Lunchbox Reaction

Flora and Ulysses is a new movie available on Disney+, and is based on the book Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. This week, we talk about where the movie works and where it falls short. In addition, we learn that Linnea doesn't like blood draws, Evan loves Pokémon, and Dr. Seuss would have been 117 this week. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands P...

The Netflix animated series Hilda follows the adventures of a girl growing up in a world that is at once both familiar and magical. It is a world inhabited by elves, giants, trolls, nisse (house guardians) and other creatures from Scandinavian folklore. The show has had two seasons (26 episodes total), and has received much critical acclaim. On this episode, was talk about a few of the characters,...

We're mixing things up a little bit this week! We open the show with a few pop-culture highlights from the news. Following that, we review the game Q•bitz, a challenging game of pattern matching. Finally, each of us open a fortune cookie to see what we can expect in the coming week. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

One Crazy Summer, a book by Rita Williams-Garcia, tells the story of three girls who travel to Oakland California in 1968 in search of the mother who abandoned them. It is a story about sisterhood, motherhood, and relationships, set amid the turbulence of the late 60's and the rise of the Black Panther movement. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://red...

This week we celebrate Groundhog Day by watching the 1993 movie of the same name. Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell starred in this comedy/fantasy/romance movie about a man stuck in a time loop, living the same day over and over again. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Pixar Popcorn, a series of 10 mini-shorts, debuted late January 2021 on Disney+. These quick, 2 minute episodes feature many of Pixar's beloved characters going about their daily routines. This week on the show, we talk about this new crop of animation, and delve into a number of the studio's previous shorts, many of which we had never seen. In addition, Linnea and Evan try to convince Bri...

Imhotep is an award-winning strategy game for 2 to 4 players ages 10 and up. The object of the game is to transport stone blocks from your quarry to the building site, and create monuments that rival those of the great Egyptian architect Imhotep himself! Linnea hosts our discussion of the game, and as always, we play a sample round so you can get an idea of the game mechanics. Advertising Inquirie...

This week on Lunchbox Reaction, we review the 2016 book The Wild Robot , by Peter Brown. It's the story of Roz, a robot who is stranded on a remote island and must learn to adapt and survive. The book was a New York Times bestseller, and won numerous awards, including Best Children's Book of the Year from both the Washington Post and Parents magazine. It's a great read for late element...

If you are you looking for a sudden-death style card game that is fun for the whole family, look no further than Exploding Kittens! The game is for 2 to 5 players ages 7 and up, and takes only a few minutes to learn. It's fast, strategic, and is filled with belly rubs and laser pointers to keep those exploding kittens at bay. Do you have what it takes to outlast your opponents? Find out as Eva...

The Disney Pixar animated movie Soul debuted on December 25th, 2020. Soul is the story of high-school music teacher Joe Gardner, who dreams of making it big in the jazz world. He gets his shot, but an unforeseen event sends him on a fabulous journey through the great beyond. In this episode, Linnea, Evan, and Brian discuss the movie, and how they think it compares to some of Pixar's previous s...

Wolfwalkers , a new animated fantasy movie set in Ireland in 1650, is a visual feast. It has won numerous awards, including Best Animated Film from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Produced by the same animation house that created such classics as The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea , this movie follows the adventures of Robyn, a girl who stum...

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." So says Buddy the Elf in the movie Elf from 2003. Watching this movie every year is a tradition in our family, and this week we talk about what makes a movie a holiday classic, some of our favorite scenes, and what we would think of Buddy if we met him in real life. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands...

Steven Universe is an animated series created by Rebecca Sugar that aired on Cartoon Network from 2013 to 2020. The show follows the adventures of a young boy named Steven who lives with a group of beings called the Crystal Gems. The gems are ageless alien warriors with magical abilities who protect earth from monsters and other threats. The show has a wonderful cast of colorful characters, is ful...

Get out your white-board markers for a game of Telestrations! This week Linnea hosts an example play session of a game that is a cross between Pictionary and the old party game Telephone. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kat Leyh's  Snapdragon  is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town's witch and discovers the strange magic within herself. Evan, Linnea, and Brian discuss the story, a few of the main characters, and how this story has something for everyone. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is an animated series that premiered on Netflix in January 2020. In this episode of Lunchbox Reaction, Linnea, Evan and Brian discuss the first 10 episodes (Season 1) of Kipo, and why you should check out this amazing show. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A 3D house tour recently became a viral internet sensation when people made a game out of navigating their way from the living room to the bathtub. Sound easy? It was anything but! Join Brian, Evan, and Linnea as they discuss the crazy Kentucky house. Visit lunchboxreaction.net for links to photos of the property. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redci...

Can an exploding marching band win in a fight against a demon possessed car? It's up to you to determine the winner when you play the game Superfight! This week, Linnea, Evan, and Brian discuss the card game of ridiculous fights, play a few example rounds, and settle the age old question of whether pacifists with super-glue guns can beat antique-throwing high-school students. Advertising Inqui...

We discovered Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet series of graphic novels a few years ago while walking through our local library. The story follows siblings Emily and Navin, who venture into another world to save their mother with the help of a magical amulet. This week, Evan, Linnea, and Brian discuss the first 2 books of series, The Stonekeeper and The Stonekeeper's Curse . Advertising Inquiries: h...

The Newberry Award-winning novel The One and Only Ivan , by Katherine Applegate, was recently made into a movie. This week, we discuss the Disney+ feature, how it is similar or different than the book, and what we thought about the adaptation. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week we discuss Blank Slate , a board game published by USAopoly. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Evan, Linnea, and Brian discuss the 2020 graphic novel Kerry and the Knight of the Forest by Andi Watson. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Linnea, Evan, and Brian discuss the 1984 anime movie Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind . Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy