movie is pretty much all the entertainment world has talked about for a while now.
As my regular readers and friends are aware, I'm new to the Marvel universe. Prior to October, I had only seen part of Avengers: Infinity War and that was it. With all of the excitement surrounding Endgame brewing in my Disney circles, I decided to give Marvel a try. Using the suggestion of my friend Patty, I made an attempt to watch all the Marvel movies prior to Endgame. (Check out her list of the order to watch all the Marvel films prior to Endgame) I got through three by Christmas. I wouldn't want to see how Bruce would feel about that. . .
I enjoyed the movies, but my husband was not a fan and my kids are too little to really get into them so I was trying to sneak them in when no one else was around. Recognizing that I probably wasn't going to get through all of them, I changed my game plan and decided I would try just to watch the previous three Avengers movies to see what I could pick up before Endgame released. I also made it to see Captain Marvel in March - you can catch my spoiler-free review here if you missed that one!
Prior to Endgame, here are the Marvel movies I actually watched:
Captain America: The First Avenger
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
The Avengers
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Avengers: Infinity War
Captain Marvel
So can a newbie to the Marvel universe enjoy Endgame?
Absolutely. The movie is incredibly well done and you don't have to be an expert in these films to appreciate that. My husband went to see the movie with me and he only made it through Iron Man 2 on my list above. He also really enjoyed the film. I would definitely recommend watching at least the 3 previous Avengers movies before Endgame in order for the storyline to make sense. While the film picks up immediately following Thanos' famous "snap" at the end of Infinity War, the main action actually takes place five years in the future as all of The Avengers (and the world) learn to adapt to life after half of all living creatures have been destroyed. With the little background knowledge I had acquired from previous films, I was able to answer a lot of questions my husband threw my way during the film, but not all of them.
Without spoiling the plot or the ending, I'll say this. I'm glad I had seen Captain America and Iron Man to understand their background stories. I wish I had seen one of the Thor movies to tell me more about this Asgardian hero and Ant-Man as Scott Lang does play a pretty significant part in this movie. You'll also notice I have not seen any of the Guardians of the Galaxy films. While I know enough about the characters from Infinity War to put pieces together, I really didn't know anything about their backstories and there were probably important plot lines for them that were being played out too that completely went over my head. I think with careful attention in the three previous Avengers films, you can grab enough info about many of the other characters to not be lost, but I know I didn't "get" everything the same way my deeply devoted Marvel friends did in the Endgame. What this movie definitely did was inspire me to want to go back and play "catch-up" on the previous films.
Regardless of your background knowledge of the Marvel characters, this movie will leave you feeling all the feels. I found many moments that had me (and the entire theater) laughing out loud. The humor in the film actually struck me more than I expected. While there were funny moments in previous Avengers films, this one takes the cake in my humble opinion. I also did sob like a baby during one particular scene - no spoilers though people!
So let's wrap it up with a quick summary:
If you haven't seen ANY Avengers movies previously (aka: my husband) - You'll enjoy the movie for what it is. There's enough of the previous plot recapped for you in the film to follow along, but you will feel a lot of holes. The sheer cinematic perfection in this film is enough for movie fans, even if they aren't Marvel fans, to enjoy. If you have any interest in seeing it, don't let the fact that you haven't been schooled in the past scare you away.
If you've ONLY seen the Avengers movies previously (aka: me. . .for the most part) - You'll feel "in the know" with most of the movie and the plot lines that you don't get, you probably won't even realize you're not getting because you don't know they exist. There will be enough of an emotional attachment to the characters to feel the weight and the emotion of the Endgame.
If you're a DIEHARD Avengers fan (aka: my friends who saw it with us) - You're in for one BIG finish and emotional rollercoaster. While my husband's biggest complaint with the film was that he thought they could have told the story in way less time, those of you who are Marvel experts will most likely disagree. The Russo brothers could have told THIS story in less time, but to wrap up everything they did from previous story lines, you need the whole film.
If you're looking for spoiler-free reviews from some die hard Marvel fans, check out the list below. These lucky ladies got to stroll the red carpet in Los Angeles for the Endgame premiere and share their fangirl perspectives below!
I can't wait to hear what all of you think of Avengers: Endgame! As I'm finishing this post, it's already passed the $1 Billion mark before opening weekend is even concluded. . .I think the people have spoken!
Follow the Endgame on Social Media: Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/marvelstudios Follow us on Twitter: @marvelstudios Instagram: @marvelstudios #AvengersEndgame
As a novice in the Marvel universe (confession: I've only seen 3 Marvel movies prior), I knew just about nothing coming into this movie. I went out for my birthday weekend to catch Captain Marvel with two of my friends who are Marvel maniacs. Outside of the information I received from Walt Disney studios prior to the release of the movie, I really didn't know what to expect. Here's the basics from Disney/Marvel:
Set in the 1990s, Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN MARVEL is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that follows the journey of Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes. While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the center of the maelstrom. The film stars Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Rune Temte, Algenis Perez Soto, Mckenna Grace, with Annette Bening, with Clark Gregg, and Jude Law. Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN MARVEL is produced by Kevin Feige and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Schwartz, Patricia Whitcher and Stan Lee are the executive producers. The story is by Nicole Perlman and Joe Shrapnel & Anna Waterhouse, and the screenplay is by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck and Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Jac Schaeffer.
So what really happened? We meet Vers (aka Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers - yeah it's a lot) on the planet Hala. She is part of the Kree Special Forces that is working to defend the universe from infiltration by the Skrulls. After learning that one of their agents may have been compromised on Torfa, the Kree team deploys to complete a dangerous rescue mission. Vers is taken by the Skrulls on Torfa and, while in captivity, they try to extract memories from her. Vers doesn't even remember her life before 6 years ago when she came to Hala, but she becomes confused and overwhelmed by flashbacks and references to Planet C 53. After an incredible escape, Vers steals a space craft and heads to Planet C 53 where she crash lands into a Blockbuster Video. On Planet C 53, which we know as Earth, Vers encounters Agent Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. They then began embarking on a journey to piece together Vers past memories from C 53 while defending Earth from the warfare that is coming between the Skrulls and the Kree.
There was a lot that I really loved about this movie and I'm going to try and share it all without spoiling the plot. First, y'all know I love to find the big message in movies. In Captain Marvel, our leading hero learns that you don't always know who to trust because sometimes the information you have believed for as long as you can remember is simply propaganda. We also learn that the bonds of friends and family are strong despite the trials of time and distance. Next, I've come up with a new answer to the "What superpower would you like to have" question that people ask sometimes - shape shifting. It's the superpower of the Skrulls and it's pretty darn cool. They can take the shape of anything they encounter, right down to the DNA. I would say I would take Captain Marvel's superpower, which is also downright amazing once you see it in full force, but I still don't fully understand it and would probably be afraid to sneeze that it would end up doing something crazy to me! I'm also not a cat person, but if I could have a cat like Goose, I may change my mind.
So a big question to answer for my other Marvel novices out there. Do you need to be an Avenger ace to enjoy and understand this movie? My answer is a resounding no! As someone with very little background on Marvel, I felt like the movie was easy to follow and understand. My friends also agreed saying that beside a few small references - mainly the tesseract - the story stands alone. From a kid-friendly standpoint, I wasn't really concerned with language or sexual content, but there is lots of violence in line with what you typically see in superhero movies so that's more of a parenting preference as to how young you allow your children to see these types of film.
While I previously have not watched many of the Marvel films, the few that I have seen have simply made me want to watch more and Captain Marvel is no exception! Stick around during the credits for two additional scenes. The first one gives a preview look at Avengers: Endgame which opens April 26 and the second features everyone's favorite cat, Goose.
Have you seen Captain Marvel yet? I'd love to hear your thoughts! And for more Captain Marvel news and updates, be sure to follow the social media channels below. Higher, further, faster friends!!
