Suz's Treats

I think Zach & Lucy have reached (finally) an awesome age to watch movies at the theater. They get it ~ the excitement, the big screen, the popcorn!

So when we were invited (& you were too!) to go check out Paddington 2 recently, I was so excited! We studied up, watching Paddington the Saturday (& Sunday) beforehand. Zach & Lucy (& us too) had the characters fresh in our minds & couldn’t wait to see what kinds of trouble Paddington might get himself into &, we hoped with the help of the Brown’s, out of!

We were overjoyed with Paddington 2!

Paddington was his same sweet, friendly, funny bear self that Lucy & Zach fell for in the original Paddington film.

Paddington 2 begins where the first film ended, the rare bear, Paddington happily lives with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens & in Paddington fashion, has befriended almost everyone in the neighborhood. Paddington, in search of the perfect birthday gift for his Aunt Lucy, ends up being a witness to a crime. Then Paddington, the Brown’s & friends spend the rest of the movie trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of the gift & get Paddington out of trouble.

We laughed out loud, L&Z got a little bit nervous, & we were all happy at the end. I think Lucy & I might’ve even had a sweet little tear in our eyes at one point! Zach & Lucy loved the cooking scenes. They laughed & laughed over the laundry. Our friend Jack “loved how Paddington made friends with all the neighbors & had special friendships with each one”. I loved how Paddington showed everyone how being polite wins every time.

In the weeks after (as y’all know, I’m usually universally late) watching this new film, we’ve picked up 7 Paddington bear books from the library & re-watched the original movie weekly. Zach & Lucy can’t wait for us to watch Paddington 2 at home when it comes out on DVD.

Have y’all seen Paddington 2 yet? What age did you find was the “sweet spot” for taking kids to the movies & them last all the way through?

While we were given advantage movie passes to see Paddington 2, their generosity didn’t change my review of the film.

Zach, Lucy & I are so excited to have the opportunity to see the promotional screening on the new film Paddington 2 NEXT Tuesday Jan 9th at 6:30p at the North Hills theater. And even better, you & your family can join us!

Per the email I received about this film, here’s the synopsis. In this new adventure, Paddington is now happily settled with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens, where he has become a popular member of the community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes.  While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s hundredth birthday, Paddington spots a unique pop-up book and embarks upon a series of odd jobs to buy it. But when the book is stolen, it’s up to Paddington and the Browns to unmask the thief. This film has been rated PG for some action and mild rude humor.

Check out the official preview!

If you can join us, & we hope so, use this code ST0109 at www.wbtickets.com to print your tickets. (I can admit 10 prints with 4 passes per ticket for a total of 40 seats!)

Stay warm this weekend! We plan to do lots of cuddling on the couch watching movies!

I’m sure you’ve heard of the new Disney*Pixar film coming out just in time for Thanksgiving weekend family trip to the movies: COCO arrives in theaters today!

Zach & Lucy were so excited to see Coco! They posed in front of the first poster when we saw it after the showing of The Man Who Invented Christmas.

We’ve been talking about it for a couple weeks when we’d see the trailers on TV including this one.

Coco Official US Teaser Trailer

They were excited for the music. I was too! I was also just a lil nervous to how my more fearful Zach would take a film that centers around the day of the dead & features a ton of skeletons. I had high hopes Zach would get wrapped up in the story & forget to be nervous, but I brought my husband along with us just in case.

The main character Miguel (voiced by newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of being a musician like his hero Ernesto de la Cruz (voiced by Benjamin Bratt) despite his family’s generations long ban on music. Balking his family, Miguel sets off to try to prove his talent, but due to a mysterious & magical chain of events, winds up in the colorful Land of the Dead. Together with a charming trickster he meets named Hector (voiced by Gael Garcia Bernal), Miguel tries to discover the real truth about his family’s past.

Lucy loved it. She laughed. She got a little nervous & used it as an excuse to climb in my lap & cuddle. & my extra napkins (leftover after our popcorn snacking) came in handy when I realized I wasn’t the only one shedding a few tears towards the end!

& my suspensions about Zach rang true. Once Miguel was in the Land of the Dead (which coincided with their usual bedtime), Zach turned to Jason & said, I’m tired, let’s go home. While he was tired, he was also too scared to stay. So they spent a good 45 minutes in the lobby while Lucy & I watched Coco.

Of course as Lucy talked non-stop on our drive home about silly Dante the dog & how Hector/Ernesto/Miguel got along in the Land of the Dead, Zach wanted to hear all about it & wished he’d stayed in. But we all agreed, Coco will be a film we have at home & re-watch (over & over) once it’s on DVD.

I think this will become the next huge Disney*Pixar hit! COCO is fun & funny for the kids while also bringing home (even for 5.5 year olds) that family & generations of family is sweet, special & treasured. A perfect reminder as we head to be with 4 generations of family this Thanksgiving holiday. Hope you & yours have a very happy Thanksgiving!

While I was giving passes to see COCO for myself & family, their generosity did not effect my honest review.