Just Dance Disney

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. #UbiChamps #JDDisney

Last week, we received a fun surprise in the mail – the Just Dance Disney Wii game!  Previously, we had tried the ABBA version of Just Dance.  We had so much fun with that one that we knew we just HAD to have the Disney version, since we’re all such huge Disney fans! 

The game did not disappoint!  We’ve been having so much fun playing it this week.  The kids enjoy it, but it seems like I am the one who always says “hey, let’s dance!” 

There are a few different modes of play that you can choose from. 

First, you need to select your song.  You can choose from a playlist, from the song list itself, or (if you’re feeling an overabundance of energy) just go for the non-stop shuffle!  So far, we’ve always opted to choose our own song from the Songs heading.

There is a nice selection of songs from a wide variety of Disney movies and shows.  There are oldies – like The Bare Necessities from Jungle Book, right on up to songs from current Disney Channel favorites, like Good Luck Charlie.  We’ve tried most of them now and they’re all quite fun and a great work-out.  I have to confess that I’m not a huge fan of exercise – but playing is a great way to “sneak” some exercise in!

One of my favorites to do is this one:

In addition to regular dance mode, there are also some other options like “bubble pop” and “freeze & shake” – both of these are the regular dances with extra challenges thrown in (for more fun and more points). 

While Ian can beat us all at Disney Sing-It, so far I’ve been kicking his butt at Just Dance Disney – so, yes, I’m pretty excited about that!

This game would make an excellent Christmas gift for any Just Dance or Disney fan in your family!  Up to 4 players can dance at the same time (but you do need some room to spread out).  You can find Just Dance Disney at many stores and various online retailers – my favorite is Amazon.com (affiliate link).

Do You Redbox?

Thanks to smiley360 and Redbox, my family had an entertaining weekend! We were so well-entertained, in fact, that I realize now – after  the weekend has almost come to a close – that I totally forgot to take out my camera and take pictures.  I think part of that was because we were doing what we love best – hanging out as a family, watching movies, and playing games.  It’s what we do best – and we don’t think to immortalize it in photos. 

Anyway, have you rented movies from Redbox yet?  We find Redbox quite intriguing and handy.  Intriguing because we’re trying to figure out how that not-so-large box contains plenty of each movie – and how you can return your movies to ANY Redbox location – so what keeps them from running out of certain titles?  Handy because we don’t have cable tv (which, where we live, basically means we don’t have tv), so we depend on Netflix for our entertainment.  But, Redbox supplies those just-released movies that we’re anxious to see.

So, what did we pick to entertain us this weekend? 

When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours - in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down. (Rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for some mild rude humor and action.)

Our thoughts . . . we loved it so much that, when we returned our movies to the Redbox at Walmar today, we bought our own copy of this movie!  Adorable.  As a person who was not a huge fan of any Saturday morning cartoons (though I did occasionally watch the Smurfs), I must say these little creatures are much more adorable in this movie!

This summer, Judy Moody is planning the most super-duper, double-rare summer vacation ever with best friends Rocky and Amy. Except that it turns out Rocky is going to circus camp to learn to tame lions, Amy is headed off to Borneo with her mom to save a lost tribe and Judy is stuck home with her pesky little brother Stink and second-best friend Frank Pearl. Just when she thinks things are as rotten as they can be, her parents announce that they will be going to California and Judy will have to stay behind with her Aunt Opal, who she's never even met! It looks like Judy's best summer ever has just become her way worst summer ever. But feisty, fearless Judy Moody never gives up. With help from some unexpected sources, she's headed for a summer full of surprises. (Rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for mild rude humor and language.)

Our thoughts . . . Glad I rented this one, rather than buying it.  It was ok, but not the kind of movie I’d want to watch over and over again.  Gracie, who has read the books, said lots of it was taken directly from one book or another – which made the movie much more interesting for her.

In this 19th Century-set story, Jane Eyre suddenly flees Thornfield Hall, the vast and isolated estate where she works as a governess for Adèle Varens, a child under the custody of Thornfield's brooding master, Edward Rochester. The imposing residence - and Rochester's own imposing nature - have sorely tested her resilience. With nowhere else to go, she is extended a helping hand by clergyman St. John Rivers and his family. As she recuperates in the Rivers' Moor House and looks back upon the tumultuous events that led to her escape, Jane wonders if the past is ever truly past. (Rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for some thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content.)

Our thoughts . . . This one was a disappointment. I was anxious for a new adaptation of the book (which Ashley and I read together last year for school).  This one just didn’t do it for me. I realize it’s a long book and there’s a lot to squeeze into a 2-hour movie; but they just missed so much. I think that, had we not read the book and seen another adaptation previously, we wouldn’t have even really “got” the movie. 

Oh, and get this --- did you know that, in addition to movies, you can also rent video games from Redbox?  We got to try out Go Vacation for the Wii. 

Take a trip to Kawawii Island, a virtual resort for the entire family with dozens of co-operative and competitive activities and events to meet the needs of each and every family member. There's something for everyone from extreme activities like sky diving, surfing and white water rafting to sports like beach volleyball, skiing and tennis. Want to explore the island? There's horseback riding, scuba diving, snowmobiles and many different vehicles for travel around the expansive locales. Take some time to relax and play some miniature golf, have a snowball fight, shoot water guns or play some carnival games. Go Vacation encourages parents and kids to participate together in group activities featuring simple gameplay, multiple challenges, hours of play and fun for the whole family! There's never a dull moment when you Go Vacation! (Rated E10+ by the ESRB for Cartoon Violence.)

Our thoughts . . . Well, let’s just say that Brian, Ashley, and I haven’t had a chance to try this one  because Gracie and Ian have been quite the little game hogs.  The first words out of Ian’s mouth the past  few mornings are “Can I play Go Vacation now?”  Seriously.  I can say this – it’s cute to watch!  You can choose a generic Mii character, or use the one you’ve already got set up on the Wii.  The outfits on these Miis and the settings on the games are really realistic and cute.  It looks a bit confusing for me; but the kids picked it right up, with no problems.  I think it’s a keeper!

So, here’s the rundown . . . Redbox Rocks!  I’d love to hear about your experiences with Redbox.  Any good movies to recommend?  Do tell!

Oh, and here’s some fun information for you - - - Redbox is also hosting a cool contest that your readers might want to know about. The Redbox 12 Days of Deals & Prizes offers daily prizes from December 13 thru December 24. Text FUN to 727272 for instant savings of 25 cents - $1 off of your movie and game rentals, as well as a chance to be entered to win a daily prize from Redbox. Each day, a random drawing will select a winner with top prizes from Sony, Wii, Barnes & Noble, Activision and more.

And the coolest part is the disclaimer - - - I got all this (5 free Redbox rentals and a Wii game that we get to keep and enjoy) from smiley360 – just for trying it out and writing about it on my blog.  Simple enough, right?  You could too – just click on the smiley360 link and sign up TODAY!

Rockin’ the 70’s with ABBA!

I lived through the 70’s (all but the first 2 1/2 months of  them, to be exact)! While I would definitely choose 80’s music over 70’s, there are definitely a few 70’s bands that I’m loyal too – one of which is ABBA.  So, when the opportunity to try the ABBA You Can Dance Wii game came my way, I jumped at the chance.  I knew my kids would love the game itself, and I would love the music – a win-win situation, right?

We decided that in order to properly “break in” this game, we should have a dance party at our house.  Turns out, that we (a) picked the wrong night, and (b) don’t have many crazy friends.  But, thankfully, we do have one crazy friend who was actually able to come to the party on the scheduled date – so we went ahead with it.  As is often the case, it only takes a few crazy  people in a room to have a TON of fun – and that’s exactly what we did.

To get started, we made way too much food! A couple types of dips, crackers, beer bread, cocktail weinies (which were  a party staple in the 70’s), punch, and chocolate-covered pretzel rods were on the party menu.  I think the weinies were the collective favorite – I actually just chopped up regular hotdogs and threw them in the crockpot with a mixture of ketchup, brown sugar, and (the secret ingredient) some grape soda (that just so happened to be sitting on the counter when I was mixing up the sauce!)  Yum!

After eating, we were ready for dancing.  I went up against Brian, Ashley challenged me, Gracie challenged Ashley, Ian challenged Gracie, and we all took a round with our guest – another Brian.  Needless to say, there was a whole lot of laughing going on!

We tried to be as authentic 70’s as possible, so we added a disco ball to our living room, and  broke out our old lava lamp.

 

For the sake of the 70’s, I even parted my hair down the middle and tried to make it flat (no success there).  We saw the lovely ladies of ABBA sporting big flowers in their hair (which just so happen to be back in style), so Ashley and I added a flower to our hair as well.  Ashley broke out one of our new tie-dye Mickey shirts, while Gracie pulled out one of her favorite retro tees for the event.

 

Now, enough about us!  Here’s a bit about ABBA You Can Dance:

From the creators of the award-winning Just Dance® franchise comes ABBA You Can Dance. Featuring 26 timeless songs, including “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “Fernando,” “Waterloo,” and “Take A Chance On Me,” ABBA You Can Dance invites you to unleash your inner dancing queen and hit the dance floor with one of world’s biggest music sensations. Dance with up to four players or join in on vocals; ABBA You Can Dance is unforgettable fun for friends and family of every generation.

KEY FEATURES

*The Timeless Music of ABBA
Enjoy all the hits – 26 in all – from ABBA’s rich catalog of classic songs, now digitally remastered for Wii™ and your home entertainment system.

*You Can Dance
Unleash your inner dancing queen and play for fun or to set a new top score to challenge yourself and others. Play any way you want with up to four friends.

*Mini-Musical
Perform a story through the music of ABBA! Experience the magic as you play a role in a mini-musical of ABBA’s songs.

*Karaoke Mode
Up to two additional friends can join in on vocals. Simply follow along with the on-screen lyrics.*

*A Must-Have for Fans
Get immersed in the amazing world of ABBA with authentic content including their music videos, live concert footage, and classic photos!

*Wii-compatible microphone required, sold separately.

And here are our thoughts on it:

“I think that ABBA You Can Dance is a great game for multi-generational playing! After all, we had people from 5 – 45 playing the game, and everyone was laughing, singing, dancing, and having a blast!  My favorite song to dance to (and I’m pretty good at it, if I do say so myself) is Knowing Me, Knowing You.  My only issue with this game is that the karaoke portion of the game is not scored – it’s really ‘just for fun’.  I’d much prefer the scoring on the singing, as that’s more my area of expertise!  Anyway, all in all, I’d definitely recommend this game – especially if you were/are an ABBA fan, and you like to have fun!” ~Heidi

“I think this game is cool.  It’s fun for all ages. My favorite song to dance to is Fernando (I currently have the high score for this song!)  I also like Does Your Mother Know. As for the karaoke portion of the  game, Mama Mia is probably my favorite. We already had the ABBA GOLD cd, so I knew a lot of the songs; but some of them were knew to us. I think we’ll have lots more fun playing this game in the future.” ~Ashley, age 18

“I like ABBA You Can Dance. We already had a Grease game that you could sing and dance along with, but I think I like this new ABBA game better. My favorite song to dance  to?  Really any one that I can beat Ashley on (I’m the competitive one!) I would recommend this game to anyone who likes the 70’s!” ~Gracie, age 11

“The ABBA game and the ABBA party were  fun. I wish I could beat Gracie and Ash at the games.  And mom. I need to practice more. I think people should buy this game because it’s fun and it makes me laugh.” ~Ian, age 5

If you’d like to add ABBA You Can Dance to your Wii game collection (so that you can have as much fun as we have), you can do so by purchasing the game at Amazon.com or Toys ‘R Us. Both these sites sell the game for $39.99.

NOTE: Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.