KIDS FIRST! News

Llama Llama springs to life in these heart-warming tales based on the award-winning book series by author and illustrator Anna Dewdney.  Join Llama Llama, Nelly Gnu, Luna Giraffe, Euclid the Sheep and Gilroy Goat as they explore their safe, friendly hometown and make childhood memories. On this DVD, join Llama Llama as he camps, boats, floats and swims his way through his BEST summer ever!  Adventure and learning awaits with Llama Llama and pals! KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Ethan P. comments, “I like Llama Llama Best Summer Ever! DVD because it is very entertaining.  It is a great tool to entertain young children or kids my age, especially during this pandemic. Each episode is very well illustrated and the script is well written.” Cadence G. adds, “I like Llama Llama: BEST Summer Ever! because all the episodes are different and have their own little adventure, even though all eight episodes have to do with summer activities.” Katherine S. wraps it up with, “Llama Llama’s Best Summer Ever! is so entertaining to watch. It has adorable characters, fun animation, great music and lots vibrant content.  The short episodes are the perfect length to keep young children entertained.” See their full reviews below

Llama Llama Best Summer Ever
Ethan P., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 11

I like Llama Llama Best Summer Ever! DVD because it is very entertaining.  It is a great tool to entertain young children or kids my age, especially during this pandemic. Each episode is very well illustrated and the script is well written.

This DVD is based off the award-winning book series by author and illustrator Anna Dewdney.  One of Dewdney’s of the first books in the series is Llama Llama Red Pajama.  Her Llama Llama books have been adapted into an animated television series for Netflix and this DVD is a compilation of episodes about summer.  Llama Llama and his friends Nelly Gnu, Luna Giraffe, Euclid the Sheep, Gilroy Goat explore their hometown and have fun at the same time making childhood memories. This is truly the best summer ever for Llama Llama and his friends! Every episode is a new story with a new story line. This DVD includes eight episodes with a duration of approximately 11 minutes each for a total of 90 minutes of fun and adventure.

The animation is neat with bright colors, very detailed and colorful landscaping and excellent voice-overs that match each character.  My favorite episode is “Last Day of Summer” which is about Llama Llama going kiting with his mom and friends at the beach, but it starts raining so his mom suggests doing indoor activities.  His mom thinks of a fun way to go kiting indoors.  They place a sand-looking mat on the floor; turn on a fan and Luna stands on the background to move fake waves made by cardboard.  This episode is my favorite because it gives you a very good idea of how to have fun while staying at home during this pandemic.

The moral of this show is to never give up because Llama Llama does not stop trying to sell lemonade and keeps trying till he eventually gets customers. This shows how to keep trying even when things don’t work out the way you want them to. It teaches children to be persistent because there is no worse battle than the one you don’t fight for.  This show also teaches children to be creative and to be resourceful like when they are kiting inside the house.

I’d give Llama Llama Best Summer Ever! 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it ages 5 to 18, plus adults can watch and enjoy this DVD with their children!  This DVD is available now so go and look for it! It’s perfect for summer and pandemics.

Llama Llama BEST Summer Ever!
By Cadence Graber, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 11

I like Llama Llama: BEST Summer Ever! because all the episodes are different and have their own little adventure, even though all eight episodes have to do with summer activities. At times, certain parts get a bit cheesy, but the characters are so cute that I think little kids will like this DVD.

This DVD is about Llama Llama and his friends Euclid the Sheep, Gilroy Goat, Nelly Gnu and Luna Giraffe having different adventures, like the one when Llama Llama wants to help Euclid buy a new tire for his bike because it breaks, so the crew helps him raise money by starting a lemonade stand. Another adventure is when Llama Llama and Nelly Gnu have a babysitter and have so much fun together. Although, Llama Llama has to step in a few times to help out the babysitter when certain things go wrong.  You’ll have to watch the episode called “Llama Llama and the Babysitter” to find out what happens and how Llama Llama comes to the rescue. It is really cool to see all of the characters have fun together and solve problems when they need to. I also think it’s neat that the characters are so funny and have their own little personalities. My favorite part is when all the friends have an indoor summer day because it is raining. They take their game of sand volleyball inside, which is something I’d like to do. I’m not the best at playing volleyball (okay, I’m horrible), but it’s still a fun game to play with friends.

The animation is really good because you can see everything that is going on at all times; it’s really life-like. The voices of the characters fit them perfectly. I like how all the characters are so different from one another. For example, Llama Llama (Shayle Simons) is usually confident and has a strong voice, while Euclid (Brendon Sunderland), who is kind of shy and nerdy, has a weaker voice. It is exciting to see the characters play together outside in the summer. I look forward to being able to do more summer activities as it gets warmer in Minnesota, where I’m from.

The message of the DVD is you should take advantage of beautiful sunny days, but that you can still have fun even if it’s not sunny or if things don’t always work out the way you planned. Each episode has its own little message, so you’ll have to check out this DVD to learn more.

I give Llama Llama: BEST Summer Ever! 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 4 to 10. This DVD is available now, so go look for it.

Llama Llama: Best Summer Ever
By Katherine S., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

Llama Llama’s Best Summer Ever! is so entertaining to watch. It has adorable characters, fun animation, great music and lots vibrant content.  The short episodes are the perfect length to keep young children entertained.

This DVD is about Llama Llama and his friend having the time of their lives on their summer vacation. Episodes include Let’s Go Camping, Beach Day, Boat Float and Last Day of Summer. Wherever Llama Llama goes, there will always be fun.

The Llama Llama animated series is so cool, because they are based on the award-winning book series by author and illustrator Anna Dewdney.  There are several lovable characters including Llama Llama, Nelly Gnu and Luna Giraffe. This DVD is approximately 90 minutes long with eight episodes.  My favorite episode is Last Day of Summer, because it shows that even if the weather is bad you can still have fun indoors during the summer.

There are a lot of positive messages in this DVD including keeping a positive attitude when your plans change unexpectedly and, if you go with the flow and have a positive attitude, the outcome can still be fun.  We also learn that a little bit of practice can make you feel more confident and that if you feel as if you are not getting enough attention from your parents, just know that they still love you. This DVD has no bad language and there is nothing risky or dangerous that kids might try to do.  However, there are scenes showing jealously.

I give this DVD 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 8. This DVD is available now. I totally recommend this DVD for your kids.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Mike Elliott, the director of American Pie: Girls Rule. In our discussion, we discussed the challenges of continuing one of cinema’s most famous comedy series and how this film differs from his experience as both a director and a producer.

American Pie: Girls Rule is the ninth installment in the franchise. After nine films, the series has garnered a reputation and an expectation from its fans. So, Mike Elliott had to approach this film from two fronts. First, he had to keep in mind the “formula” that the American Pie series follows – a raunchy, but explorative and innocent story. Second, he had to find a way to separate this film from its many predecessors. To do so, American Pie: Girls Rule switches perspective and looks at the comedy of relationships from the female perspective instead of the male.

While American Pie is historically meant for older audiences, Mike Elliott has worked on films for much younger audiences, including being a producer of the kid’s film, Woody Woodpecker. While they may have different audiences, both have a similar style of physical comedy with a “pay off and set up of jokes,” Mike Elliott explained. Additionally, Mike tries to put a moral in every film, no matter who is its final audience.

Getting the comedy from script to screen is not an easy process and involves collaboration between the director and actors. While the director can ensure each comedic element is set up for the jokes, it is up to the actor to have the perfect body language and reactions to compliment that humor. “That’s the kind of thing you can’t teach anyone,” Mike explained.

Yet, the director’s focus goes from there. Mike listed three main areas of focus for film directors. First, they must know the story in intimate detail, from the large plot elements to scene-by-scene character developmental beats. Second, they must have a planning mindset where they keep in mind everything they need to do every day and throughout the production.

Lastly, the director must be a leader. A film set is comprised of producers, set designers, makeup and hair stylists, actors, special effects creators, cinematographers and more. It requires a strong and trustworthy leader to combine these many, often contrasting, elements into an entertaining and meaningful movie.

For more of my interviews exploring leaders in the entertainment business, make sure to check out my interviews with Glenn Ross, CEO Universal 1440 Entertainment; Scott Ross, VFX Specialist; Glenn Entis, former CEO Dreamworks Interactive; Maureen Fan, CEO Baobab Studios; Gary Gutierez, SFX Specialist; Cynthia Hsiung, Award-Winning Director/producer; and Steve Michelson, Award-winning Documentarian. And here’s a link to my playlist of over 300 interviews and reviews on the KIDS FIRST!  YouTube Channel.

By Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 17
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