Sara Niemietz
Swing with this inventive musical collective as they transform pop hits into the styles of the past. Creating gramophone music for a smartphone world, PMJ has gone from viral sensation to worldwide phenomenon by putting music in a time machine.
Eleven year-old Akeelah Anderson's life is not easy: her father is dead, her mom ignores her, her brother runs with the local gangbangers. She's smart, but her environment threatens to strangle her aspirations. Responding to a threat by her school's principal, Akeelah participates in a spelling bee to avoid detention for her many absences. Much to her surprise and embarrassment, she wins. Her principal asks her to seek coaching from an English professor named Dr. Larabee for the more prestigious regional bee. As the possibility of making it all the way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee looms, Akeelah could provide her community with someone to rally around and be proud of -- but only if she can overcome her insecurities and her distracting home life. She also must get past Dr. Larabee's demons, and a field of more experienced and privileged fellow spellers.
In her first animated musical featuring seven original songs, Barbie comes to life in this modern re-telling of a classic tale of mistaken identity and the power of friendship. Based on the story by Mark Twain,
