The Witches have made a comeback! It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 30 years since Roald Dahl’s masterpiece book was first adapted into a movie back in 1990, starring the fabulous Anjelica Huston!
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You’d think we’d be safe this time around, but the clan of evil women have joined forces with the fabulous Anne Hathaway as the The Grand High Witch and Octavia Spencer as additional cast! Spooky, we know!
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Director Nicolas Roeg did a spectacular job with the movie in 1990, because it still has a cult following to this day. But rumor has it, Roald Dahl did not approve of the film, as the ending was changed from the book, so lets see how things turn out this time around.
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Even though the book came out in 1983, I remember reading it as a kid much later and being downright terrified. And the movie was perhaps one of the single most horrifying and equally thrilling children’s movies to have ever been released, in my opinion!
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So, safe to say, we are quite excited and thrilled for the upcoming adaptation, and hope it does justice to the previous fantastic 1990 movie, as well as the timeless book. And maybe this time around, Roald Dahl would finally be content!
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Jonathan Van Ness, the author of Over the Top and star of Queer Eye, has stepped out of his comfort zone. Bringing his signature humor and positivity, Van Ness has written a Children’s Book to inspire kids to celebrate everything that makes them special.
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Looking back on his childhood, Van Ness never understood why he was more over the top than the rest of the children. It came to a point when he realized that there was little to no solace in books to make him feel as though his uniqueness was what made him special. This inspired Van Ness to write a book of his own that focused on a gender-neutral character in the form of a guinea pig.
Peanut Goes for the Gold is a heartfelt picture book that shows the uniqueness of a gender nonbinary guinea pig named Peanut. Peanut never fails to show their uniqueness. As the blurb states, “Whether it’s cartwheeling during basketball practice or cutting their own hair, this little guinea pig puts their own special twist on life.” By using gender-neutral pronouns, Van Ness gives room for children to insert themselves into the story in ways that they wouldn’t normally be able to.
Image Via Amazon
Although Peanut can love themselves at such a young age, it wasn’t as easy for Van Ness to do the same. In his book, Over the Top, Van Ness shares his experiences with being different from other children. Growing up in a small Midwestern town, his unique personality caused “years of judgment, ridicule and trauma.”
Over the Top gives permission for Van Ness to share a side of himself that others haven’t seen. By sharing the pain and passion he felt at such a young age, it made headway for many to gain more insight into the whole Jonathan.
Through the good and the bad, Van Ness has been able to rise above and uplift children who may be experiencing the same.
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It’s officially release day of Disney’s newest darling, Frozen II. Last night, I went to one of the earliest screenings, and I got the details.
If you don’t want spoilers, turn away and slam this door!
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Synopsis: Three years after the events of the first film, Elsa starts to hear a strange sound from the north calling her. Together with her sister Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven, they embark on a new journey beyond their homeland of Arendelle in order to discover the origin of Elsa’s magical powers and save their kingdom.
Consensus: Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell once again shine in this will-be Disney classic. Their voices bring to life the strong and powerful Queen Elsa, and the spunky and caring Princess Anna, while adding new layers to these beloved characters. Also returning on this magical adventure is Jonathan Groff as the adorably awkward Kristoff (and sometimes Sven the reindeer), as well as Josh Gad as the ever lovable snowman Olaf.
It’s been three years since the events of the first movie took place, and everyone seems to be settling into their roles in Arendelle. That is until only Elsa hears a voice from the north calling to her. While Elsa is dealing with this, Kristoff tries to keep proposing to the ever caring Anna, who seems oblivious to his attempts and focused on Elsa’s well being. It’s only when Elsa accidentally wakes up the spirits of the Enchanted Forest that the elements of Earth, Water, Fire and Air start to cause the Arendellians (yes, that’s what the people of Arendelle are officially called) to flee the kingdom that the action starts up.
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Once in the forest, Elsa and Anna finds out that only Elsa can soothe the elemental spirits and help free the Northuldra (a fictional representation of the Sámi people) and Arendellian soldiers in the forest. There, Elsa learns that water has memory (as if Olaf hadn’t been saying that enough). She and Anna then discover that their mother was from the enchanted forest and rescued their father when they were children, thus making them a bridge between the Northuldra and Arendelle. From the wind spirit Gale to Bruni the fire salamander to the Nøkk, Elsa encounters and brings peace to the spirits, while learning that the past she thought she knew was not what it seemed, and that there may be a fifth spirit which serves as a bridge between the spirits and people.
When Anna and Elsa discover the ship their parents were on before they died, destroyed in an inlet, the sisters find the actual reason behind their parents’ trip. The trip was to go to the mythical Ahtohallan, a place Queen Iduna told her daughters about, and the place to find the origins behind Elsa’s powers. It is here that it hits Elsa that in order to find the voice and Ahtohallan, she must leave Anna and Olaf behind to protect them.
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From here, Elsa encounters the water spirit, the Nøkk, who tries to drown her. When she finally tames the Nøkk, Elsa finally finds Ahtohallan, she has the revelation that the voice calling her was a past echo of her mother saving her father. Turns out the results of the spirits’ anger was over her grandfather’s killing of the unarmed Northuldra leader. From here, Elsa starts to become frozen, and then sends a snow statue showing what happened to Anna as her final action. Because of this, Olaf turns to flurries, and Anna finds what truly happens, and realizes that she must destroy their grandfather’s dam that put the events into motion years ago.
With the help of the Arendelle soldiers, Kristoff and the stone giants, the dam is destroyed, and the floods make a direct course to destroy Arendelle. Since the spirits seem to be appeased, a newly unfrozen Elsa rides off on the Nøkk in a desperate rush to save the kingdom. With this all done, Anna starts to head back to tell the kingdom what has happened. But off in the distance, she sees a newly transformed Elsa, which results in a tearjerking (and comical) reunion between the sisters and Kristoff. Olaf is brought back and Kristoff finally proposes after bungling it a few times. It is here that the decision is made that Elsa will stay in the forest as her role as the fifth spirit and part of the bridge between the spirits and the people, and Anna will become Queen and the other part of the bridge.
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While some fans may disagree with this, I honestly really liked the ending. Could they have changed some things in the movie? Of course. No film is perfect, not even either of the Frozenmovies. But the ending of having the sisters go their own paths while still maintaining contact was the right way to go. And the way the film was darker and more mature than the first one put Frozen II on a whole different level. It wasn’t Hunchback of Notre Dame dark (nothing will ever come close), but it also wasn’t as light as the first installment was. And I think that by showing how to find the truth and fix the past’s mistakes, the movie has great lessons for all ages. It doesn’t hurt that the music is spectacular (“Show Yourself” is the perfect heir to “Let It Go”, and making “Lost in the Woods” a family friendly ’80s music video was genius!), the animation was just as magical, and the focus on finding who you are and where you belong will melt any frozen heart!
Now please excuse me while I go see this ice movie another 5 times.
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In 2012, children’s author K.A. Applegate published The One And Only Ivan, a story about a gorilla named Ivan who lives in captivity in a mall. He teams up with an elephant named Stella and a dog named Bob to escape the mall and find a better life.
The book received positive reviews and was the winner of the Newbery Medal. A film adaptation is also in development by Disney, set for release in 2020.
Image Via Amazon
But before the release of the new film, Applegate will give us a sequel.
Entertainment Weekly reported today that a sequel novel, The One And Only Bob, will release next spring. All of the characters from the first book will return, but the story will focus on Bob the dog as he sets out to find his long-lost sister.
The official cover was also revealed:
Image Via Entertainment Weekly
Applegate was very excited to write a story from Bob’s perspective:
“It’s been such a joy to spend more time with these three dear friends. I’ve had so many readers ask me to write a novel about Bob. He’s a great character: funny and loyal, if a bit rough around the edges. Turns out he has a tender side, too — and even a touch of hero in his heart.”
The One And Only Bob releases on May 5th, 2020. The film releases in August of the same year.
Shake your jazz hands and throw on your reading glasses because a new book about the ABCs of Broadway’s most famous actresses is heading to bookstores soon!
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Available for pre-order now, A Is For Audra: Broadway’s Leading Ladies from A To Z is the perfect picture book for your theater-loving child. This picture book showcases legendary entertainers in alphabetical order, and with the flow and charm of rhyming illustrates what the starlets’ are most known for. It’s the perfect book not only for children, but for Broadway enthusiasts as well!
Image via Broadway.com
According to Broadway.com, the new children’s book from Doubleday Publishing, written by John Robert Allman and illustrated by Peter Emmerich, is scheduled for release on November 12th. With every sale of the book, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, an organization helping men, women and children across the country and across the street receive much needed medication, health care, nutritious meals, counseling and emergency financial assistance.
Image via Broadway.com
A book that spreads the fantastic achievements of Broadway’s actresses, and makes a literal difference in people’s lives? I look forward to this books opening night, November 12th.
