If you missed the newest edition to kids' animated holiday classics, don't worry, a lot of people did. The premiere of Disney's Prep & Landing was a mess in our area. The date was changed, I think twice, and the local ABC channel didn't run the show last week. The special is available on the Disney website, and it will air again tomorrow night (check local ABC listings). But, is it worth watching?

Created by Disney and premiering on ABC, Prep & Landing definitely has the holiday hype going for it. In some ways, the hype is deserved. The movie is fun, somewhat clever, and well-animated. When we watched it, though, our reaction was, "What? That's it? Really?" We were having so much fun getting into the story, and then suddenly, it was over. Not a huge storyline there, since it's only 30 minutes long -- about the length of a kids' animated TV show. Oh well, at least we have a new favorite phrase for the holiday, "Oh, frostbite!" I'm sure we'll be well into spring by the time the kids stop saying that one.

(Photo © Disney)

More kids' animated holiday specials new to DVD this year:

• Gotta Catch Santa Claus: A great new special for kids ages 6+ or so, Gotta Catch Santa Claus follows a group of school kids -- fairly smart school kids too -- who come up with a plan to catch Santa in hopes of proving, or disproving for some, his existence. Their plan runs into a little problem, though, when they discover that they aren't the only ones trying to nab the guy in the big red suit this year.



• A Miser Brothers' Christmas: This special looks and feels like one of the old-time Christmas shows, and the Miser Brothers were in an old Rankin-Bass classic The Year Without Santa Claus, but their own holiday show only premiered last year. In their new show, the brothers' bickering gets out of control, but when Santa is in trouble, they might be able to help if they can just pull together.

New on DVD/Blu-ray Today:

• G-Force
• Wizards of Waverly Place the Movie

Ever since the first Harry Potter movie came out years ago, Harry Potter has become part of the holiday season. The movies are played on TV as part of holiday lineups, and generally a Potter movie is released around the holidays in theaters or on DVD. I guess it's all the magic and snow that makes them seem appropriate for the season.

This year, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is new on DVD and Blu-ray, and the studio has incorporated the magic of BD Live. Did anyone else catch the chat with Daniel Radcliff and director David Yates over the weekend? On Saturday afternoon, the two chatted with Blu-ray owning fans during a screening of the movie. Apparently, there was a way to listen to the audio, but we couldn't get that to work, so we just had to read all of the questions and answers as the chat was happening. Daniel and Dave answered questions from fans (via a moderator) about the movie, life on the set, and more. The whole thing was pretty fun, but would have been much better with audio or especially if there had been an ability to see them as they were answering questions. Looking at how studios are starting to use Blu-ray capabilities, though, it's interesting to think what the future of interactive viewing will be like.

In addition to the Live functionality, the sixth Harry Potter DVD also contains a wealth of bonus features, many of which focus on the actors. They talk about everything from the movie to the famous people they've met to sports and more. The most interesting feature to our family, though, is the featurette on a year in the life of J.K. Rowling. Viewers get a glimpse into where she came from and what she is like. How fascinating it is to get such a close-up look at someone so famous and mysterious. She actually seems to be very down to earth and an all around nice person; someone one wouldn't begrudge enjoying all the wealth she has come into thanks to her own impressive imagination and astounding writing skills.

Fans of the Harry Potter series will also be excited by the exclusive new footage from the next Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. The movie is set to be released November 19, 2010, just in time for the holidays.

(Photo from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One. © Warner Bros. Entertainment inc. Photo credit: Jaap Buitendijk)

I drove through McDonlad's to get the kids some pancakes yesterday, and noticed that the kids' meal toys now feature characters from the movie Avatar, the PG-13 movie which will hit theaters in 3D on Friday, December 18. The movie gets the rating "for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking." McDonald's and other fast food joints frequently market PG-13 movies to kids through toys in the kids' meals, but this is only part of the problem.

According to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), PG-13 movies are regularly advertised on children's networks. Not only that, but the organization claims that the "FTC's review of studio marketing plans demonstrates that violent PG-13 movies are deliberately targeted to young children, even when studios are aware that parents object to this practice." In fact, they say that an FTC report shows that in one case, "when market research found that many parents of children ages 7 to 12 were concerned that a movie was too violent, the studio did not alter its plan to market the film to young children. Instead, the studio changed its advertisements to deemphasize the violent content to "convince more parents that [this movie] will be 'safe for their kids to see.'"

While I hope that parents would be cautious about the toys they buy children and the messages those toys send, I can't say that I think there should be laws or regulation of the toy companies. If a parent wants to buy their kids a Batman toy, or a Spiderman toy, I think that is their choice. However, I do have a problem with ads for those movies being run on kids' TV networks. Parents should be able to trust a network designated for kids to carry only kid-appropriate content, even the commercials.

What do you think about the advertising of PG-13 movies to kids through toys and ads? Will you be taking the kids to see Avatar? If so, how old are they? (Use the "comments" link to share your opinion, or answer the poll below.)

(Photo © 20th Century Fox. All rights reserved. Credit: WETA)

The highly anticipated The Princess and the Frog Disney movie opens wide this Friday. If you've been in a Disney store lately, you can easily tell that Disney has gone all out with this one. The Princess Tiana dolls are gorgeous, and the dress-up clothes and accessories are straight out of little girls' dreams. The new Disney Princess has arrived, and she is going to be a prominent figure under many Christmas trees this year.

The Princess and the Frog is set in New Orleans and presents a musical new take on the old froggy fable. The animation may be the old school 2D style, but computer animation has nothing on the beauty and magic conveyed by the animation in The Princess and the Frog. Traditional 2d animation has a timeless element, and like other Disney Princess movies, this new version of a classic tale will likely be enjoyed by generations to come.

(Photo © Disney)

In the last couple of weeks we talked a little about the famous Thanksgiving Day parade, and now there is another star studded parade event to look forward to. This year, the 26th annual Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade will feature performances by Celine Dion and Stevie Wonder. Also, kids can look forward to seeing their favorite stars from Mickey Mouse and Princess Tiana to the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest will co-host the event.

If anyone can create awesome parade floats, it should be Disney. While I can't imagine having the time to watch a parade on Christmas day, I will definitely record it for the kids. Maybe when they get tired of playing with all of the new toys they will want to relax and watch it. The theme this year, admirably, is "Seasons of Giving," which corresponds to Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" campaign in which Disney will celebrate volunteerism by giving a free, one-day admission to a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort theme park to 1 million people in the United States and Canada who perform volunteer service with a participating organization starting January 1, 2010.

The two-hour televised special will air nationally in High-definition December 25 on ABC-TV at 10 a.m. Eastern and 9 a.m. Central, Mountain and Pacific times.

Handy Manny, a popular character among preschoolers and star of the Playhouse Disney show Handy Manny, will share the importance of washing hands and offer other tips to prevent the spread of germs, especially during flu season, in a new interstitial segment that will premiere Friday, December 11 (9:25 a.m. ET/PT) on the Disney Channel. The interstitial will recur multiple times daily and will also be available at PlayhouseDisney.com, with a link to the Center for Disease Control's flu prevention micro-site and printable tips for parents on how to prevent and treat the flu.

Other characters, like Elmo, are also continuing to remind children about healthy habits such as hand washing and coughing into the sleeve. The reminders are good for preschoolers, who may not be getting the info from school. The schools in our neck of the woods certainly are serious about preventing flu. My daughter tells me that they have to wash their hands many times throughout the day, and we get constant email reminders about flu prevention tips and the schools' sick child policies. For preschoolers, though, it's up to us parents, and I guess their favorite TV characters, to teach flu prevention practices.

(Photo © Disney.)

Now back from our long road trip, we are three Roald Dahl books wiser. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I have to say, is now one of our family's absolute favorites. We had a blast reading that book and comparing it with both versions of the movie. We unanimously chose the movie starring Johnny Depp as our favorite, and it seemed to be truer to the book. Although, there were a few scenes that were not in the book, and we are wondering if they were at all influenced by Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, which we are all very excited to read next (thanks to K.C. for the suggestion of that one on my previous Roald Dahl post).

We also enjoyed reading Fantastic Mr. Fox, but the kids were not as impressed by the movie. They are too young to understand the humor, and they got bored half way through. James and the Giant Peach was also a fun read, and the movie is decent. We didn't have a chance to finish Matilda yet, but we will soon see if that becomes a new favorite, since my three little girls are sure to be excited about the the fact that the main character is a girl.

During the holidays, families often spend time in front of the TV. Whether it's watching football games or holiday specials, watching TV together is better. For one thing, who doesn't love to cuddle together on the couch when the weather is frightful and just enjoy relaxing together? Also, when parents watch TV or movies with kids, they have an opportunity to discuss the show and point out things that may or may not coincide with the family's values. But that's not all, effective co-viewing can actually help kids develop thinking skills and teach them important life lessons.

Have you ever watched a commercial with a preschooler? They are almost as enthralled with the commercials as they are with the actual show, and they believe everything that is said. I remember the first time that my preschooler looked at me during a commercial and said, "You really need that, huh Mom?" and the astonished look on her face when I explained that I didn't like that particular product. She had just heard the man on TV state that it worked wonders. We had a long talk about what commercials are and what they are trying to do. For a while after that, every time she would see a commercial, she asked me, "Is that true, Mom?"

Teaching kids to think about what they are being sold while they watch TV helps them learn to analyze media and motives, and it's not just the commercials. many programs portray things in a way that is not true to real life, and our innocent children are down right flabbergasted when they find out that it isn't real. Discuss these things with your kids, and ask them about what they think would happen if people behaved in the real world like they do on TV. Often, you can do this in a way that is natural and fun, so they don't even know that you're creating a teaching moment, but they will be predicting, analyzing, and hypothesizing -- practicing thinking skills that will help them in many areas of life.

Deciding to brave the crowds today, I headed out before dawn and hit the stores. But by 8:30 a.m. the lines had grown so long, I had to put back my things and call it a day. It's times like these when I'm really grateful for the Internet. Comparison shopping is easy, and you don't have to wait in line. Movies are especially easy and cheap to find online. So, if you're like me and have given up on the stores, here are some movie ideas that make great stocking stuffers or gifts for kids:

• DVDs/Blu-rays for Preschoolers
• DVDs/Blu-rays for Kids Ages 6-9
• Disney Classic Re-releases - 2009
• Awesome Collector's Editions and DVD/Blu-ray Gift Sets - 2009 (Many of these titles are great gifts for the whole family or for fans of the individual movies/TV shows)
• New Christmas Movie Releases

I loved this recent article on Wired.com "Top 10 Bad Messages From Good Movies". Geek Dad points out some of the underlying questionable messages in popular films. For example, he points out that The Little Mermaid teaches that "It's OK to completely change your physical appearance and way of life for the person you love." It's both fun and fascinating, not to mention important, to really consider what messages movies send to kids.

I was thinking about this very thing when I saw New Moon. Kids are really into the Twilight saga, and lots of them are going to be seeing the movie. What messages does it send to kids? -- Having boys sneak into your room at night is exciting and romantic; if a guy loves you, he says things like, "I will never hurt you" and "You're everything to me" all the time; and breaking up with your boyfriend can send you into a deep depression for months at a time. Anyone remember the book "Madame Bovary"? Young girls could get a pretty warped sense of what love is like from watching these movies.

Yeah, it's just entertainment, but it's up to us to make sure our kids develop good common sense through real world experiences and discussions with us so that all of these messages from the media they are exposed to don't get out of context. For this reason and many more, it's just a matter of fact that monitoring, utilizing, and limiting kids' media exposure is a major component of parenting in this day and age.