An underwater-themed snack table went hand in hand with the feature presentation: A Turtle's Tale 2: Sammy's Escape From Paradise. 

When you're a kid (and even when you're an adult), one of the most exciting parts of a party is the food!

A Turtle’s Tale 2, which is being released on DVD this Tuesday July 9 2013, is a cute movie for kids of  all ages. *ahem!* Adults included!  Intended for the 3 – 10 year old crowd and rated G,this movie captures the attention of  more than just the littlest movie watchers !  I have to say that though all the children started off watching the movie with little bowls of popcorn and goldfish crackers in hand, half of the kids ended up in the toy room!  Those who were deep into the movie stayed put for the entire movie. 

I forgot how active 3-5 year olds are and how having them sit through an entire movie can sometimes be a challenge. 

Nonetheless, the kids enjoyed A Turtle's Tale 2 immensely.  It's almost impossible to not fall in love with Ray and Sammy, the two little turtles in the first Turtle's Tale movie!  We see them again in A Turtle's Tale 2, only this time they are the big turtles!

Sammy and Ray return to the screen in A Turtle’s Tale 2 and they are  ready to “Dive into a Fun Filled Adventure”!  The  dynamic due struggles to escape The Tank, an underwater aquarium, in an effort to find their two adorable little grand-turtles, Ricky and Ella.   Working together with some new friends, they discover that when you work together anything is possible!

There were many oooohs and ahhhhs, giggles, and gasps throughout the movie.  The kids really responded to Sammy, Ray, Ella, Ricky and all their new friends. They thought Anna, the little pink girl octopus was adorable.  As Little One said, "Ohhhh! Anna is a cutie patootie!" Quite cute hearing a four year old say that!

 It was a cute movie and a good one for family movie night.  The characters are sweet and there's a distinct message of teamwork. The animation and graphics are very well done.  Two of the moms mentioned that they'd like to get A Turtle's Tale 2 for their  movie collections. 

I was surprised that even the youngest of our movie watchers was able to pick up on the underlying message of caring for our ocean & the creatures in it.  The 3, 4, and 5 year olds were heard chatting about the environment and keeping animals safe, and how mankind should take care of  the fish and other water creatures.

One thing both the moms and kids agreed upon was that this movie had some suspenseful moments and the younger children thought it was a little bit scary.  My daughter in particular is a bit sensitive to suspense-filled movies and gets nightmares. She didn't have any nightmares and has watched this movie three times since the first time she saw it with her friends on the weekend, but she did say she thought some parts were scary.  

Unlike her friends, Little One was seen hiding behind her hands or under her sleeping bag a few times. She doesn't like "bad guys" or villains.  To be honest, I was going to screen the movie beforehand, but didn't have time.  I figured it couldn't be that scary considering its intended age group/audience.

Our A Turtle's Tale 2 movie matinee was a hit and the kids had lots of fun!  Makes me think I should host movie matinee play dates more often...if I'm brave enough to do so!

Here's the trailer for  A Turtle’s Tale 2:

Both Turtle's Tale movies are adorable and have characters kids will fall in love with.  Definitely a great addition to any family movie night or DVD collection.