This Nat Geo Series Reveals the “Secrets of the Whales”

by Erica LoopApril 11, 2021

Celebrate Earth Day with National Geographic’s new four-episode series, Secrets of the Whales. The documentary from the ocean’s depths makes its way to Disney+ Thursday, Apr. 22!

Are your kiddos into enviro- or animal everything? Your little naturalist can dig deep into the world of the whale in this brand-new series. Not only will your child enjoy Secrets of the Whales, the entire family can get in on the science-packed action of this streaming documentary.

Secrets of the Whales was filled over the course of three years in 24 different locations. The Nat Geo series explores the lives, communication skills, and social structures of orcas, humpbacks, sperm whales, belugas, and narwhals.

Narrated by actress Sigourney Weaver, the series was directed by Brian Armstrong and Andy Mitchell. The Nat Geo documentary’s executive producers are James Cameron, Maria Wilhelm, Brian Armstrong, and Shannon Malone-deBenedictis.

All four parts of National Geographic’s Secrets of the Whales will stream exclusively on Disney+.

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: 272447 via pixabay

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The Force Is Back with the New Obi-Wan Kenobi Series On Disney+

by Erica LoopMarch 31, 2021

Calling all Star Wars fans! Disney+ recently announced the introduction of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a new special event series focusing on none other than the Jedi master himself.

Ewan McGregor will star as the title character in the new. Directed by Deborah Chow (the director of two episodes of The Mandalorian, Season 1), the new addition to the Star Wars family will take place a decade after Revenge of the Sith.

photo courtesy of Disney+

Obi-Wan Kenobi will follow the Jedi master after his greatest defeat—the corruption of friend and apprentice Anakin Skywalker (a.k.a. Darth Vader). Hayden Christensen will return to the famed franchise to reprise his role as Darth Vader for this new series.

Along with McGregor and Christensen, the cast will include Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell and Benny Safdie.

The new series starts filming this April. While there’s no release date yet, Obi-Wan Kenobi will stream exclusively on Disney+.

—Erica Loop

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New Research Sheds Light on Bilingual Baby Talk

by Erica LoopMarch 25, 2021

Is your baby bilingual? Whether they learn one language or two, new research shows babies prefer infant-direct speech (a.k.a. baby talk) over mature adult communications.

Research from UCLA’s Language Acquisition Lab and 16 other global speech labs looked at infants’ interest levels when they were exposed to two different languages. The study, published in the journal Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, took place across four continents and included 333 bilingual and 384 monolingual babies ages six to nine months and 12 to 15 months.

photo: Filipe Leme via Pexels

Megha Sundara, a UCLA linguistics professor and director of the Language Acquisition Lab said, “Crucially for parents, we found that development of learning and attention is similar in infants, whether they’re learning one or two languages.” Sundara added, “And, of course, learning a language earlier helps you learn it better, so bilingualism is a win-win.”

The researchers asked the parent participants to hold their babies as infant-direct speech (baby talk) or adult-directed speech was played from speakers coming from either the right or left direction. To assess interest, the researchers measured the length of time the infant looked toward the direction of the sound. As it turns out, both bilingual and monolingual babies prefer baby talk to parent-speech.

Victoria Mateu, a UCLA assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese, said of the results, “The longer they looked, the stronger their preference.” Mateu continued, “Babies tend to pay more attention to the exaggerated sounds of infant-directed speech.”

If you’re wondering why both bilingual and monolingual infants might prefer baby talk, Mateu said, “Baby talk has a slower rate of speech across all languages, with more variable pitch, and it’s more animated and happy.”

—Erica Loop

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StoryWalk Adventures to Get Your Kids Outside & Reading

by Kate LowethFebruary 23, 2021

We know it can be tough to get the kids outside, especially during February in Boston. How about you bundle them up and go on a reading adventure? StoryWalks are popping up all around the city and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Read on for all the details you need to get in on this fun adventure!

What's a StoryWalk?

StoryWalks are a fun activity for kids that combine two of our favorite things: fresh air and reading. They take pages of a story and post them on stakes along a guided path. As you stroll down the trail, you are directed to the next page in the story.

The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT. They have been installed in 50 states and 13 countries!

Titles & Where to Find the StoryWalks

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
Vashti believes that she cannot draw, but her art teacher's encouragement leads her to change her mind.

Language: English

Where to find it:
Brighton Common, 30 Chestnut Hill Avenue, Brighton
Lopresti Park, 33 Sumner Street, East Boston

If You Bring a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff
“If You Bring A Mouse to School” follows a boy and his mouse through a busy day at school.

Language: English and Spanish

Where to find the StoryWalk:
Franklin Park, 450 Walnut Avenue, Roxbury

Possum's Harvest Moon by Anne Hunter
A possum awakes one autumn evening and decides to invite his animal friends to a party to celebrate the beautiful harvest moon one last time before the long winter.

Language: English

Where to find the StoryWalk:
Iacono Park, 150 Readville Street, Hyde Park

Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
Rhyming text instructs the listener to find something yellow, roar like a lion, give a kiss, tell a secret, spin in a circle, and perform other playful activities along with the human and animal characters pictured.

Language: English

Where to find the StoryWalk:
Adams Park, 4225 Washington Street, Roslindale

Chestnut Hill Farm in Southborough has a rotating StoryWalk available on the property. You can find more information here.

Current title:
A Warm Winter Tail by Carrie A. Pearson

Language: English

Where to find the StoryWalk:
Chestnut Hill Farm
Southborough, MA

Other StoryWalks

Our sources tell us that Mary E. Finn Elementary School and Albert S. Woodward Memorial School both have StoryWalks that are open to the public when school is not in session.

—Kate Loweth

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This Is the Only Place to Watch “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” in February

by Karly WoodFebruary 4, 2021

1997’s Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella is coming back to TV! The remade classic starring Whitney Houston, Brandy, Whoopie Goldberg and more will be exclusively available on Fri. Feb. 12 on Disney+.

You can tune in starting at the stroke of midnight on Feb. 12 to catch the film which earned seven Emmy Award nominations and has been celebrated for its diverse representation.

photo: Disney+

The movie originally premiered on Nov. 2, 1997 during “The Wonderful World of Disney” on ABC with 60 million viewers. It features plenty of original songs by Rogers and Hammerstein and was directed by Robert Isgrove.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella will join the “Celebrate Black Stories” collection found on Disney+, along with Soul, Black Is King, Black Panther, Hidden Figures and more.

––Karly Wood

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Marvel Studios “WandaVision” Debuts on Disney+

by Jennifer SwartvagherJanuary 15, 2021

Marvel fans rejoice. Not only are the first two episodes of “WandaVision” are now streaming exclusively on Disney+, but a new featurette is also available today.

The new featurette offers a look behind the scenes and a glimpse at what’s to come in Marvel Studios’ “WandaVision,” a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany)—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.

The new series is directed by Matt Shakman; Jac Schaeffer is head writer.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Disney+

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Disney+ Releases Trailer for “Flora & Ulysses”

by Jennifer SwartvagherJanuary 14, 2021

Superheroes come in many different forms. The next dynamic duo might be right before your eyes and you wouldn’t even know it. Today, Disney+ released the trailer and new images for the comedy-adventure Flora & Ulysses, premiering exclusively on Disney+ Fri., Feb. 19, 2021.

The film is based on the Newbery Award-winning book about 10-year-old Flora, an avid comic book fan and a self-avowed cynic, whose parents have recently separated. After rescuing a squirrel she names Ulysses, Flora is amazed to discover he possesses unique superhero powers, which take them on an adventure of humorous complications that ultimately change Flora’s life–and her outlook–forever.

Flora & Ulysses stars Matilda Lawler, Alyson Hannigan, Ben Schwartz, Anna Deavere Smith, Danny Pudi, Benjamin Evans Ainsworth, Janeane Garofolo and Kate McCucci. It was directed by Lena Khan and produced by Gil Netter. Based on the novel Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo, the film’s screenplay is by Brad Copeland. Katterli Frauenfelder and James Powers served as executive producers.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Disney+

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Disney+ Releases Extended Sneak Peek of “Soul”

by Jennifer SwartvagherDecember 11, 2020

The debut of Disney and Pixar’s Soul is fast approaching. If you can’t wait for Dec. 25, Disney+ just released an exclusive sneak peek of the critically acclaimed feature film. In the movie, Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) is a middle-school band teacher who dreams of playing in the best jazz club in town. Filmmakers found they could relate to the character’s passion for music.

Director Pete Docter grew up in a musical family and plays the double bass. “My folks are both teachers and both musicians,” says Docter. “There are three kids and we all became musicians. I think my mom enjoyed having the Von Trapp family; when people would come over, we’d have to perform. My two sisters stuck with it—one is a cellist with the Metropolitan Opera, and the other one is violist and a teacher.”

Co-director Kemp Powers, who used to be a music writer, played the alto saxophone in a jazz band during high school. His affinity for jazz plays a big role in his personal life. “My son’s name is Mingus,” says Powers. “He’s named after Charles Mingus. A lot of us Gen Xers, particularly Black Gen Xers, fell in love with the bebop-era jazz artists—John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, of course Herbie Hancock. These guys were musical icons that—specifically in New York City—inform so much of the other big musical genre in the city, which is hip hop. The background tunes of my life are jazz and hip hop.”

“Life has so much to offer,” says Joe in the sneak peek. “We only have a short time on this planet. Don’t miss out on the joys of life. Remember to enjoy every minute of it.”

Disney and Pixar’s Soul also features the voices of Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Angela Bassett and Daveed Diggs. The film is directed by Docter, co-directed by Powers and produced by Dana Murray. Jazz compositions & arrangements are by globally renowned musician and GRAMMY nominee Jon Batiste, while Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network) composed an original score.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Disney+

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Bad Never Looked So Good! New Disney Villains x Heidi Klum Collection Available on Amazon

by Jennifer SwartvagherDecember 4, 2020

This collection is wickedly awesome! The Disney Villains x Heidi Klum Collection features elevated and unexpected sportswear designs inspired by fan favorite Disney Villain characters like Hades, Ursula, Maleficent and The Evil Queen. The collection is available now exclusively on Amazon.

The collection was directed by Klum herself, drawing on her extensive background in high-fashion and love of Disney Villain characters. Throughout the design process, Klum integrated the bold graphic aesthetic of emerging streetwear trends with key story elements unique to the Disney Villains, ultimately creating a chic and chilling collection fit for the villainous in everyone.

The collection includes a number of effortlessly edgy styles, including essential graphic tees, fashion hoodies and tunics, sweatshirts, joggers and a bomber jacket. Design elements including glitchy overlays, glow in the dark effects and distinct front and back graphics featuring distorted imagery convey the sometimes chaotic, always enigmatic, personalities of the Disney Villain characters.

The Evil Queen Tie-Dye Tee ($40) overlays on-trend bold graphics and iconic verbiage.

The Maleficent Eyes Skinny Sweatpants ($50) will have everyone doing double takes and turning green with envy at your comfortable and stylish look.

The iconic Cast Your Curse Bomber Jacket ($129) is the perfect statement piece. With classic appeal and a daring design, the jacket is sure to become an instant staple.

See the entire collection on Amazon.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos: Courtesy of Disney

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Taylor Swift’s “folklore” Concert Film to Debut on Disney+

by Jennifer SwartvagherNovember 24, 2020

Taylor Swift is bringing an “intimate” concert film for her latest album, “Folklore,” exclusively to Disney+ just in time for Thanksgiving. Swift along with Aaron Dessner (The National), Jack Antonoff (Bleachers) and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) created an album that crossed genres, a musical journey that allows us to cry and laugh, and during these trying times, makes us feel like we’re not quite so alone. They recorded folklore thousands of miles apart from each other and had never been in the same room together until they filmed the folklore: the long pond studio sessions special.

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A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

folklore: the long pond studio sessions was filmed in upstate New York in Sept. 2020 and will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on Wed., Nov. 25, at 12:01 a.m. PT. Taylor, accompanied by co-producers Dessner and Antonoff along with a guest appearance by Vernon, performs each song in order of her critically adored, five star album, “folklore” and for the very first time, reveals the stories and secrets behind all 17 songs.

folklore: the long pond studio sessions was directed by Swift and filmed on 6 x Lumix S1H mirrorless cameras with Leica lenses embedded in the studio, along with a one Alexa LF with an Angenieux 24-290 on a Furio robotic camera with 30+ feet of curved track.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

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