Still from Monsters University, courtesy Disney
Lenfest Kids: March 2021 Programming
This month we turn our year-long theme of repair to think about schools. We look back to acknowledge the work done by teachers, students, and parents who have all struggled through a difficult year. But we also look forward, at this moment of re-opening, to celebrate the best of what schools can be.
Our live-action film, Akeelah and the Bee (2006), tells the story of an eleven-year-old girl who participates in a national spelling bee, and the motivation she receives from her teacher, Dr. Larabee. Our animated film is Monsters University (2013), a prequel to Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. (2001), showing us Sulley and Mike’s early days as they major in Scaring. Finally, our classic is the original The Nutty Professor (1963), directed by and starring Jerry Lewis.
Still from Monsters University, courtesy of Disney
Monsters University
Dir. Dan Scanlon, 2013
United States | G | ages 5+
Ever since he was a kid monster, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) has dreamed of becoming a Scarer. To make his dream a reality, he enrolls at Monsters University. During his first semester, he meets Sulley (John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. Sulley and Mike engage in a fierce rivalry that ultimately gets them both kicked out of MU's elite Scare Program. To make things right, Mike and Sulley -- along with a bunch of misfit monsters -- will have to learn to work together.
Still from Akeelah and The Bee, courtesy of Lions Gate
Akeelah and the Bee
Dir. Doug Atchison, 2006
United States | PG | ages 8+
Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), from south Los Angeles, has a talent for words. In spite of the objections of her mother Wanda (Angela Bassett), Keke enters a spelling contest. Her gift takes her to compete in the National Spelling Bee, the most famous competition of its kind in the world. On the way, she is helped by an outspoken, mysterious teacher, Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne) and a cast of colorful characters from the community.
YouTube | Prime Video | iTunes
Still from The Nutty Professor, courtesy of Amazon
The Nutty Professor
Dir. Jerry Lewis, 1963
United States | Not Rated | ages 8+
Jerry Lewis directed, co-wrote and starred in this riotously funny movie that set a new standard for screen comedy and inspired the hit remake. Lewis plays a timid, nearsighted chemistry teacher who discovers a magical potion that can transform him into a suave and handsome Romeo. The Jekyll and Hyde game works well enough until the concoction starts to wear off at the most embarrassing times, and the professor begins to suffer hilarious symptoms of his personality split. Co-starring Stella Stevens.
Get Creative Project
For this month's Get Creative, inspired by the sound effects in The Nutty Professor, we encourage you to try creating your own sound effects by setting up a foley sound stage, and recording the sounds you make, with a microphone or phone. How similar is your foley sound effect to the sound you are trying to imitate?
Here are some ideas for the sound effects, and how to achieve the effect with foley art:
Swoosh: Use wooden rods or bats
Fire: Crunch cooking paper
Body hits: Punch red meat, whack something with a newspaper or crack a whip (for a more comic effect)
Horse hooves: Coconut shells clapped together
Bones breaking: Snap pencils, twigs or celery sticks
Soft clothing noise: Cross/uncross your legs, rub specific fabrics together
Footsteps: Find shoes with a similar sole material and step on a surface of a similar type (e.g. dirt, gravel, tiles)
Snow footsteps: Put corn flour in a leather pouch and squeeze
Alternatively, you might try using the phone app, Foley!, available here. Foley! allows one to become a walking noise machine. The app has several sound effects such as “bounce” and “sneak.”
From the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, here is a video about making Foley Art.
Fun fact: The Wilhelm Scream is a famous sound effect used in Monsters University. The stock sound effect has been used in over one hundred film productions including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Game of Thrones, Beauty and the Beast, and many others. The sound was first recorded in the film Distant Drum in 1951. To learn more about The Wilhelm Scream check out this video.
Please note: We provide MPAA ratings and suggested age range ratings from Common Sense Media for your guidance, but as always, parental discretion is advised.