We review Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, the somewhat improbable animated adaptation of Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles. We discuss the place of sanitized remakes in our family screen time canons, whether and when we’ll feel comfortable sharing Mel Brooks movies with our kids, and the timeless hilarity of cat jokes. In Screen Time in the News, we revisit the current state of Pixar, and Katie shares her recent forays into PG-13 movies with her kids by way of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. ...
Jul 12, 2023•33 min
We review Pixar’s latest blockbuster: Elemental. Are we ready for animated rom coms? We also get into our feelings on the throwback short before the feature, Carl’s Date. Katie is not interested in an Up story without Russell and Kevin, but we are both interested in a lot of the trailers we saw before the movie. We talk about the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles installment, the newest Paw Patrol movie, and Disney’s upcoming musical Wish. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a Hollywood R...
Jun 28, 2023•44 min
This week’s lightning round episode is jam packed with our reviews of The Little Mermaid; Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse; and Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai as well as some follow-up about American Born Chinese. In Screen Time in the News, we speculate about the strategy for kids’ content at Max (formerly HBOMax) and where it will fit in the hierarchy of streamers with family-friendly fare. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , I...
Jun 14, 2023•36 min
We review Disney’s star studded adaptation of the graphic novel American Born Chinese and discuss how the writer’s strike might affect kids’ movies and television. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com...
May 30, 2023•43 min
In our latest episode, we discuss whether Disney’s Peter Pan and Wendy is just another in their long line of largely disappointing live action remakes and if we really needed yet another retelling of the Peter Pan story. Is the idea that boys never really want to grow up all that charming anymore? In Screen Time in the News, we talk about frame rates and whether they should really be of concern to toddler parents. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with...
May 16, 2023•46 min
We review the conservation-minded Apple TV series Jane. Are an adorable 9 year old’s efforts to save endangered species enough to make a dent in Deborah’s climate pessimism? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s box office dominance and whether it means we’ll see greater investment in family films. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com...
May 02, 2023•34 min
This week, we review The Super Mario Bros. Movie - a box office smash we saw in actual theaters and not on our couches. Find out whether it was as big a hit with us as it was with our kids. In Screen Time in the News, we speak with author Phillip Maciak about his upcoming book and how having kids has changed our attitudes toward and relationships with the screens in our lives. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twit...
Apr 18, 2023•53 min
We review the animated adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s The Magician’s Elephant and get into what makes a good book-to-screen adaptation in general. In Screen Time in the News, we add our two cents to Matt Singer’s complaint in ScreenCrush that there are no movies for kids in theaters. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com...
Apr 04, 2023•37 min
We return to our first love - preschool television - to review the Paw Patrol spin-off, Rubble & Crew. Can the charm of Rubble’s construction-loving family match that of the original heroes of Adventure Bay? In Screen Time in the News, we talk over an interview with Paw Patrol’s creators celebrating the show’s ten year anniversary and its seismic impact with the under-five set. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and...
Mar 21, 2023•42 min
For our 150th episode, we take a moment to look back at how our approaches to screen time have changed and how the landscape of children’s movies and shows has changed. We talk about the things we thought would be major hits that never panned out, the things we’re surprised have caught on, and the things we wish would go away already. To celebrate the upcoming Oscars, we look back on past episodes and give out our awards for best movie, best show, best voice talent, and more. Contact us and subs...
Mar 08, 2023•44 min
We get back into the baby game thanks to a listener’s suggestion that we check out Ms. Rachel’s Songs for Littles YouTube channel. How does this educational baby content stack up against the ones we’ve covered in the past (like Cosmic Kids Yoga or our old nemesis, Blippi) or the ones that were popular when our kids were younger (like Cocomelon)? And do we detect shades of the idealism embodied by Danny Joe’s Treehouse (check out our interview with Danny LaBrecque way back in episode 91)? In Scre...
Feb 22, 2023•43 min
In our latest episode, we review the big screen adaptation of the stage musical based on Roald Dahl’s Matilda. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a Michigan State University study of teen self esteem in rural communities with limited internet access and tightly controlled screen time. We also catch one another up on two Asian imports we stumbled upon via Netflix: Gudetama and Brown and Friends. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook ...
Feb 07, 2023•36 min
We’ve got so much to cover after our holiday break. We catch up on what we watched with our families (Strange World, Avatar The Way of Water, National Treasure: Edge of History, and Trivia Quest). We’re pretty nervous to watch Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, so we have friend of the pod Amy Padden on to discuss how to introduce scary content to our kids before we jump into our main review. Our gritty recastings include Awkwafina, Aubrey Plaza, and Jennifer Coolidge, and we somehow manage to comp...
Jan 24, 2023•57 min
It’s a super-sized episode to get you through the holiday season! In our main segment, we review Disenchanted, the long awaited sequel to the 2007 musical Enchanted. Was this story of after “happily ever after” worth the wait? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a roundtable conversation between directors of some of the year’s best and most anticipated animated films like Pinocchio, Strange World, Turning Red, and My Father’s Dragon. We wonder whether the complex stories they’d like to tell a...
Dec 20, 2022•53 min
The holidays have brought us tremendous screen time riches, so we’re sharing quick reviews of four new holiday releases: A Christmas Story Christmas; The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special; The Santa Clauses; and Spirited. As a bonus, Katie gives a mini-review of the latest Disney animated release: Strange World. In Screen Time in the News, we chat about the Canadian Pediatric Society’s decision to ditch strict time-based recommendations for toddler screen time. Contact us and subscribe to ...
Dec 07, 2022•41 min
For the second episode in a row, we review content inspired by a children’s book from the 1940s. Come to hear us talk about how beautiful Netflix’s My Father’s Dragon is; stay to hear Deborah dunk on the Despicable Me franchise and Katie wonder what the appropriate term is for a group of tigers. We take issue with extreme poverty as a plot device in children’s programming and delve once more into the “animation for adults” vs “animation for kids” debate. In Screen Time in the News, we wonder wha...
Nov 22, 2022•36 min
We tie ourselves in knots trying to find good things to say about the bland Pretzel and the Puppies on Apple TV+. Gritty reboot casting throws a bone to Conan O’Brien and the cast of the dear, departed Togetherness. In Screen Time in the News, we wonder whether the inclusion of ads will make us want to banish streaming services to the doghouse. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimeto...
Nov 09, 2022•39 min
It’s been awhile since we reviewed a total stinker, so we were probably overdue for a show like Netflix’s Phantom Pups. The latest entry in the Air Bud franchise inspires us to mention 1995’s Casper a whopping 3 times, question Netflix’s PR machine, and wonder why this couldn’t have been just a scary movie about the perils of DIY home renovation. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss the lack of family friendly live action movies being released in theaters and streaming’s efforts to fill the ga...
Oct 25, 2022•41 min
Like every mom of our generation, we were super excited for the return of the Sanderson sisters in Hocus Pocus 2. They’re back, looking as good as ever, but does the new movie live up to the 1993 original? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss Romper essay that argues for the upsides to eating in front of the TV. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com...
Oct 12, 2022•37 min
In our review of Secret Headquarters on Paramount+, find out whether Katie’s superhero fatigue extends beyond the MCU to Owen Wilson’s new family flick. We lament the underuse of Michael Pena and finally reintroduce John Cho into our imaginary reboot casting. In Screen Time in the News, we address the disappearance of animated titles from HBOMax. RIP Esme and Roy. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by ema...
Sep 20, 2022•37 min
We review our first ever kids’ reality competition show: Junior Baking Show on Netflix. How does it compare to the much loved grown-up version? Is even the gentlest of children’s competition shows too much for Katie’s nerves? Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com...
Sep 07, 2022•45 min
We travel to infinity and beyond in our review of Pixar’s latest blockbuster: Lightyear. Is it a valuable extension to the Toy Story brand or just another run of the mill space adventure? In Screen Time in the News, Katie apologizes to Deborah (and our listeners) for neglecting to cover every parents’ current favorite preschool show: Bluey. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gm...
Aug 23, 2022•45 min
We have a lot to say about Screen Time in the News this week. Deborah fills us in on a new Minnesota law about screen time in preschools, and Katie wonders about a once-loved Pixar executive making new (and maybe better?) movies at a different studio. We review the third installment of the Zombies franchise on Disney Plus. Our favorite cheerleader and zombie couple survived werewolves, but can they survive teenage aliens? And do we care? Find out! Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at ww...
Aug 09, 2022•47 min
This week, we bravely explore one of our kids’ favorite YouTube genres: Minecraft videos. From narrating gamers to intrepid hamsters, we desperately try to find something to like in the endless sea of content about everyone’s favorite block-based video game. In Screen Time In the News, we turn to an article by statistics guru Emily Oster to interpret the study behind those attention grabbing headlines about IQ and video games. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com...
Jul 26, 2022•41 min
Katie is dragged kicking and screaming into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to review Ms. Marvel, and we feature a fascinating interview with a mom who watches everything MCU with her kids. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com...
Jul 12, 2022•56 min
We’re excited to introduce our kids to the structure of mystery shows with Netflix’s new Creature Cases from some of the team behind Octonauts. Two animal detectives teach us things we didn’t know about the more bizarre members of the animal kingdom, and Deborah accidentally invents the best crossover ever: the crime-fighting duo of Julia Child and Jason Bourne. Genius! In Screen Time in the News, we give some recommendations to the author of a moms.com article who is afraid to branch out from h...
Jun 30, 2022•38 min
Can Sneakerella rescue the modern Cinderella tale in Katie’s eyes? Spoiler: put in enough good dance sequences, and she’ll love anything. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss our collective terror at the prospect of an upcoming Web3 series that aims to familiarize preschoolers with the metaverse. Our reboot castings are full of favorite pairs we’d love to see tackle a musical romance like Bowen Yang & Joel Kim Booster and Issa Rae & Kumail Nanjiani. Contact us and subscribe to our news...
Jun 28, 2022•37 min
We dive into the endless pop culture references in the new Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers on Disney Plus. Is it a movie for our kids or is it really for us? Deborah gets into the for-bros-by-bros vibe, and Katie can’t get enough of Captain Putty. In Screen Time in the News, we wonder if a new study claiming video games can actually raise kids’ IQs is too good to be true. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or b...
Jun 14, 2022•34 min
Join us as we indulge our inner theater kids and tackle the important issues in Disney’s Better Nate Than Ever, like “Are rabbit’s feet still a thing?” and “How short are the layers in the classic Rachel hairstyle?” In Screen Time in the News, we talk more about what it means for animation to be made for grown ups and get into the turmoil at Netflix. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreen...
May 17, 2022•33 min
We're re-releasing a favorite from our archives this week. Educational TV can be a slog for kids and their grown-ups. Not so with UK export and Katie-favorite, Numberblocks. Listen as she raves about twelve, bags on three, and convinces Deborah to give nineteen a chance. In Screen Time In the News, we discuss Slate’s call for media mentors in this age of rampant online disinformation. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , ...
May 03, 2022•38 min
