Harry Potter at Universal Orlando

Sometimes you watch actors on press tours and feel their discomfort. Maybe the movie isn’t what they hoped it would be–or maybe after a month of saying the same thing around the globe they’ve had enough.  We can usually feel those moments..

But if you watch this video that announces the new Harry Potter experience at Universal Orlando…and more specifically the Ollivanders wand shop…you’ll see a cast deliver the lines…my favorite is from Michael Gamdon (Dumbledore)…”I need  a new wand…”

Even the coolest wizards in the world sometimes still need to sell the soap.

Jim Dale…wonderful as always!

Screening audios can be pretty painful- each year we ponder giving it up.  The music is often preachy or so frenetic that you want to scream, and so many of the books on audio are so dry, you can’t imagine any child sitting through any of it–without falling asleep.

And then we get to something recorded by Jim Dale and we feel happy that we cover this category of children’s media.   If you’re looking for something to enjoy in the car, we’d highly recommend Return to the Hundred Acre Wood read by the unmatched narrator of our generation, Jim Dale.  It’s now available from Penguin Audio.  Don’t be put off by the introduction…get to the story and all of the wonderful voices of Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and gang.  As you may know this is first authorized sequet to A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh and The House At Pooh Corner in more than 80 years. There are two new characters, Lottie and Otter.  (And if you have a child that wants to begin the Harry Potter series but may have trouble with the length of the titles–Jim Dale brings the whole Hogwarts gang to life.  Perfect for long trips–you’ll all want to get back in the car.)