My two teens, my husband and I watched this movie together last week and it was worth our time. Based on the #1 New York Times bestseller by Kathryn Stockett, The Help is a courageous and empowering story about very different and
extraordinary women in the 1960s South who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project 00  one that breaks society?s rules and puts them all at risk. Filled with poignancy, humor and hope — and complete with compelling, never-before-seen bonus features — The Help is a timeless, universal and triumphant story about the ability to create change.

Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard all deliver good performances, and the story really makes you think. My kids asked lots of questions throughout the movie and were shocked to witness some of the accepted segregation practices portrayed in 1960s setting.

Here’s one of my favorite parts of the movie and a message I’d like to be sure to deliver to my children regularly:

The Help Blu-ray Combo Pack provides audiences with the chance to delve deeper into the movie through compelling, never-before-seen bonus features, including “In Their Own Words: A Tribute To the Maids Of Mississippi,” which is an honest observation of life in the South from real-life maids, including director Tate Taylor?s childhood caretaker, Carol Lee; Deleted Scenes; and nine-time Grammy Award®-winning and multi-platinum selling singer/songwriter, Mary J. Blige?s “The Living Proof”, music video from the film?s end titles.

In continued efforts to provide consumers with multiple viewing choices and unprecedented quality, value and portability in a single purchase, The Help has been packaged as follows:

3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack  (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) = $44.99 U.S./$51.99 Canada

Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Features:
The Making of “The Help:” From Friendship To Film
In Their Own Words: A Tribute To The Maids Of Mississippi
Three deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor, including „Humiliated,? „A
Book About Jackson? and „Johnny?s Home? (which is a Blu-ray exclusive)

DVD Bonus Features:
Two deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor including „A Senator’s Son.
and „Keep On Walkin
“The Living Proof” music video by Mary J. Blige

2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) = $39.99 U.S./$46.99 Canada

Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Features:
The Making of “The Help:” From Friendship To Film
In Their Own Words: A Tribute To The Maids Of Mississippi
Three deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor including „Humiliated, „A
Book About Jackson and „Johnny’s Home (which is a Blu-ray exclusive)

DVD Bonus Features:
Two deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor, including „A Senator’s Son
and „Keep On Walkin
“The Living Proof” music video by Mary J. Blige

1-Disc DVD = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
Bonus Features:
Two deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor, including „A Senator’s Son
and „Keep On Walkin

“The Living Proof” music video by Mary J. Blige

High Definition Digital Download = $39.99 U.S./$46.99 Canada
Bonus Feature:
Three deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor, including „Humiliated, „A
Book About Jackson and „Johnny’s Home (which is a Blu-ray exclusive)

“The Living Proof” music video by Mary J. Blige

Standard Definition Digital Download = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
Bonus Feature:
Three deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor, including „Humiliated, „A
Book About Jackson and „Johnny’s Home (which is a Blu-ray exclusive)
“The Living Proof” music video by Mary J. Blige

On-Demand
For additional information and pricing, please contact your television provider or favorite digital
retailer. Bonus features are not offered with On-Demand.

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This contest is closed. Congratulations to Freida, comment #20 and Marie, comment #24.

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Released from the Disney vault for a limited time only, BAMBI Diamond Edition features the loveable and adorable wide-eyed fawn and his forest friends in Blu-ray high-definition on March 1, 2011.

The Diamond Edition debut of BAMBI, Walt’s fifth full-length animated classic, is an endearing tale about a young prince of the forest who learns valuable life-lessons about friendship, love, and the miracle of life. The movie is a must-own coming-of-age story that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has especially packaged with families in mind – providing the ultimate, interactive hi-def home entertainment experience with a newly enhanced digital restoration, enhanced picture and sound, games, activities and more.

The new BAMBI Diamond Edition is available as a 2-Disc Disney Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) for the suggested retail price of $39.99 US/$46.99 Canada, a High Definition Movie Download for the suggested retail price of $19.99 US/$39.99 Canada, and/or a Standard Definition Movie Download for the suggested retail price of $14.99 US/$24.99 Canada. Those who wish to own the standard definition DVD version of BAMBI will need to wait seven additional weeks – until April 19, 2011.

Disney’s new “Second Screen” technology, which is being introduced for the very first time on the BAMBI Diamond Edition release, will further transform the at-home movie watching experience by empowering viewers with the ability to engage with film content on multiple media platforms and bring them to life in their own hands at the touch of a button. By simply downloading the new Disney Second Screen App onto an internet-connected computer or iPad™* and synching it to the movie, consumers will instantly be able to dive deeper into the film by engaging with fun interactive elements like animated flipbooks, galleries, photos, trivia and more.

Bonus Features:

Backstage Disney:

· Inside Walt’s Story Meetings-Enhanced Edition – A fascinating, multi-tiered, interactive story-telling experience. Go back in time with dramatic voice re-enactments of the moments with Walt that led to the creation of this classic film.
· 2 Never Before Seen Deleted Scenes
· Deleted Song: “Twitterpated”
· Blu-ray Galleries—A collection of the extraordinary images originally created as part of the design process for BAMBI.

Family Play: Games & Activities:
· Disney’s Big Book of Knowledge: BAMBI Edition— An interactive educational gaming experience that uses the film as a learning tool. Players can customize their own Big Book of Knowledge and learn all about forest creatures, seasons andmore! Each time a player completes a task, they are rewarded with new stickers to decorate their Big Book of Knowledge.

Digital Exclusive:
· The Golden Age

Classic DVD Bonus Features:
· The Making Of BAMBI: A Prince Is Born—A comprehensive look at the making of BAMBI covers the story, the characters, the actors, the art design, the music and the history of Walt Disney’s classic film using behind the scenes footage, production stills, animation, artwork and multiple interviews withperformers and behind the scenes participants.
· Tricks of the Trade (excerpt)—In an episode from the 1957 Disneyland TV show, Walt narrates the story of the multiplane camera, an animation innovation crucial to the production of BAMBI.
· Inside the Disney Archives—Disney Supervising Animator Andreas Deja guides viewers through Disney’s Animation Research Library, where artwork from past Disney animated feature films is stored, including early story sketches of Bobo the rabbit,” (who became Thumper), glass paintings made for the multiplane camera and more.
· The Old Mill—Winner of the 1937 Academy Award® for Best Short Subject/Cartoon, The Old Mill was a testing ground for several techniques critical to Walt’s artistic vision for BAMBI, including the multiplane camera, animating realistic animals and experimenting with such natural occurrences such as wind, rain and lightning.
· DisneyPedia: Bambi’s Forest Friends

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The movie chronicles the story of the horse, Secretariat, and Chenery, played by Academy Award® and Golden Globe nominee Diane Lane. I was personally moved by her story, when she is catapulted from the role of a homemaker to that of a woman who must operate in the male-dominated world of horse breeding and racing, risking everything to make the horse she believed in a champion.  As I watched the film, I kept marveling at her courage and ability to fight “mom guilt” while setting an example of strength and determination for her children. (See the Q & A interview with Diane Lane, who plays Chenery, below).

My husband, whose family is from Kentucky, has vague memories of the horse’s victories and enjoyed learning more of the history behind the horse. My older children, ages 15 and 12, simply enjoyed the under-dog wins big nature of Secretariat.

The home entertainment debut of the movie will keep audiences engaged for hours with never-before-shared in-depth interviews with Penny Chenery, exclusive behind-the- scenes footage, deleted scenes and more on the story of one of the greatest accomplishments in sports history. We watched the interview with Ms. Chenery, who makes a brief cameo appearance in the movie, and she is still quite spunky.

SECRETARIAT is available in stores nationwide as a 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD in a single package) for the suggested price of $39.99 U.S./$44.99 Canada and a 1- Disc DVD for the suggested price of $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada.

DISC BONUS FEATURES:

BLU-RAY:

The same as the DVD, plus…

• Choreographing The Races – This piece looks at how director Randall Wallace and the filmmakers used innovative tools and technology to accurately and excitingly recreate the Triple Crown races that make the viewer feel like they are standing on the backstretch themselves.

• A Director’s Inspiration: A Conversation With The Real Penny Chenery – Director Randall Wallace sits down with Secretariat owner Penny Chenery to review the movie and some of the key scenes. Penny reflects on what it was like to have been a woman in a male dominated sport and to have been part of horse racing’s most exciting moments in history.

• Audio Commentary By Director Randall Wallace – View the film with optional audio commentary from Director Randall Wallace.

• Deleted Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary By Director Randall Wallace – The same deleted scenes as the DVD, plus four more…

o Alternate Opening

o Introduction

o “Are You A Golfer?”

o No Time To Rest

• Secretariat Multi-Angle Simulation – Relive Secretariats triumphant 1973 Preakness race by viewing the race from a number of perspectives as well as listening to commentaries from fans, announcers and even the jockey who rode Secretariat to their record finish.

DVD:

• Heart Of A Champion – This feature takes a look at one of the most famous thoroughbred horses ever known. Secretariat was a horse with style as well as amazing speed and an unsurpassed racing record. We interview all the key players from the day as well as today’s filmmakers to learn more about the horse affectionately called “Red.”

• Deleted Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary By Director Randall Wallace

o Director Introduction

o Memories

o Seth Joins The Team

o Too Soon T o Celebrate

• Music Video – AJ Michalka “It’s Who You Are”

Rated: US: PG – for brief mild language Canada: G

Feature Run Time: Approximately 123 minutes

————

An interview with Diane Lane, who gives a powerful performance in SECRETARIAT as Penny Chenery, owner of the racehorse that made history around the world as the Triple Crown champion in 1973. Lane stars as a courageous and resilient woman who fought to take her remarkable horse—perhaps the greatest of all time— to victory, against the odds.

Q: Why is the story of  SECRETARIAT so appealing?

A: “The story is amazing because it’s true. It is rare and wonderful   to portray a woman who is an honorable person. She was an inspiration, not just to women, but to everyone. She shows how important it is in general to have faith in yourself and take chances and risks.  For me it was such an inspiring story and to meet the real woman that you’re playing—as I did—is extremely rare. It was very surreal to spend time with her, somebody that you’re going to be bringing to the screen. It raises the stakes. It is incredible that she could actually look at my portrayal of her. Also the story of Secretariat is so amazing, this horse was such a champion and such an athlete, a great, legendary sports figure and wonderful creature.”

Q: What was Penny Chenery like when you met her?

A: “She was great.  She came to the set and blessed us with her presence and was in the seat next to me for one of the races.  She is a lovely women and so impressive because she is a real living legend. She was such an important figure historically and playing her was daunting for me. I am a huge fan of hers and I had a lot to live up to.”

Q: Do you think Penny saw herself as a pioneering role model?

A: “No, I don’t think that Penny ever took on that role or saw herself in any heroic way at all.  It was just her life and it was rather a timeless story from her point of view, taking on the family business and doing what needed to be done to save it. She rose to the challenge and really inherited the mantle of that task. It was interesting to me because she’s such a strikingly handsome woman and you could spot her from across the racetrack with that big hair. I think it was actually distracting to journalists. They wanted to say ‘hey, what are you doing here?’ and she would never stoop to being defensive. So I take a page from her book and salute her for not letting that become an issue.  I think it was an epiphany in hindsight that she made those important footprints in the sand for women.  For Penny herself, she didn’t see it like that. When you yourself are taking these strides, sometimes you can’t really take stock of things until much later.”

Q: What obstacles did Penny have to overcome?

A: “She had to fight to be respected as the voice of authority in her own barn with her own horse, whether she was racing the horse or not. Because she was inheriting her father’s business and   property, there were a lot of big decisions that fell to her, in addition to the fact that she was also a full-time, stay at home mother. There was a deep sense of betrayal that she had about the fact that what she was doing could have been very damaging to the family and to herself. In the aftermath of what Secretariat achieved and in the footage I’ve seen of her interviews, she’s so much more relaxed and comfortable. I completely identify with how she was feeling, being put on the spot with the press, feeling like she didn’t want to   be on the defensive. Yet she had to defend herself because they were all saying at the time:  ‘what are you doing here? You’re a woman, you’re a housewife.’  And she just wouldn’t respond in a way that could be used against her,  so in that way she was  very  smart and  savvy.”

Q:  As a mother and actress can you identify with her at all?

A: “ I completely identify with her. For me, going away to work is the hardest part of my life and career.  I love my work, but there is no price you can put on what you miss when you are away from your kids.   Anybody who travels for their work knows this and understands the compromises you have to make, certainly any mother.

Q: Do you see yourself as a positive role model to your children?
A: “One hopes that as a working mother you are also being a good role model by having a career that you love.”

Q: Can you identify with Penny’s leadership qualities and career drive?

A: “I can relate to this woman a lot because, like Penny, I am my father’s son. What I mean is that of course I’m my father’s daughter but I’m also my father’s son in terms of the business, in terms of the family expectation that I would act. I followed in his footsteps. For me the family inheritance isn’t gender based and it’s true for Penny too. The leadership qualities that she has are not based on her being a woman, but because we’re dealing with the early ‘70s, her strength is sometimes considered to be more masculine than feminine.”

Q: What motivates and propels your character?

A: “I think Penny’s journey is about winning, it’s about having a lot of positive energy and sticking with your dreams even though nobody else believes in you. Sometimes that takes a lot of courage and strength.   My dad used to say it takes two generations to make a star and I think that that’s true for any field, whether it’s a journalist or an actor or a writer or a woman in the horseracing world like Penny. There are layers of information that you can’t just come upon in life by chance.  You have to have the wisdom of your parents and the wisdom of your own experience added to that, it is a combination of skills and what you learn from others.”

Q: Did your own father pave the way for you?

A: “Absolutely, but I didn’t know that he was doing that. I think families do layer information upon each other.  In Penny’s case it involved the study of horse breeding, which was the family business that Penny came from.  It is interesting to analyze the genetic qualities that get passed along; in fact some qualities skip a generation or two. It is also true with animals.  We have seen many  ‘children and grandchildren’ (offspring) of Secretariat, the colts and foals and fillies, and frankly they haven’t turned out to be like him at all and have not possessed the same qualities—although some of his ‘daughters’ and  ‘granddaughters’ have done well.   But we’re still waiting for that extraordinary gene to pop up again.”

Q: What do you think the overall appeal of SECRETARIAT  is internationally?

A: “It is an American story but it could happen anywhere to anyone and I don’t think that the story has to do with a particular nation.  I think it has to do with the human spirit and that crossover of spirit in animals and spirit in people. It looks at the spirit of this horse and the pleasure of running in its simplest form. It’s not always about winning or losing, it’s also about the quality of the experience and the journey itself.

Q: What is it like working with Randall Wallace, the director of SECRETARIAT?

A: “He is wonderful, completely uplifting and has a gift for telling archetypal stories like this one.  I think that Randall’s looking for people who possess that largesse d’esprit, people and actors who understand human nature, vulnerability, what amounts to the flipside of grandiosity. It can be tricky sometimes to work for a director who has written (or contributed to) the screenplay, because they’re often very attached to the writing and want to stick to every nuance. But I have to say that in this case with Randall it’s wonderful, because his direction serves his writing, they go together and it works really well.”

Q: You look beautiful and so elegant in the film, can you discuss Penny’s style?

A: “I think we were all informed by the era.  Penny was a woman of her time. I love those shoes with the authentic heel. I had to fight for them because sometimes in film people will say ‘Oh, can you do the sexier version of this,but I’m grateful that the style was   celebrated and respected so it is authentic to the time.”

Q: Are you interested in horses yourself?

A: “I grew up loving horses. I was relatively obsessed, starting with my rocking horse at age two, all the way through my painting and drawing phase. I grew up loving Pegasus, that was my dream animal and I am sure the same is true for many children, but it was   a little bit more intense with me. I enjoyed riding and rode whenever I had the chance, I would ask my parents to take me riding as often as possible. That’s what I wanted to do as a career.”

Q: And you combined riding and acting didn’t you?

A: “ Well when I started acting, I couldn’t wait to be in a Western and then I’d beg the horsemen to let me ride at lunch and then I’d get lost in the desert on a horse. I remember making Burt Lancaster wait because I was lost. I was 14 and acting in a Western, it was my second film, CATTLE ANNIE AND LITTLE BRITCHES (1981). I have so many memories of wanting to be around horses. Then my husband finally made our dream come true—my dream personally, when we got some horses ourselves and had a ranch. But we had to let go of the ranch and we don’t have the horses anymore.  They’re fine and happy but they’re not in our lives any more. But yes, I do definitely have an equestrian nature and it is a Western experience for me. It is definitely great to be making this film about such a champion   as Secretariat.  There is really nothing like the beauty, strength and grace of a horse like this. I realized working with the horses, they really are individuals with egos and personalities that must be addressed if you’re going to be working with them, which means standing near them. Please and thank you go a long way with a horse.”

Q: Have you always been passionate about acting?  Was it natural for you?

A: “I loved acting, I started as a child and it is interesting because I didn’t compare myself to others that were doing the same thing.  I just felt that I needed to stay focused and stay out of trouble.  I cared very much about the end results and if you stick with that trajectory long enough, you eventually get better and hopefully you’re forgiven for your mistakes in terms of your growth.  Nobody arrives at any level of perfection, you are constantly learning more and in hindsight there are always times that you would have made different decisions,  especially if you’re any kind of an artist.  It is impossible to achieve total satisfaction, it is a constantly morphing thing, it’s like gambling.  You know, you get addicted to the chance that the movie may be wonderful and larger than life and sometimes that is what happens.  In some of the movies that I’ve worked on, I definitely felt like we were winning at gambling.”

Q: Do you have any favorite movies from your career so far?

A: “UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN” was wonderful because Italy is my favorite place in the world.  It was a magical experience to work there, although it was so painful to be away from my family for that long. But a year or two later   I returned for a road trip through Italy with my husband and we stayed in the same hotel I had stayed in and had the same view I had enjoyed from my window, so he could see the view.  What I need now is some horses in Italy (laughs) and then I’ll be satisfied.”

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I regularly rent movies at Blockbuster, and every time I’m in there, a sales associate offers me this Blockbuster Online deal. I’ve dismissed it because I didn’t GET it. I didn’t want to have to mail movies back after I was done viewing them. What a pain. Plus, I didn’t think it would save me any money. But I just found out that you can return the movies at the store! And it IS a cost savings if you rent more than one or two movies and/or video games a month.

Only Blockbuster® Online gives you the convenience of renting movies online with a choice of how to return them: send them back by mail or exchange them for new movies or discounted game rentals at participating BLOCKBUSTER® stores (up to plan limits on exchanges). You can keep movies as long as you want — there are no due dates or late fees for online rentals.

And with this special promotion, your first month is only $9.99 (plus taxes), a $10 savings from the regular $19.99! The plan includes three DVDs at a time, with up to 5 in-store exchanges per month for free movie rentals or discounted game rentals. When you’re finished watching a DVD, just send it back in the provided envelope or return it to a participating Blockbuster® store. The next available DVD in your rental queue will be sent automatically. And you can cancel your subscription ANYTIME.

This is a good deal. And here’s an even better deal – click on the button below to get your half off your first month of Blockbuster Online.

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I’m hosting a “musical” 12-Days of Christmas Giveaway right here on Lipstick to Crayons. Starting Dec. 9, and going through Dec. 20, you can click on the button in the widget below (Dec. 9 being day, 1, Dec. 10 being day 2, and so on) and then leave a comment below why you want to win the prize of the day.

Today’s prize is the Ultimate AC/DC Experience: Backtracks (Standard Edition).

Arriving in two distinctly different fan-friendly editions, Backtracks spans the length and breadth of AC/DC’s career, bringing together rare songs, hard-to-find live performances and the long-awaited debut of “Family Jewels Disc 3,” a DVD showcasing the group’s music videos, live performances, and promotional clips from 1992-2009.

Manufactured in an exclusive run limited to 50,000 pieces, the deluxe collector’s edition of Backtracks includes a CD of studio rarities, two CDs of live rarities, the “Family Jewels Disc 3″ DVD, the “Live at the Circus Krone” DVD, a front-row immersion in the band’s scorching 2003 club show in Munich, Germany, and a 12″ long-playing album, struck in 180 gram vinyl, of hard-to-find studio tracks. The limited edition Backtracks includes a five-disc media carrier to house and transport the set’s three CDs and two DVDs.

In addition the deluxe collector’s edition comes with a 164 page coffee table book and an Original Memorabilia Reproductions Envelope containing an astounding array of facsimiles. It comes housed in a fully operational AC/DC guitar amplifier.

The three-disc standard version of Backtracks distills the electrifying essence of the deluxe set into one CD of studio rarities, one CD of hard-to-find live tracks, and the indispensable “Family Jewels Disc 3″ DVD.

The limited and numbered deluxe collector’s edition of Backtracks will is available direct-to-consumers exclusively through the Web site. But one lucky Lipstick to Crayons reader can win the standard Backtracks edition by leaving a comment below. But hurry — this contest closes at 11:59 p.m. Central Dec. 9.

This contest is closed. Congratulations to Cheryl, comment #5.

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The boxed set includes Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V and Rocky Balboa. The movie quality has been improved via the transition to Blu-ray, but the colors don’t pop as you might expect.Remember — the first of the movies were made in 1976 and 1979 and they still look better than they ever have on VHS or on DVD.

The collection also includes:

• Exclusive Blu-ray interactive game called “Feeling Strong Now”
• Three-part making-of documentary
• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes
• Boxing Featurettes
• Video Commentary with Sylvester Stallone

You can buy “Rocky: The Undisputed Collection” here.

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UP is one of Disney/Pixar’s finest works. Within about 10 minutes, you are hooked as you begin to understand the beautiful relationship between the late Ellie and Carl — the movie’s geriatric hero.  

Ed Asner voices Carl — a man with dreams of being a hero but who lacks the resources for an adventure, which has resulted in him becoming a somewhat crabby old man who may very well be waiting to die. Then, after an altercation with some folks who want to take over his house, this 78-year-old balloon salesman finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell.

I love the “follow your dreams” message of UP, as well as the “things happen when they are darned well supposed to happen”  message. That’s something we all need to hear from time to time. 

UP is available in a four-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack, and a two-disc DVD, which both include DisneyFile, a digital copy of the movie that can be viewed on an array of electronic devices, as well as enough bonus
features that keep the fun coming.

Up has a suggested retail price of $39.99 for the 2-Disc DVD, and $45.99 for the 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo pack.  A 1-Disc DVD also is available for $29.99.

BONUS FEATURES

• Commentary by director Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson.
• Dug’s Special Mission – An all new original short film that follows the
misadventures of Dug as he attempts to complete his “special mission.” The
short is directed by Up Story Supervisor, Ronnie Del Carmen.
• The Many Endings of Muntz – Many ideas were hatched about how to dispose of the film’s arch villain, Muntz, and now viewers can see the many alternate endings proposed during story development.
• Partly Cloudy –The hilarious short film that preceded screenings of Up.
Everyone knows that the stork delivers babies, but where do the storks get the babies? The answer lies up in the stratosphere where the cloud Gus is a master at creating “dangerous” babies, which prove to be more than a handful for his loval delivery stork Peck. Directed by Pixar story artist, animator and voice actor Peter Sohn.
• Adventure is Out There – This action-packed documentary tells the story of the filmmakers’ own trek to the tepuis mountains of South America to research the design and story of the film. 
 
FEATURES ONLY ON BLU-RAY VERSION

• Cine-Explore – A visual montage of concept art, clips and documentary
coverage that illustrates the directors’ commentary.
• Geriatric Hero – A character study of Carl, from research to realization including art and design, rigging, animation and story. It focuses on the issues of aging, “simplexity”, shape-language and compelling character arcs.
• Canine Companions – For anyone who ever wondered where CG puppies
come from, an introduction to the design, behavior and language of dogs. 
• Russell: Wilderness Explorer – A character study of Russell from inspiration and design to finding the character arc and authentic voice for this wilderness ranger. 
• Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin – Find out how avian research and
development at Pixar helped bring a mythical, 13-foot tall iridescent bird to life.

• Balloons and Flight – Carl’s house and Muntz’s dirigible presented the
filmmakers with two different problems—how could they make a physical
impossibility possible? And, in the case of the dirigible, how would they unearth a fallen giant and let it soar?

• Composing for Characters – Composer Michael Giacchino returns to score his third Disney•Pixar feature film. See how the Up filmmakers collaborated with Giacchino to create the memorable score and compelling musical themes.
• Married Life – The original story concept that became the powerful “Married Life” scene, showing Carl and Ellie’s love story.
• Global Guardian Badge Game – Players try to locate countries, states and
capitals around the globe in a multi-layered BD-Exclusive geography game
enhanced by BD-Live.

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The Outrageous $800 Million animated adventure was released last week on a three-disc Blu-ray Disc/DVD Combo and it is loaded with special features, including a digital story book maker, deleted scenes and exclusive shorts on making of the film.

We enjoyed this sequel almost as much as the original, as Manny, Sid, Diego and Ellie are back. Scrat is still trying to nab the ever-elusive nut (while maybe finding true love); Manny and Ellie await the birth of their mini-mammoth; Diego the saber-toothed tiger wonders if he’s growing too “soft” hanging with his pals and Sid the sloth gets into trouble when he creates his own makeshift family by hijacking some dinosaur eggs.

Of course, the movie features performances from Ice Age veterans Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), John Leguizamo (The Happening), Denis Leary (“Rescue Me”), Queen Latifah (The Secret Life of Bees), Seann William Scott (Planet 51) and Josh Peck (“Drake & Josh”), along with newcomers Bill Hader (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Kristen Wiig (“Saturday Night Live”), Jane Lynch (“Glee”) and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead).

The Three-Disc BD/DVD Combo Pack is available on Amazon.

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