Incredibles’ Jack Jack and Jurassic World’s Carnotaurus

Which One Will Prevail?

We haven’t seen either The Incredibles 2 or Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom yet, and we are going to have to choose one movie to see first this weekend.

I think we are leaning towards The Incredibles. 

And clearly Jack Jack is going to kick that Carnotaurus’ butt anyway. It can’t even stand up to the tyrannosaurus long enough to eat Chris Pratt in the preview.

Not that we will miss an opportunity to see dinosaurs eat non super humans. 

Definitely not.

Hank from Finding Dory Brings Broccoli for Lunch.

In a moment of Holiday Weekend Desperation, we went to see "Finding Dory."

One child was adamantly opposed to seeing the movie for mostly irrational reasons.  The other child, usually philosophically opposed to the viewing of movies in theaters in general (and against leaving the Xbox for any reason) was strongly in favor, mostly because he knew that his brother really didn't want to go.

We did not manage to depart for the local theater until about the time the movie was purportedly supposed to begin, therefore embarking on a 12 minute walk full of recrimination and complaint. Remarkably enough, we made it in time to see the movie start even after large tubs of popcorn and high fructose corn syrup beverages had been purchased. We did miss the previews and the Pixar short. I was sorry about that.

Everyone agreed that the movie was pretty good, and that Hank the octopus was a high point.

Sadly, there was no actual broccoli in this particular lunch. There were strawberries, but I did not think a berry would look as nice with Hank's skin tone.

As I'm sure have already mentioned several times before, our kids are secretly enthusiastic broccoli eaters, but they prefer not to reveal this shameful fact in the public arena of a school or camp lunch.

I am in the process of giving up on packing them lunch items that I think they should eat in the mostly vain hope that they might eat them...even though I am pretty sure that they won't eat them. As one son is thirteen now and his nine year old brother seems to be an honorary adolescent just by association, pretty much whatever I am pushing is a lost cause just because I am pushing it.

At this point, I have begun to fear that too much broccoli in the lunch will drive them to a lifetime of nothing but cheesecake and salt and vinegar potato chips just to spite me.

Wile E Willy Wall-e

PuppyMonkeyBaby Drawing Project #6

That's Wile E. Coyote from the Warner Bros Road Runner cartoons and Willy Wonka- the 1971 Gene Wilder version of the movie, and WALL-E from the 2008 Pixar movie bearing his name.... if that helps.

Wile E. Coyote looks pretty unhappy. Maybe he thinks I should have done a better job drawing the Wall-e treads on his lower third....maybe he's not happy being one third velvet jacket wearing human and one third trash compacting machine.

Inside Out with Dinosaurs

But who should be riding which dinosaur?

We've seen the trailer for Pixar's "Inside Out" more times than I can count. Perhaps due to overexposure, I found myself fairly annoyed by it.  My kids, however, remained enthusiastic about the trailer and the prospect of seeing the movie...that is, right up until the time that I suggested that we should go see it this weekend.

I think we had all started to focus on the fact that the movie was mostly about a girl and the balance between happiness and sadness. This realization, (and the uniformly positive reviews) made me want to take my sons to see it, while it made them resist.

It's certainly not that we are against the expression of emotions around here. We are particularly good at sharing the negative ones. But perhaps the  perceived girliness of the movie did not make them want to see it immediately...

And whatever I'm selling, they're not buying...just on principle.

Putting the emotion girls on dinosaurs did not help. My younger son looked at this napkin today and announced, "I am not taking THAT to camp!" He then wanted to know what my rational was for putting Sadness on the Indominus Rex. I guess I was fantasizing a more playful interaction between the dinosaurs than the one that concludes "Jurassic World." Perhaps in the next sequel, the Rexes will be pals...

But I'm afraid that Anger should probably be on the napkin, riding the Mosasaurus. (That's the giant dinosaur that comes out of the water to eat the great white shark in the ad campaign) Luckily, I did not have room.

Bullet Cat and EVE from "WALL-E"

 

Missiles of Cute:

Cats and Robots #12

The original image of Bullet Cat seems to have proliferated in 2010. It still pops up occasionally, which is how we became aware of it. 
Pixar's "WALL-E" was released in 2008, but I don't remember when we saw it.  Ansel was only one in 2008, so he definitely watched it in the years after its release. While EVE is the love interest of the movie, our kids were much more interested in her ability to sprout and fire plasma weapons.

I think we might be done with the Cats and Robots theme for the moment. I have received several admirable suggestions over the last couple of weeks, but, for various reasons, I don't think I am going to be able to pursue any of them.

Sulley From Monsters Inc.

Ansel has been lobbying for a noisemaking Sulley toy advertized recently on TV.  Generous mom that I am, I compromised by drawing Sulley's face on a napkin.  

While they certainly would not pass up an opportunity to watch a Pixar movie, our sons have not really been big Monsters Inc fans in the past.  Too much talking, not enough weapons perhaps. 

Ansel did not seem particularly moved by the ad campaign for the sequel until he saw the commercial for the toy which promises to help its owner scare his or her parents.

I am afraid of acquiring more stuffed toys.