The Belleville Sound Exhibit | Creator: John Wegrzyn Summary: This fascinating exhibit is currently at the Belleville Public Library and features the Belleville connection to sound in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Recommendation: I had no idea how influential Belleville was to the music scene from the 40’s through the 70’s.  Did you know …

Episodic storytelling can engender an addictive loyalty in fans. If you have never seen these shows at all, my suggestion is to try a half-dozen episodes before giving up – usually you need a few shows to detail the relationships between characters. I was watching Voltron and Sailor Moon when they came out in America. …

Mixed Nuts | Screenplay by Nora Ephron Summary: A group of very bizarre individuals man a suicide hotline on Christmas Eve. Recommendation: Mixed Nuts is a 1994 American Christmas dark comedy film.  The Cast will surprise you.  Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Adam Sandler, Juliette Lewis and Rob Reiner to name a few stars in this …

Do films like Die Hard and Gremlins count as Christmas movies? This reviewer says yes. Rare Exports (2010) rated R Summary: Young Pietari lives with his stern reindeer-herding father Rauno in arctic Finland. On the eve of Christmas, an enormous excavation at a nearby mountain disturbs the locals and captures Pietari’s curiosity. When Rauno’s reindeer …

Get inspired for the holiday! Read something you’ve never heard of before. Read something as old as you can find. Read something brand new, hot off the shelf. Read a classic you enjoy over and over. And share with your family! Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree | Robert Barry Summary: When Mr. Willowby’s Christmas tree is …

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) – United States rated PG Summary: A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past. He gains help along the way before facing a very personal fear – his family. Recommendation: The …

The Last Unicorn (1982) – United States rated PG Summary: When a young unicorn learns she may soon be the last of her kind, she leaves the safety of her protected forest and enlists the help of a clumsy sorcerer as they embark on a long journey to save the unicorns from extinction. Recommendation: I …

Millennium Actress (2001) Japan rated PG Summary: Past and present collide as a film director discovers a mysterious key that unlocks the secrets of a legendary actress who vanished at the height of her career. There are multiple angles to watch this story unfold from regarding how connected the viewer is – one of the …

Tokyo Godfathers (2003) PG-13 Summary: The story takes place on Christmas Eve in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Middle-aged has-been Gin, aging transvestite Hana, and teenager runaway Miyuki are homeless friends who have formed a makeshift family structure bond. That bond is tested when they find an abandoned baby while searching for food in a trash dumpster. They …

Keepunumuk – Weeachuman’s Thanksgiving Story by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry, and Alexis Bunten Summary: Consider sharing this story with your children.  It is a more accurate accounting of what many Americans call Thanksgiving and Native Americans refer to as a day of mourning. Recommendation: It is time to refresh this story, allowing the First Peoples’ …

Today’s modern Thanksgiving in America was built with a multigenerational foundation of customs and rituals involving the serving of specific dishes (cutting of the turkey, slicing of the ham, serving of the pie) with the occasional experimental foray like adding a new tradition to welcome an newly-gained family member (Italian sausage lasagna for the in-laws …

The Secret of Kells (2009) – Ireland, France, and Belgium Summary: In a remote medieval outpost of Ireland, young Brendan embarks on a new life of adventure when a celebrated master illuminator arrives from foreign lands carrying a book brimming with secret wisdom and powers. To help complete the magical book, Brendan has to overcome …

Tales of the Night (2011) – France Summary: Silhouetted characters are set off against exquisitely detailed backgrounds bursting with color and kaleidoscopic patterns, as the film weaves together six exotic fables each unfolding in a unique locale, from Tibet, to medieval Europe, the African plains and even the Land of the Dead. In Ocelot’s celebrated …

Game Changer (2021) | Neal Shusterman Summary: With every rough tackle on the football field, high schooler Ash is bounced from one dimension to the next–in one place he lives in a gated community instead of tract housing and in another segregation continues to exist–forcing him to consider different perspectives while finding a way to …

Let’s introduce animation from some other lands. Being from near Belleville, IL, this title always amuses. We start in in France (their home, the race) and travel to Belleville (which looks a great deal like NYC), the place from which grandma must rescue her grandson. The Triplets of Belleville (2002) – France, Belgium, Canada, and …

“Watch these for yourself before sharing with kids depending on their maturity level. Death, war, orphans, neglect, disease, independence, and responsibility are explored in these selections. All are worthy of viewing if only for their visuals as they contain sad portions or themes.” -Cinda Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Summary: As the Empire of the …

Only Yesterday (1991) Summary: After living her whole life in the city, 27-year-old Taeko decides to visit her relatives in the countryside. As she travels, memories of her youth resurface. And after meeting young farmer Toshio, she wonders if she’s been true to the dreams of her childhood self. What would her life be like …

Spirited Away (2001) Summary: When a young girl is trapped in a strange new world of spirits, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free herself and rescue her parents. The mysteries of what this place is, who is responsible, and how to escape all fall on Chihiro’s 10-year-old shoulders. …

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) Summary: Two young girls, 10-year-old Satsuki and her 4-year-old sister Mei, move into a house in the country with their father to be closer to their hospitalized mother. Satsuki and Mei discover that their rented home may be haunted and magical creatures inhabit the nearby forest. Adventures and rescues abound while …

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) Summary: A young woman named Sophie is cursed by the Witch of the Waste and is turned into an old woman who is unable to tell anyone of her plight. Unable to continue her job at her mother’s hat shop, she goes to the ambulatory castle of the notorious wizard Howl …