On Tuesday, August 21,2012 you can experience the spectacular imagery that only Disneynature can provide – with it’s newest debut of  “Chimpanzee,” as a Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray+DVD=$39.99 U.S. and $49.99 Canada.), Digital and On-Demand viewing.  Disneynature, has brought you “Earth,” “Oceans,” and “African Cats,” and now the most amazing and heartwarming adventure yet “Chimpanzee.”

This inspiring film takes you on the true life adventure of Oscar, an adorable young chimpanzee, whose zest for life and constant curiosity showcases some of the ingenuity and intelligence of the chimpanzee’s in an up close and personal way.  They have always been known to be among the most extraordinary personalities of the entire animal kingdom.

“Chimpanzee,” is a remarkable look at Oscar’s growth and individual triumph, as well as, family bonds created within his group. You’ll experience a journey deep into the African Forest, where Oscar and other fellow young chimps introduce you to their playground, where they love creating mayhem. It’s an inspiring and life-changing adventure that gives you an up close and personal look into Oscar’s family, and how they must navigate and protect their complex forest territory, which is their food source and vital to their existence.  This interesting, inspirational and life-changing adventure with it’s beautiful footage, is guaranteed to capture your heart with it’s courage and charm.

The making of “Chimpanzee” is a series of exciting short features, that show the incredible lengths the film-makers went through to capture and tell the  story of Oscar and his family.

A team of researchers, including Dr. Jane Goodall, have been researching chimpanzee’s along the Ivory Coast for 30 years.  You’ll get a behind the scenes look at how and why the film was made. Cameramen would go on a two hour daily trek through the forest, just to get to the chimpanzee’s and observe their daily lives, like how they use rocks and tools to prepare their food. They also had to keep a distance, and yet manage to catch the films two rival family groups struggle to share the same family forest home.  The crew, even spent two days wading through the sea of bees on location, in order to capture just 20 seconds of stunning footage.

In celebration of the in-home debut of “Chimpanzee,” Disneynature will donate a portion of the first-week sales to the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) through the “See Chimpanzee, Save Chimpanzees” Conservation Program. For every purchase of the movie through August 27th,2012, Disneynature will make a donation through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, to conserve chimpanzee habitat, educate the next generation, and care for orphaned chimpanzees.

This is a beautiful look at one of the most amazing creatures in the world. It is good wholesome family entertainment, and a close-up look at family values in the wild. It’s some of the most amazing filming I have ever seen. It makes you feel like you are there, and a part of the action in a most beautiful and pristine place.

It was a happy day last week, when I received a copy of The Lorax, for me and my family to review. My generation, was raised on the traditional fairy tales. But, the wonderful, imaginative, and always humorous yarns of Dr. Seuss- always seemed to get read over and over again, and were ageless in their appeal to everyone.  The Lorax, has that same appeal, and was pinned by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel), in 1971, and was his personal favorite piece of work.  It leaves me wondering if he could somehow see into the future, or take a slight glimpse into what the world is like today. The message is apparent that we should respect and care for our environment.

Twelve year old Ted, sets out on a journey to find the Truffula Tree, for his crush(Audrey)-who just so happens to be the girl next door-the girl of his dreams.  The journey proves to be more difficult than he anticipated.  You see, humans have built a fake and sterile world, where there in NO dirt, NO trees, NO grass, and NO real or natural ANYTHING.  Trees are made of sanitized Plastic and the Food is overly processed unappetizing BLOBS- in the town of Thneedville.

Ted starts off on his journey with fifteen cents, a nail and the shell of a great-great grandfather SNAIL! He takes these treasures with him to the very secluded Once-ler, in his quest to find the Truffula Tree.  It is there, that he learns the story of the Lorax- (a grumpy, but loveable creature who speaks for the trees and is a protector of Truffula Valley). He also learns that he must avoid coming up against the town owner who sells-AIR!

You’ll have NO problem watching the trials and tribulations Ted must go through, to see if he finds the Truffula Tree and gets the girl of his dreams!

Here is a brief trailer of the other three movie shorts included in the pack.

The Lorax, is great family fun for everyone.  My seven year old grandson thinks it is the best.  It keeps you watching and laughing, and even us adults enjoyed it tremendously.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax Combo Packs contain a Blu-ray™, DVD and a Digital Copy of the film compatible with iTunes^®, iPad^®, iPhone^®, iPod^™, Android (or select online retailers), as well as, UltraViolet^™.  UltraViolet^,™ is the revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows in the cloud to instantly stream and download to computers, tablets and smart phones. Consumers can now truly enjoy their movies anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice.

The packs all include these bonus features:

• MINI MOVIES

• Serenade — Two Bar-ba-loots — one love shy and the other suave and confident — battle for the heart of their would-be sweetheart with the help of a colorful cast of characters, including the Humming-Fish and Swomme-Swans.
• Wagon-Ho—Two Bar-ba-loots take The Once-ler’s wagon on a ride they won’t soon forget.
• Forces of Nature—Determined to scare The Once-ler out of Truffula Valley, The Lorax decides to create the illusion of ominous forces of nature.

The launch date for The Lorax, began on Tuesday August 7th, and is available in stores everywhere.  No matter how you choose to view it, it is a great addition to your viewing library.  I received a copy for viewing and review, and all thoughts and opinions shared here are my own.

Soap Hope is working to end poverty

Soap Hope is a company with a purpose.  That purpose is ending global poverty. As a leading online retailer of premium, all-natural body care products, Soap Hope, invests 100 percent of its profits each year into anti-poverty organizations.  They enable women to start and grow their own businesses through micro lending.

Soap Hope offers healthful products online.  They deliver them in an eco-friendly “Ugly Box,” that they make themselves, to cut down on cost and waste.  Then, they invest every dollar of profit into programs that lift women up from poverty around the world. Not just a portion of proceeds, or a matching product, but, every single dollar of profit that their customers generate goes to lift women from poverty.

Soap Hope, operates a website store where they sell high quality, all-natural soaps,lotions, shampoo and other personal care products.  All Soap Hope products, are 100 percent natural and free of artificial preservatives, fragrances, and colors. There is NO use of paraben- and all products are cruelty-free.  Soap Hope’s operations have been designed to minimize its environmental impact. They even use reclaimed cardboard, to package (the ugly box) and ship customer orders, saving cost to you, and the company.

Soap Hope has integrated responsible business practices into every aspect of its operations. First of all, they offer top quality, name brand and amazing products.  Every product  is 100% natural, healthful, wholesome and top of the class.  They offer brands like, Indigo Wild, Pangea Organics and Zum, all names you will recognize, that offer top quality. Another comfort is, they do all the research for you, so you know you are getting the best products at the lowest prices.  Then, they offer real customer service, because YOU matter.  They also guarantee your satisfaction, with every purchase.

When I received my “ugly box,” I couldn’t believe the wonderful smell, before I even opened it up. It filled the room with wonderful, natural fragrance. The Lavender Mint soap bar, is heavenly.  It’s great knowing that you smell good and look good, while using all natural products. They even have “green” cleaning and laundry products.

Soap Hope has an Amazing Mission

Soap Hope is a for-profit company with a Heart and a Mind, and for this reason they operate with a non-profit mission.  They designed the Good Returns model on purpose, Read the rest of this entry »