Wreck-it-Ralph Bonus Clips

Wreck-it-Ralph is coming out soon on DVD and Blu-ray. In anticipation of the box office hit movie, we were generously offered these fun bonus clips to share with everyone from Disney. We hope that you enjoy watching the bonus features, and stay tuned for more information about the Wreck-it-Ralph release onto DVD and Blu-ray.

Sugar Rush – The animators share the original inspiration for Sugar Rush- the architecture of Antoni Gaudi and how concept models of the game's landscape were made out of actual candy and cookies! Creating the 8 Bit World – The animators discuss creating the different worlds within Wreck-It Ralph and what it was like asking some of the best animators in the business to ignore years of training to go back to linear worlds and pixelated characters. Bad-Anon – Ralph attends his first Bad-Anon meeting to talk about his feelings. Game Central Station – Ralph makes his way through Game Central Station. Lickety-Split – Vanellope shows off her new go-cart, Lickety-Split.

 Disclosure: We will be doing a review of the Wreck-it-Ralph DVD and Blu-ray. All of the bonus clips were kindly offered to our readers by Disney. All of our thoughts and opinions are of our own.

Michelle Obama and Big Bird Team up to Encourage Healthy Living

Health and Nutrition have been a passion of mine since my son first developed food allergies. First Lady Michelle Obama has teamed up with Big Bird from Sesame Street to film two public service announcements. 

The videos are made to encourage young children to eat healthy and live an active lifestyle. The videos are part of the Let's Move! initiative to encourage children to grow-up living healthy lifestyles. Enjoy this powerful video along with your children, and share the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

 

Vanilla Nougat Candy Bar Bites

I am guilty of having a huge sweet tooth, and love making homemade desserts for my family. Nielsen-Massey is a brand of vanilla that I have trusted in my home since I first got married. They were so generous to share this amazing recipe by Shauna Server with all of us. Due to a nut allergy, I omitted the nuts when making it this weekend, and it was still amazing! Enjoy!

Vanilla Nougat Candy Bar Bites
From Pure Vanilla
by Shauna Sever

Makes about 2 dozen 1 inch bites

•  1 2/3 cups granulated sugar 
•  1/3 cup light corn syrup 
•  ½ teaspoon salt 
•  2 large egg whites, at room temperature 
•  2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste 
•  1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla extract 
•  2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70 percent cacao), melted 
•  ¼ cup finely chopped salted nuts

Use whatever kind of nuts you like. Salted peanuts and almonds are especially good for a candy bar effect. 

1.  Lightly coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line it with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment, too. 
2. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat, stir together sugar, 1/2 cup water, corn syrup, and salt. Boil until the temperature reaches 238°F. 
3. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites on medium speed until they hold soft peaks, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly pour half of the hot syrup into egg whites, beginning with just 1 to 2 tablespoons and then gradually pouring in the rest (adding just a little syrup at first warms up the egg whites and prevents them from scrambling). Immediately return saucepan with the remaining hot syrup to medium-high heat and bring to a boil; continue beating egg-white mixture until thick, with the consistency of marshmallow crème, then turn off mixer. 
4. When the syrup temperature reaches 275°F, turn mixer on at medium speed and slowly pour in syrup. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for 10 to 12 minutes, until mixture is very thick, heavy, and beginning to lose its gloss; the bowl should be cool except for the very bottom. Scrape mixture into prepared pan and spread it into the corners with lightly oiled hands or an offset spatula. Let set at room temperature until completely cool and firm, about 2 hours. 
5. Invert nougat onto a cutting surface and remove the parchment. The slab should be sticky side up (the side that was exposed to the air while setting should be dry and not sticky when touched). Cut into 1-inch squares and place squares sticky side up on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Pour melted chocolate into a small zip-top bag. Use scissors to snip off the corner of the bag. Drizzle a bit of chocolate over each nougat square and sprinkle chopped nuts on top. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 5 minutes, before serving. 

If the egg whites hold soft peaks before the syrup temperature reaches 238°F, stop the mixer—you want the whipped whites to be ready and waiting for the syrup, not the other way around.

This soft nougat is the perfect base for all kinds of creative confectioneries. Flavor it as you like (peppermint holiday nougat, anyone?), fold in dried fruits and nuts for a riff on Italian torrone, or use it as inspiration for your own homemade candy bars.

Disclosure: Recipe and images provided by Shauna Server and Nielsen-Massey. All my thoughts and opinions are of my own. No compensation or products were received for this publication.

Peter Pan Panel Night at the El Capitan Theatre

My family had the biggest honor of seeing Peter Pan for the first time on the big screen since 1953 when it was first released. This was the first time that I had seen my favorite classic Disney movie in a place other than my home television. There were so many parts of the movie that I had never noticed until seeing it in the theatre.

Before the movie started on opening night at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, there had been a special panel moderated by Leonard Maltin. The panel featured Kathryn Beaumont (the voice of Wendy), Margaret Kelly (live-action reference model for Tinker Bell) and Ted Thomas (son of legendary Disney animator Frank Thomas and director/writer of the acclaimed documentaries "Frank and Ollie" and "Walt & El Grupo.")

The panel shared their experience on the film giving the audience never before known knowledge of the film. There is also more in-depth information of the cast and crew on the Bonus disc of the Peter Pan Diamond Edition Blu-ray and DVD is now available.

We hope that you enjoy watching the full video of the panel discussion at the El Capitan Theatre.

Disclosure: We were provided with media tickets to the event. All our photos, thoughts and opinions are of our own.

Oz The Great & Powerful Costume and Make-Up Featurette #DisneyOz

Disclosure: We are attending the Disney Oz press junket to cover the release of this film. All of our thoughts and opinions are of our own. Photo is courtesy of Disney.