Disney Maleficent 2 Bluray Review + Giveaway

Movies

MBE partnered with Disney Studios for this review and giveaway

Angelina Jolie returns in the same villainess role as the original Disney Maleficent movie (2014) which was nominated for an Oscar (Best Achievement in Costume Design). Jolie and other cast members captivate viewers in the sequel: Disney's Maleficent 2: Mistress of Evil (2019) which is up once again for an Oscar in 2020, this time for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling. The action adventure family feature film, including some fun bonus material, is available for home viewing on Digital as of 12/31/19 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD as of 1/14/20. 

Based on many of the characters from La Belle Au Bois Dormant by Charles Perrault, who appeared in the original Maleficent film released five years ago, Elle Fanning also returns as Maleficent's god daughter Aurora. In Mistress of Evil, the plot thickens and twists as Maleficent and Aurora begin to question loyalties and family ties and things get complicated. 

In the new saga, Sam Riley is also back as Diaval, with seasoned actress Michelle Pfeiffer joining the cast this time around as Queen Ingrith. If you enjoy Disney adventures, you'll want to add this one to your watch list.

Disney Maleficent 2:Mistress of Evil 

Blu-ray Bonus Extras

• Extended Scenes
• Outtakes
• Aurora's Wedding
• Behind-The-Scenes Look at The Magic
• And More

Disney Maleficent 2: Mistress of Evil Giveaway

Disney Maleficent 2 

MBE Movie Giveaway
(2 Winners)

on Instagram

Thanks to Disney Studios, TWO (2) lucky MBE giveaway participants will each win the new Disney Maleficent 2: Mistress of Evil Blu-ray DVD combo movie. To enter this Disney Maleficent 2 Giveaway Mommy Blog Expert is hosting visit this MBE Instagram post. Contest open to US residents only and qualifying winners will be selected at random. Hurry, this giveaway ends January 9, 2020 at 12 am PST/3 am EST. Disney Studios is providing the prizes and is responsible for delivery to winners.

More About Disney's Maleficent 2

To learn more about Disney's Maleficent 2: Mistress of Evil, Rated PG-13, visit the official movie website as follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

LA Opera Family Friendly The Magic Flute

Culture

MBE partnered with LA Opera for this review

Real Opera Kids Will Actually Love

Want to introduce your child to the amazing world of classical music and operatic professional performances? If you are fortunate enough to be in Southern California, consider bringing the whole family to see the live, engaging LA Opera multi-media performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute running through December 15 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles. 

Image courtesy of LA Opera

We just saw this production -- with its uber modern hand-drawn animation twist on staging originally created for the Komische Oper Berlin, Germany by the British theater company known as 1927 -- and it is two thumbs up the most kid- and family-friendly opera with the broadest multi-generational appeal that we've seen in recent years.

Those of you familiar with The Magic Flute already know the beautiful music, fairy tale storyline and wacky characters in the most frequently-performed German language opera. But readers of all ages who are new to opera, have no fear, if you've never seen an opera this is a good one with which to start. You'll be able to easily get lost in this silly fantasy because neither being fluent in German or even knowing much about Mozart's music is required.

The plot line is simple and easy to follow thanks to the free programs handed out by the ushers explaining this two-act opera (run time 2 hours, 40 minutes with one intermission). Adding to the enjoyment for as broad an audience as possible of both sophisticated opera goers and newbies are the English subtitles clearly visible to all above the stage and off to both sides without distracting you from watching all the action on stage.

I've seen several other productions of The Magic Flute and this one is by far my favorite because of its wide universal multi-generational appeal. It reaches across a huge arc of  interpretations from fantasy and surrealism to magic as well as exudes a mashup display of relatable human emotions from fear and loneliness, to bravery, love, friendship, joy and more.

Images courtesy of LA Opera

Previous stagings of this opera which I've seen centered around human actors dressed in feathered bird costumes. But in this version, with some exceptions, the performers appear as humans who sing and deliver their stories from birdhouse-looking perches high above the stage. 

Kids, especially, will  get a kick out of watching the characters come and go from these little ledges several building stories high, appearing and disappearing via revolving trap doors that reminded me of the bird that pops in and out of sight at the top of the hour on a cuckoo clock.

Other kid-friendly touches in the show feature a range of projected images behind the actors on stage. These include graphics reminiscent of Marvel super hero comic books like Spider-Man and animated flying pink elephants (bringing to mind the original flying elephant, Dumbo). 

Certainly, there's never a dull moment with cast members seen interacting with flashing strobe lighting effects, a nod to the black and white silent film era complete with subtitles inspired by greats such as Buster Keaton.

There's also the trio of spirits, portrayed with the help of animation and artistic lighting by child soloists David Kakuk, Thomas Quinn Fagan, and Anika Erickson from the Los Angeles Children's Chorus, who appear to flutter their animated butterfly wings. Suffice it to say that few of us have seen a live performance quite like this one that uses strobe lighting, animation, smoke, creative costumes and other special effects so artfully, engaging the audience and elevating our enjoyment from beginning to end.

Be sure to get there early. You and your kids are going to want to can take turns taking snapshots of each other with your smartphones at The Magic Flute themed free photo booth on the plaza out in front. Then, get social with @LAOpera and don't forget to share all your fun photos of your family with the hashtag #LAOMagicFlute.

Kids Tickets Always 50% Off, Family Day at LA Opera

To nurture the next generation of opera lovers to grow and thrive and make opera accessible to as many young people as possible, LA Opera is providing half-price tickets for kids ages 8 to 17 years old not only for The Magic Flute (which is one of the top ten operas worldwide) but also all other performances this season. 

The 2019/2020 season runs through June and culminates with another Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart favorite, The Marriage of Figaro.  Season ticket subscribers can add the Family Package to your season subscription at a reduced rate. Note half-price tickets are only available by phone by calling 213-972-8001 Monday-Friday from 10 am to 6 pm.

Each season the opera company holds a special Family Day giving children ages 8 and up, the opportunity to learn more the opera and its characters. This year, in conjunction with The Magic Flute, this child-centric event is scheduled for December 1 and will feature a reception with desserts and a holiday activity during intermission. After the performance is over, kids will have the opportunity to have their programs signed by the opera's cast members. All activities are subject to change.

More About LA Opera in Los Angeles

LA Opera, located at 135 North Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, is the fourth largest opera company in North America. Learn more about everything LA Opera has to offer by visiting their official website as well as following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Samsung Kids Tablet Review

Technology

A Safe Indoor Winter Children's Activity

With winter on its way and snow falling in many parts of the country already, baby it's getting cold and frightful outside. What's a mom or dad to do with young kids 3-years old through tweens to keep them busy indoors, growing mentally, learning, and staying out of mischief until the weather warms up next spring? Read on to learn about a safe child's tablet that both kids and parents will be happy about.

MBE partnered with Samsung Kids, post contains affiliate links

A 3-Year Old Gets Her First Tablet

The answer is as easy as engaging your child's mind with entertaining and educational activities -- like  interacting with their favorite animated characters and building STEM skills -- while running the award-winning Samsung Kids app which is compatible with the latest Samsung Galaxy Tablet Kids Edition 11-inch 64 GB tablet and most other Samsung devices.

What was three-year old Elly's initial reaction when she unboxed the new Samsung Galaxy Tab A Kids Edition tablet including a Samsung Kids App subscription gifted to her by the brand to facilitate this review? She was speechless, beyond ecstatic to finally have a tablet of her very own and almost thought she must be dreaming. 

Now, she no longer has to share her big sisters' tablets and can play and learn on her own whenever she wants to and her mom or dad give her the okay. Talk about this girl suddenly having a greater sense of purpose, pride and ownership, as well as feeling more responsible and grown-up.

Parent-Controlled, Kid Interactive Fun

With temperatures plummeting where they live, forcing the kids to spend more time inside, Elly's parents are equally thrilled to have a new wholesome and engaging family-friendly activity option their youngest daughter enjoys and one that they know they can trust. 

Thanks to the Samsung Kids app all-inclusive content service (a 3-month trial subscription is included free with Samsung Kids Tablet purchase); the app is also available to buy separately and is compatible with most other Samsung devices their daughter now has access to an amazing library of more than 10,000 hours of quality children's content fun and learning. 

At the same time, mom and dad feel good knowing that they have access to the parental controls needed to closely monitor Elly's tablet use as well as to track her progress on the various educational and entertaining kid-friendly apps she's using so they can be hands-on parents and cheer her on.

Simple Startup to Get Kids Playing Quickly

After Elly unwrapped and unpacked the box, Mom went to Google Play to upload the Samsung Kids app to her little girl's tablet, then big sister Abby helped take a selfie with the tablet's camera to personalize her new device. What's this adorable little lady doing right now? Elly is already having fun as a beginner reader learning with My Little Pony from Hasbro, the very first kids title she opened on her new device.

While kids have worry-free fun and can enjoy themselves and learn for hours, the Samsung Galaxy Kids tablet when used in conjunction with the Samsung Kids app, offers grown-ups the peace of mind of a fully-loaded dashboard of parental controls. Within the app these controls limit screen time, manage what apps your child is able to view, and give you a window into the titles your son or daughter is engaging in as well as their progress in those activities. This kids' tablet is also customizable, giving moms and dads the flexibility to bring each child's favorite outside apps into the Samsung Kids environment.

About Samsung Galaxy Kids Tablet, Samsung Kids App

The Samsung Galaxy Kids Tab A 7-inch 8GB tablet, designed for kids ages 3 to 12, has a bigger display, higher screen resolution, longer battery life, and a more powerful processor than its predecessors. It also comes with a sturdy protective brightly-colored bumper case and the Game Starter Pack for your child to keep (valued at $75) featuring a diverse array of kids games and kid-friendly apps. The new children's tablet also includes a free 3-month trial subscription to the Samsung Kids app along with a deep discount if you choose to renew it. It's also worth pointing out the awards the Samsung Kids app won in 2019 including Mom's Choice Awards, NAPPA Product Award, and Academics' Choice Smart Media Award.

Where to Buy

Buy the latest Samsung Galaxy Kids Tablet, available on Amazon and in-store. Then, leverage the optional Samsung Kids app subscription (available for this tablet and most other Samsung devices) including a huge library of content for your child and full parental controls for you, to keep you both happy. 

Learn more about the Samsung Kids tablet and the Samsung Kids App by visiting the brand's official site as well as following the brand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Samsung Kids Giveaway

From My Little Pony to Transformers and Dr. Seuss and more, there are so many ways your child can stay occupied, have fun and enjoy safe WiFi access. The Samsung Kids app is compatible with the new Samsung Galaxy Kids tablet as well as most other Samsung devices. To enter the Samsung Kids Giveaway Mommy Blog Expert is hosting, visit this MBE Instagram Giveaway post. Contest open to US residents only and qualifying winner will be selected at random. Hurry, this giveaway ends December 19, 2019 at 12 am PST/3 am EST. Samsung Kids is providing the prize and is responsible for delivery to winner.