ParaNorman is a 3D stop-motion comedy thriller from the folks who brought you Coraline. Norman is a bit of a ghost whisperer in a town that comes under siege by zombies. Tons of ghosts and witches make their appearance along with a few pesky bullies who just don’t get Norman and a best friend who is so endearing you will fall in love him.

If you look closely you can see the face is almost like a mask and the fingers are all moveable. What fun it must have been to create these puppets and give them life! ParaNorman is the first stop-motion movie to use a 3D Color Printer to create replacement faces for its puppets. Over 31,000 individual facial parts were printed for the production.

The tour took us right into the extraordinary world of ParaNorman. The set-ups boasted of incredible detail that left us all in awe. And the characters were beyond impressive with their ability to emote and connect with the viewer. Norman has about 8,000 faces with a range of individual pieces of brows and mouths, which allows him to have about 1.5 million possible facial expressions. The stop-motion process is incredible, and seeing it first-hand gave us an even bigger appreciation for this art form. In fact, we were so inspired by the film, we created our own little stop-motion video called The Rescue!

ParaNorman opens August 17th, 2012. For more information, check out ParaNorman’s site, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

Thanks so much to Focus Features for treating us like VIP!

Photo: Rachel Matos and Focus Features

My son and I were given the opportunity to visit the set of ParaNorman – a new stop-motion film by LAIKA studios that is currently in the works to hit theaters in August. We learned a lot about stop-motion animation. Wow! It is quite a process.

We were so inspired we could not wait to get home and create a little video ourselves as part of our homeschooling art project. Of course, all I had in mind was a simple, step-by-step video of one character moving an arm or leg. However, my son had different plans. Originally he wanted to use about ten of his action figures to create an entire action-packed scene. We compromised and worked with four action figures and created a small(ish) action scene. After all, this is the first time we attempt stop-motion animation.

We moved each figure in the desired position, snapped a picture and repeated the process. It was a lot of fun, but can you imagine how long it must take to create a two hour film? What you are about to see is called The Rescue. We are already thinking about Part 2!

Enjoy!

Stay tuned for more info about the upcoming film ParaNorman. Do you like stop-motion animation? Do you have a favorite character or film that used this technique?

We got to hang out at the Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts Academy to chat with the cast  Dylan Riley Snyder, Alex Jones, Jason Earles, Mateo Arias and Olivia Holt. We even got to see a demonstration by Leo Howard!

It was interesting to learn about the actors activities outside of their Disney careers. Dylan Riley Snyder talked to us about how much he enjoys playing chess with his dad and Mateo Arias shared his love for making Youtube videos with his brother. He said he may even start making a few in Spanish, his first language!

If you have a tween, Kickin’ It is a really fun show. It’s action-packed and filled with laughs. The show is about a group of misfits who attend the Wasabi Martial Arts Academy. However, they are considered the lowest performing group in the Wasabi chain – This all changes when their friend Jack appears and teaches them about karate and friendships.

For more information about the show and to try a few Martial Arts moves, check out Disney.go.com.

I’m Latina and I’m Catholic. Can you believe that we never celebrated Three Kings Day? A Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian family with no Reyes?

In fact, it wasn’t until I worked at the Bronx Museum that I learned all about the beauty of this day and how it is celebrated throughout Latin America. Every year during the holidays we hosted multi-cultural art workshops for the families in the community. I remember thinking “Wow, this is something I want to do with my child one day.”

Sure enough, I kept to that word. We do something a little different each year, a bit low key but we do acknowledge this tradition in our home. We read a book about the birth of Christ, I make a special dinner and we put shoes out by the bed. Every year the Reyes give my son a special nutcracker that represents his year. For example, this year he took a cooking class, so his nutcracker was a chef! Yesterday we went a little further into the celebration by going to Disneyland!

This is the first time Disneyland observes Three Kings Day. Oh, and what a celebration it is! As soon as my son and I entered Zocalo Park in Frontierland, we heard music and saw the most beautiful dancers twirling in colors of fuscia, orange and blue.

Sweet corn tamales, face painting and dancing are just a few things taking over Disneyland Park. Even Mickey and Minnie were in their Fiesta best attire.

Donald Duck tapped into his latino spirit and greeted visitors with his amigos, Panchito and Jose Carioca. The Three Caballeros gave out lots of hugs and posed for pictures. 

My tween son looked over to me and said “You know life is great when you hear children laughing.” True, indeed. He and I had a great time together. He especially loved the dancers and the Mariachi Divas. They even sang “Cielito Lindo”, a song I used to sing to him when he was a baby. He still remembers.

Back to not having celebrated this day growing up – As a mother, it’s been a lot more fun to learn and explore the richness of our culture together with my son. I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you’d like to learn more about celebrating Three Kings at Disney, check out Disneylandia al Día. There’s still time. Celebrations are taking place right now and it ends tomorrow at midnight!

California residents can now enjoy both parks with a 2-day ticket for only $99.00. Click HERE and enter your zip. Offer runs from Jan. 4 to June 9, 2012

Share: Have you attended or plan to attend the Reyes Magos celebration at Disneyland? If so, please share with us here and/or upload a picture to our Facebook wall.

“Greg Heffley is about to learn that there may be something scarier than middle school – his own family” The Heffley brothers are back in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules on Blu-ray and DVD. The film is the second installment based on the best-selling books, and is packed with hilarity as the brothers continue to find their way through these difficult tween and teen years. Except this time, middle school was not as bad, and Rodrick proved to be even more challenging than the aftermath of being infected with the “Cheese Touch”.

My tween son is a true Wimpy fan. He read the books several times and found the film version to be just as funny. There was no shortage of good old fashion tween humor filled with booger jokes, potty references and many embarrassing moments as Greg tries to impress a girl he likes.

To limit the bickering between the brothers, the parents join forces by punishing the boys with, yes, you guessed it, bonding time! From that moment on, the humor ensues as the boys try to outsmart one another, eventually getting themselves in bigger trouble.

The film is a funny account of those awkward middle school years. It defines the huge difference a few years can make between siblings, and although there was a party scene and bickering, it delivers a positive message about family, friendships and honesty.

We are excited to add the DVD to our family movie collection!

The Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winner: Monica Young!

We’re giving away one DVD of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. To enter please tell us in the comments section below who the DVD is for and why.

That’s all you have to do to enter this giveaway. If you want to up your chances at winning, then this is how you can get additional entries (only after you’ve completed the step above):

**Please leave a separate comment for each so we can count them and avoid mistakes.

1. Subscribe to receive blog updates and subscriber-only content via email and leave us an extra comment letting us know you did so or that you’re already a subscriber. Make sure to leave the comment using the same email you subscribed with.

2. Follow us on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway including a link to the post and @SpanglishBaby. Copy the link to the tweet in an additional comment on the giveaway’s post.

3. Like SpanglishBaby on Facebook and join a thriving community of parents.

This giveaway ends Sunday, June 26 at midnight PST and is open to everyone over 18 years of age.  Check out the Giveaway Rules.

Rachel Matos: An exhibited artist, educator and professional performer, Rachel studied at the School of Visual Arts and Columbia University, and has since worked for LACMA, Norton Simon Museum, The Guggenheim, The Met, The Bronx Museum, Montclair Art Museum, Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She currently blogs at TheArtMuse.net – A personal style blog fused with arts and culture.

Photo Courtesy of Rachel Matos

Between my sports loving family and my passion for photography, the fun started as soon as we opened the book Sports Illustrated Kids:  3D Sports Blastand put on our 3d glasses. It certainly is an “in your face” experience starting with three dimensional karate chops and basketball dunks taken by stereographer David Klutho.

Now, when I think of a 3D experience it usually means a backdrop with one or two giant images popping off the screen or page. In this case, what I found to be the most fascinating was the multi-dimensionality of each page. The 3D effect is layered. In other words, the images that do pop out almost look as if you can pinch them or even stand behind them! The depth really places the reader in the scenario as opposed to the images just being in front of you.

My husband and son love their sports, so for them this was a non-stop action book bringing their favorite players to life. For me, it was more than beautiful photography it was actually quite educational!  I was introduced to sports I had never even heard of before and learned interesting facts about the players and the historical relevance of their sport.  I really enjoyed that.

Whether you’re a sports buff or not it’s a fun book to read as a family.

The Giveaway

We’re giving a way one Sports Illustrated Kids:  3D Sports Blast to a lucky winner.  To enter just tell us in the comments section below who the book would be for and why.

That’s all you have to do to enter this giveaway. If you want to up your chances at winning, then this is how you can get additional entries (only after you’ve completed the step above):

**Please leave a separate comment for each so we can count them and avoid mistakes.

1. Subscribe to receive blog updates and subscriber-only content via email and leave us an extra comment letting us know you did so or that you’re already a subscriber. Make sure to leave the comment using the same email you subscribed with.

2. Follow us on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway including a link to the post and @SpanglishBaby. Copy the link to the tweet in an additional comment on the giveaway’s post.

3. Like SpanglishBaby on Facebook and join a thriving community of parents.

This giveaway ends Sunday, June 26 at midnight PST and is open to everyone over 18 years of age.  Check out the Giveaway Rules.

Disclosure: We received a sample to facilitate the review. All opinions are our own.

An exhibited artist, educator and professional performer, Rachel studied at the School of Visual Arts and Columbia University, and has since worked for LACMA, Norton Simon Museum, The Guggenheim, The Met, The Bronx Museum, Montclair Art Museum, Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She currently blogs at TheArtMuse.net – A personal style blog fused with arts and culture.