Find the Wonder at Wonder Park

Last weekend I had the pleasure of hosting a screening event for Wonder Park in Atlanta. There were fun activities before the movie started.

Enter the Wonder Park giveaway below!

Wonder Park tells the story of a magnificent amusement park where the imagination of a wildly creative girl named June comes alive.

Download the Wonder Park coloring pages here.

The girls and I really enjoyed the movie. It’s a story that also gives parents a friendly reminder of how important and powerful the imagination can be. Not just for a child, but also for an adult. When we get lost in the chaos and constant balancing act that is life, we have to slow down and appreciate our creative sides.

Wonder Park is a story that harbors that creativity and literally brings it to life. June and her mother are very close. They spend much of their time building a park called Wonderland. June’s mother helps to keep the whimsy alive no matter what, even when she becomes so ill that she needs to leave for a little while.

June becomes depressed and feels that she can’t just be a kid while her mother is away. A darkness falls on Wonderland that needs to be removed before the park can be rebuilt.

“They are fixing Jun and putting her back together,” Matthew Broderick, who voices Dad said. “As you get older and work and stuff, some people lose touch with that, but it’s very important to keep it.”

“It reminds people of the importance of imagination and remembering to just have fun,” Brianna Denski, who plays June said. “Never let that kid or little light in you die.”

When June stumbles into the real Wonderland park she is met with overgrown rides and the characters that help make the park welcoming fighting for survival. The band of characters each has their own loveable trait. My favorite was Steve the porcupine, voiced by John Oliver. He is the level header one that likes order and safety above all else.

“In terms of fun character traits, when he gets uptight, quills shoot out,” John Oliver said. “ That’s fun! That’s a physical manifestation of his inner angst.”

Keep the imagination alive!

John Oliver wants kids and families to take away that, “Anythings possible. You can do anything you set your mind to. You don’t want to put guardrails on a kids imagination.”

Kenan Thompson echoed the same thoughts. Thompson plays Gus, one of the high energy beavers that help keep the park running smoothly.

“Your imagination has no bounds, so you might as well think of the craziest thing and watch it come to life because that could be possible,” Thompson said. “For parents, I think it shows that your imagination is important and to not just let it go.”

Gus’s eager beaver brother Cooper is played by Ken Jeong.  I love what he had to say about the passion that drives our little ones. Especially that that passion and creativity spans all things.

“A healthy creative space is important, lifelong,” Jeong said. “Whether you’re a child or an adult it’s important to always challenge yourself to think outside the box. Seeing their kids passionate about something, that is what every parent wants their kid to have. That kind of genuine passion for what you do. And the way to continue that passion for what you do is to always use your imagination and to always think and be stimulated creatively. That’s not just in the arts, that’s in the sciences, and anything you do whether that be academic or athletic or artistic. I think imagination is what drives the execution.”

Wonder Park is a fun ride for children and parents. Wonderland is a simile of June’s world. I think it’s a story that everyone can relate to and escape in for a little while.

Wonder Park is in theaters March 15th.

Huge shout out to those of you that came to the screening and introduced yourselves. I always love meeting readers in person.

We have a great giveaway for a Wonder Park Prize pack full of books, sweatshirts and lots of other great Wonder Park branded items!