EPIC is  an adventure comedy that takes place deep in the forest where there is an on-going battle between the forces of good and evil. The story begins when a teenage girl, named MK, finds herself in this fantastical world and teams up with a band of Leafmen warriors and a humorous crew to save the world. With an amazing voice talent that includes Beyoncé, Pitbull, Colin Farrell, Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson and Christoph Waltz this movie has something for everyone in the family.

Epic opens on May 24th, but we want you to be among the first to enjoy it! We’re giving away two family four-packs of tickets for an advanced screening of Epic in 10 different cities! That’s a total of 20 family four packs! Take a look at the trailer below.

The Giveaway!

Twenty winners will take one family 4-pack of tickets to an advanced screening of  EPIC. The screenings will take place in the ten cities listed in the chart below (tickets only, no travel, meals or accommodations). There will be two winners for each of the cities listed below. Winners must be available to attend Saturday, May 18th at 10:30 Am and passes are non-transferrable. Tickets will be picked up at will-call the day of the event. Please do not enter if you’re not sure you’ll be able to make it.

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment telling us which city from the list below you would be able to attend. The first two entries with valid emails per city will take ONE family four pack. Good luck! 

This giveaway closes on Wednesday, May 15th.

We were invited by 20th Century Fox and Dreamworks Animation to a very special screening and behind-the-scenes look of the 3D animated family flick, The Croods. We were so thrilled that this film has a character that can appeal to everyone in the family, as well as a very rich and relatable story. The Croods is not just a series of funny moments for our kids and us, it’s not just about an anxious teenager, and it’s not just about the parents that try to keep them all together — it’s about a whole family and how they deal with change, fear, and how love binds them together…even back in prehistoric times!

With The Croods, Dreamworks takes us into the world of a caveman family that is trying to adapt to their rapidly changing world, not very different from life in the 21st century, if you think about it. Of course, this doesn’t come without setbacks and tons of family drama. Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage)  is the father and protector of the family who is terrified of anything new and works hard to keep his family safe in a cave. He labels what is unfamiliar as dangerous. However, his daughter, Eep (voiced by Emma Stone), is anxious to explore the world and try new things, often putting them at odds. Then Eep meets Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), a stranger she encounters when she leaves the cave without permission. Guy shows the family new things and inventions, such as fire,  and the family is fascinated by him — all except Grug who starts to feel left out.

When SpanglishBaby visited the Dreamworks Animation campus, Steve Macleod — a storyboard artist for the studio —  and directors Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco showed us how the story of The Croods was brought to life. Macleod showed us rough sketches of a scene as he told us about the process to bring it to animated form. Even without the glitz and glam that you will find in the final version of this movie, the story shined trough, proving to us that at its core The Croods is about great storytelling.

In the scene Macleod showed us, the Croods family sat  around a fire over which they had roasted a giant prehistoric turkey. They all dived into their meal, devouring as much as they could. Watching them all was Guy. Guy politely ate his share of the food an waited as the Croods fought each other for the last morsel. The only one who seemed embarrassed was Eep. When they are all finished they gathered around for one of Grug’s stories which have become a special family tradition. Grug’s cautionary tales always follow the same plot line; anyone who tries something new ends up dying. But then Guy decides to take a shot at storytelling and he comes up with a different ending. Guy’s story was filled with wonder and hope for a better tomorrow. Everyone was enthralled. Of course, all except Grug.

It was that small moment that set of a chain of events for the Crood family. But don’t worry, the Croods isn’t just about serious life-changing decisions; there are plenty of laughs along the way that make the first “modern family” a joy to watch. Paired with the stunning imagery of a prehistoric world designed by the imagination of the Dreamworks Animation team,  The Croods is a film that will surely captivate many with laughter and great storytelling.

The Croods hits theaters March 22nd. Check out the trailer with your niños below.

{Event photos by Eric Charbonneau, all other images courtesy of 20th Century Fox and Dreamworks Animation}

{George López is the voice behind the comedic, three-eyed alien named Thurman; Jessica Alba is the BASA chief (like NASA) Lena; and Sofia Vergara’s character is Gabby, the knockout news reporter. Photo credit: John Nguyen.}

When SpanglishBaby was invited to see the new 3D animated film Escape from Planet Earth we were happily surprised to see that it’s an action-packed movie all about familia. The blue family from Baab includes Gary, a husband and father, Kira, a loving wife and mother, and their son Kip. And you can’t forget the superstar uncle, Scorch. This family is just like any ordinary family but what makes them stand out is their interplanetary intelligence and courage in times of trouble. What was refreshing about this animated family was that they were each different in many ways. However, the fact that dad Gary is a tech nerd, mom Kira a stay-at-home mom, and son Kip just a little boy didn’t stop them from saving the day and becoming heroes.

So, who is escaping from planet earth and what drove this family to a cross-planet mission? The admired and celebrity-like astronaut Scorch Supernova, who also happens to be Gary’s brother. Scorch is known for making rash decisions in his quest to be the hero in every situation and this time around it led him to end up stranded on the “dark planet” — planet earth — as a prisoner of the evil General Shanker.

SpanglishBaby had the chance to chat on the phone with Jessica Alba and ask her a few questions about her role as Lena — Gary’s boss at BASA. Lena is responsible for sending Scorch on a mission to Earth and therefore catapulting the series of events. To much of everyone’s surprise, Lena ends up as one of the “bad guys” in the movie. Before we give too much away, check out our interview with Jessica Alba below:

SpanglishBaby: This is the first time you are doing an animated film. Did you enjoy the process and is there an anecdote you’d like to share with us about your experience?

Jessica Alba: I did. When I first started, you know you do several sessions, and the first time I did it the character was literally a sketch — a black and white sketch, and then each time I came in more and more the animation was done. But you know you’re sort of just listening to your own voice like really loud and there’s a glass wall and a bunch of people on the other side of the glass wall telling you “Louder! Can you punch that up a little bit?” or “Can you do that a little bit different?” You’re not really working with actors, which was strange and different but fun. It was liberating being able to play someone who is totally crazy and just all over the place.

SB: It must be fun to play the villain in this movie. Have your daughters seen the movie yet and, if so, what do they think about mommy playing the bad girl? Do you think they’ll like it?

JA: My older one saw it. My little one can’t really sit through a movie but my older one saw it. When she first heard my voice she looked up at me like (gasp!) all excited. But she was into it. She really liked the story, it held her attention. I think at her age if she can sit trough a movie and pay attention to it it’s good.

SB: What we loved about this movie were the elements of girl empowerment, which we weren’t expecting. Was this something that attracted you to the script in the first place? What do you want girls to take from the two strong female roles in this movie?

JA: You know, I feel like it’s more now than ever, anything that appeals to the younger demographic in entertainment, there is a lot of female empowerment, so it’s not that unusual. The stereotypes have all sort of been challenged. You expect to see strong female characters. I think that’s just really cool and it’s nice to be a parent right now and have those types of women [roles] to look up to.

SB: SpanglishBaby is dedicated to raising bilingual and bicultural kids, so I’m sure our readers identify with you and would love to know what you are doing to keep your Latino heritage alive with your daughters?

JA: We have in our home, in our foyer. Basically, I asked my aunts and uncles, grandparents, my mom, dad and my husband the same thing: for all of the oldest photos that they have of the family. So we basically have generations and generations of photos in black and white all over the wall so my daughters can look at their grandparents and great grand parents as children everyday.

Escape from Planet Earth hits theaters tomorrow, Friday February 15 and  features an all-star voice cast including Rob Corddry, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, William Shatner, Jessica Alba, Jane Lynch, Sofía Vergara, Craig Robinson, George Lopez, Steve Zahn, Chris Parnell, Ricky Gervais and Jonathan Morgan Heit.