Lastst night, we got to try out Disney's new Infinity gaming platform here in Toronto, and when the good folks at Disney Interactive first announced it, it sounded intersting but I was confused as to what exactly it was and how it worked. Playing some games yesterday and speaking to Kevin, one of DI's developers, I have a much better idea, and I have to say, that this could be the perfect all-in holiday present for your kids. Especially if they are into video games AND Disney.
It works like this: Disney has developed a number of games around characters from their movies (such as The Incredibles or Pirates of the Caribbean) and the games come with action figures which are used as characters in game play. The games can each be modified by adding in pieces from other properties, like, say, Alice In Wonderland's forest in the middle of The Incredibles. You can also add characters from different movies into games to play, such as, say, Mr. Incredible in Monster's University. You can use tokens to enhance game play or even build your own levels/games which can then be shared with the Disney Interactive community the world over. This isn't just passive game play. This is imagination in the computer age.
You are able to swap your characters in and out of games by placing beautifully made figures onto your game board (which plugs into a Playstation, Wii or XBox) and each character you have the figure for will also live digitally in your Toy Box — the place where creativity really happens.
And while the price tag isn't low, I think I'd rather invest in gameplay like this, with it's infinite options, than 1 game that will be completed and tossed within a year. The basic starter comes with Jack Sparrow, Sully, and Mr. Incredible as well as their movie-connected games. There are also supporting character game pieces that can be purchased. As this year and next progress, Disney will release more games and more figures, allowing for a fully customizable universe that will only become bigger and more imaginative.
As a parent who enjoys video games myself, I've been struggling recently with how to introduce such a passive activity to Henry while teaching him about active games. But Infinity does a lot of that for me. He's still too young to play, but I'm betting that in the next few years, as his dexterity improves and he wants to actually start playing games, that this will be a perfect way to introduce him to the world of gaming.
So, spill it! What do you think of Disney Infinity?
Werner Herzog is one of my favourite filmmakers. He has been making movies for decades and has a remarkable eye. But his newest movie is his absolute best, most haunting work to date. There isn't much else I can say about this, except that you could spend 30 minutes doing something less meaningful than watching and sharing this today, so take the time and share.
Although texting and driving (and talking while driving) are illegal in Ontario (and most of Canada) I still see people every day on their phones, not paying attention.
For our safety, for the safety of our kids and our communities, please remember this film and the people in it.
A few weeks ago, we were invited to go to the new Cars offshoot, Pixar's Planes which comes out August 9 and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce Henry to the joys of going to the movies, so I happily took the tickets. Then I realized that I would have to bring Lauchie, so I'd also need Matt's help. It was a Saturday morning, so it fit within Matt's work schedule. Henry had no real idea what "going to the movies" meant, and Lauchie, well, he's a baby.
So, I planned. We own noise cancelling headphones for the kids, so Lauchie got to wear his for the first time. Henry had a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast and we waited for Matt to get off work because going alone would have been out of the question. I'm so so glad we decided to go as a family and not just mama taking the kids to the movies.
Lesson 1: For a first time movie experience, it's probably a good idea not to go solo parenting if there is more than one child.
This was good, because at one point, Lauchie woke up and needed to nurse, so Matt sat with Henry and I nursed the baby. At another point, Lauchie was sleeping and I followed Henry out of the theatre and into the lobby. He's a toddler, he's restless. I almost told Matt not to come, but I'm SO glad I didn't. The helping hands was great for stuff like snacks, walks and bathroom breaks. It really eased my stresses. Unlike lesson 2.
Lesson 2: Be prepared for your kid to not be able to sit still or even sit through the whole movie.
Henry has sat through movies at home before. He loves animated stuff and LOVES the Cars franchise, so I figured he'd happily sit around. Nope. It was loud and exciting and there was a lot going on, so Henry was up a lot. He also was really desperate for "more acorn" (popcorn) but the snack counter wasn't really open because it was Saturday at 10am. So, the popcorn we got was all we got. Which leads to lesson 3.
Lesson 3: Make sure the kids are well fed.
We thought Henry had a big enough breakfast, and that half a bag of popcorn was more than enough, but with the excitement, playing the Planes video game and all the people, he was ravenous.
Eventually, we learned the hardest lesson:
Lesson 4: Be prepared to walk out of the theatre before the movie is over.
Henry was overwhelmed and hangry before the movie was over, so we had to leave. I wanted him to stay and watch the whole movie so he wouldn't be upset that we left early, so we sort of had a family meltdown. Henry didn't even care that the movie never properly ended. He was happy to have seen any of Planes and talks about "see Planes again" (his new favourite word) on repeat.
I'd love to take him to another movie, just me and him, but I'm so glad that we did this first outing as a family. One day, Lauchie won't sleep through and won't have to wear his crazy big headphones and we'll do it all again for the first time.
Oh, and the movie was pretty decent, too. Especially for those of us with kids who love the look and feel of the Cars movies. The story is similar to Cars 2: an international caper with a race, hidden bad guy and romance.
Not a bad first flick for our little guy. And his El Chupacabra toy that he got is his new favourite thing in the world (mine airplane!).
If you're looking for a movie experience for your little guy that will make him happy in the dog days of summer, I think this is the one. Older kids may get bored, but as an overall experience, this was just right for us.
So spill it! Would you take two small kids to the movies?
Printer-friendly version