The Emoji Movie Review and Celebrity Interviews with Maya Rudolph, T.J. Miller, Jake T. Austin and more

Deep within our smartphones, a world of technology and emojis comprise a complicated and quirky world, according to Sony Pictures Animation’s new film, The Emoji Movie. While humans have never been more connected, the Emoji Movie divulges how the Emojis and the other citizens of Textopolis are disconnected in more ways than one.

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The Emoji Movie features the voices of T.J. Miller, James Corden, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, Steven Wright, Jennifer Coolidge, Jake T. Austin, Christina Aguilera, Sofia Vergara and Sir Patrick Stewart, and is directed by Tony Leondis.

When the Meh Emoji, voiced by the hilarious T.J. Miller, is introduced at the beginning of the film, we learn that Gene (Meh) is anything but unimpressed about life. The Emojis are encouraged to maintain their one emotion and persona at all times, but Gene, an Emoji full of other emotions can’t help but reveal his true personality and range of other emotions. When Gene is tapped with putting his best ‘meh’ face when his user, Alex (Jake T. Austin,) needs him during a text conversation with a girl he likes, he freaks out and reveals his imperfections.

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Gene is then deemed a glitch by the Emoji leader, the superficial Smiler, voiced by Maya Rudolph. Threatened by Gene’s imperfections, Smiler enlists bots to destroy Gene, who, is then forced to run from Textopolis. On the lamb, Gene meets some fellow outcasts, including Hi-5 (James Corden) and the anti-conformist Jailbreak (Anna Faris).

The Emoji Movie examines the importance of friendship, loyalty and being true to yourself. As emojis and texting continues to be method of communication for many people, regardless of age, The Emoji Movie has impeccable timing. In a world where social media clouds in-person dialogue and encourages the unnecessary need for online popularity, Gene’s quest for discovering his genuine self and realizing the importance of true friendships is a lesson for the ages.

 

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The Emoji Movie is reminiscent of lighthearted storylines with an underlying message of other popular animated films like Wreck it Ralph and Inside Out. While there are so many parallels to other animated movies, The Emoji Movie conveys several important messages while telling a quirky story. The storyline line gets a bit complex and twisted at times, certainly much more verbose than a young grader schooler can comprehend. The literal bathroom humor and slapstick jokes might be enough to entertain the younger masses, and undoubtedly annoy the adult cynics. While it’s hard to take poop seriously, in this volatile climate in the “real world” this is exactly the kind of fun and comedy we need. The Emoji Movie was unexpectedly filled with more substance than I expected, and one that my kids can’t wait to watch.

In addition to screening the movie, along with several bloggers, Sony invited me, along with several fellow bloggers, to a series of interviews with the director and some of the talent.

 

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In our world at the moment, there’s a movement where not caring is considered cool. Director Tony Leondis says, “we wanted to show the opposite, in that caring and connecting with people IS cool. Who needs that in this world? We have enough of that.”

 

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As a parent of a tween who recently started to connect with his friends via texts on his iPod, internet safety and smart social media usage is more relevant than ever these days.

When asked about her thoughts on social media, cyber bullying and internet safety, Maya Rudolph, who voices the superficial and super-crazy Smiler, had a lot to say about parenting in the digital age.

“Being a parent today means you have to manage devices.” said Rudolph, a mom to 4 kids. “My kids are not on social media yet, but my daughter recently wanted to go on a site where she makes outfits. It gave me pause because there’s the anonymity aspect and option to give likes.” Rudolph went on to say that the need for likes and popularity contest isn’t something she wanted her kids exposed to at this age.

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Amid the often crazy context and elaborate storyline, The Emoji Movie does a great job delivering the message to its core audience that friendship and relationships transcend “likes” and popularity online. Real people require real in-person connections and genuine emotions. For a kids’ movie, I expected silly laughs and quirky characters. While it probably won’t go down as the theatrical masterpiece of the year, The Emoji Movie might go down as the movie that provided a reminder for everyone to examine the true value of their relationships and ongoing social media behavior. 

To take a page from page from Gene’s book, being different is what makes us who we are, so embrace the quirks that make you unique!

If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted animated flick that the kids will dig, check out The Emoji Movie! The Emoji Movie is officially out in theaters nationwide today, July 28.

 

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Full disclosure: I was invited by Sony Pictures Animation to participate in a blogger roundtable. As always, all thoughts are my own.

Celebrating Hotel Translyvania 2 at the Bronx Zoo

Just before the highly anticipated Hotel Translyania 2 hit theaters, the boys and I were thrilled to enjoy a day with the Drac Pack at the Bronx Zoo. Hosted by our friends at Kidz Vuz and Sony Pictures, we enjoyed breakfast in an event space overlooking the Congo Gorilla Forest.

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The guys were beside themselves by their incredible surroundings and hanging with our blogger friends. Actually, I don’t think we did much eating; we certainly took in the sights more than anything else.

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We absolutely loved meeting and greeting the Drac Pack and posing with our cool capes. In the new animated film, several notable names get in on the monster fun: Adam Sandler once again voices the lovable Dracula, Andy Samberg voices Jonathan, Selena Gomez lends her voice for Mavis, Kevin James is Frankenstein, Steve Buscemi voices Wayne and David Spade is Griffin.

 

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As part of the event, we had the chance to learn more about bats from the Bronx Zoo experts. My guys loved learning about Rodriguez Bats and all about their environments and what they eat. It was so cool to see them in their habitat at the zoo.

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Thanks to Sony and Kidz Vuz, we enjoyed the rest of the day at the Bronx Zoo exploring and taking in all of the fun with our friends!

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Be sure to check out Hotel Translyvania 2, which is now in theaters!

 

Full disclosure: I was provided with a stipend to cover transportation costs. As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

An Ode to Music and Relationships: Ricki and the Flash Review

This one isn’t for the kids, but definitely for the parents who love music and for those that can relate to chasing dreams.

Rock dramas could easily populate a genre of its own. The new film, Ricki and the Flash starring Meryl Streep, is a unique story that seems to transcend genres and your typical rockstar story.

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Directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Diablo Cody, Ricki and the Flash is a story about a musician who set out to chase dreams at the expense of her family and traditional path in life. Ricki Randazzo, the veteran rocker, played by Streep, is at her best on stage, alongside of her multi-faceted band, the Flash. When her adult daughter is facing a crisis back home in Indiana, she has a chance to redeem her role as mother and come to the rescue, when she, herself, could use a dose of the same support and rescuing.

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In Ricki and he Flash, Meryl’s starring role has the potential to upstage this heartwarming story. Ricki’s relationship with her daughter, Julie, played by Mamie Gummer, is a modern mother-daughter relationship heightened by dysfunction and healing.  Mamie and Meryl’s onscreen relationship catapulted their real-life mother-daughter chemistry, and further solidified Mamie’s rising star status. Man, does she play the angsty, bitchy victim well!

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Ricki’s boyfriend, Greg, played by the ruggedly charming, Rick Springfield, lifts the love storyline at the best possible moments. Kevin Kline played a conservative secondary character as Ricki’s ex-husband. The talented Andra McDonald was nice to see in the film, but I thought her character was underutilized. 

The strengths of this film are the relationships, the live music and the raw emotion. When all three catalysts are in full force, expect all the feelings. All of them.

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As Ricki, we see Meryl as we’ve never seen her before. She’s passionate about her music and doesn’t apologize for chasing her dream to be a rockstar. At one point of the film, while on stage, she starts a diatribe about why women are punished for putting careers first. We knew she was talented, but she takes her musical chops to the next level. She learned to play the guitar for the film and shows her rockstar status in various scenes. Of all the songs played, “Cold One” is undoubtedly the most unforgettable. This song catapults different meanings with every time it’s played, with the last scene making it all come full circle.

If you’ve ever chased a dream, wanted to chase a dream or had a dysfunctional relationship, Ricki and the Flash will resonate with you. The relationships portrayed by Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer and Rick Springfield make this film worth seeing and believing in second chances.

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On that note, I had a cool opportunity to sit in on a blogger junket with three of the main characters of Ricki and the Flash. As expected, Meryl was gracious, Mamie was cool and reflective, but quite honestly, Rick stole the show for many of us who grew up listening to him.

 

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I have a short video to share of his impromptu serenade! Several people asked the predictable questions about Meryl working with Mamie, and what it was like for Meryl to play live for the movie. (It was great to work together; and it was fun to rock out with Rick and the band!)

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The one question I asked had to do with music for the film and how music affects them. 

 “The music and lyrics throughout Ricki and the Flash complemented the storyline and evoked so much emotion between Ricki and Julie and Ricki and Greg. Do any of you have songs or lyrics that could be a part of your life’s soundtrack?

Mamie Gummer answered that she spent many years listening to powerful female musicians such as Sarah McClaughlan, Fiona Apple and attending Lillith Fair—the type of music that speaks to your emotions.

 

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As a college kid of the 90s, I can totally relate to this language and music choice!

Ricki and the Flash is now in theaters and is rated PG-13.