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Video Review: City of Ember
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Secret Message From the Past Saves Dying Ember
Grandpa’s moving in and your son is none too happy about the new living arrangements. It means giving up his room and adding a few more chores to his list. Your son sees nothing but the negatives – the inconveniences and extra work involved. When the big day arrives, he bids Grandpa a cursory hello and disappears into the garage. An hour later you find your son and his grandfather happily tying lures. They chatter nonstop about the trip they have planned to Grandpa’s “secret” fishing holes.
Your son comes to appreciate the wisdom of his elders, just like the young heroes of City of Ember, available Jan. 20 on DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Settle in for a viewing with your kids and then discuss the interesting issues raised in this tale of a futuristic city in peril. Then help your children plan a treat for their future selves with our Time in a Bottle activity.
In City of Ember, based on the best-selling book by Jeanne Duprau, unexplained events are threatening the very existence of mankind. A group of wise people, called the Builders, decides their only hope is to create an underground city for the few remaining humans. They leave detailed instructions for the future inhabitants to follow in order to return to earth’s surface in 200 years.
Now more than 220 years later, teenagers Lina and Doon are all too aware of the dilapidated condition of their city. Fueled by a worn-out electric generator, the city experiences blackouts that are becoming more and more frequent. Their clothes are tattered and the city’s supply of canned foods is dwindling. Yet the mayor and his staff seem ignorant of these facts; they reassure the people that all is well.
But all is not well. Then Lina discovers a box that contains the Builders’ directions for escape from Ember. The mayor dismisses Lina’s discovery and labels her and Doon traitors.
Lina is convinced, however, that the Builders’ instructions are genuine. She and Doon soon uncover the plan of escape through the Pipeworks beneath the city. They board a boat – the first they’ve ever seen – and set off down a raging underground river. They emerge from a cave at night, so they fear they have found nothing more than utter darkness. But in the morning they are awakened by a brilliant sunrise. Lina and Doon learn that the wisdom and knowledge of their elders is life-saving in the end.
Talk Together
The Builders created the city of Ember to preserve the human race. Did they make the right decision? Why or why not? What other plans might have worked?
Lina believed that the Builders’ instructions were true. Why did she trust them? What are some things your parents or grandparents have taught you? How did you know you could trust them to give you good information?
Think of something you can do well. It may be building a campfire or baking a cake. How could you share that information with someone in the future? How would it help them?
Play Together: Time in a Bottle Preserve a slice of your family's life for the future!
You will need:
- Plastic storage box
- Clear packing tape
- Index card
- Pen or marker
- Mementos to preserve (i.e.: a letter to yourself in the future, a current newspaper, some of your child's school work and art work, family photos, a favorite toy, a menu from your favorite restaurant, a church bulletin).
Collect several items that reflect your family’s likes and dislikes. Talk about their meaning as you load them into the storage box. When it is full, seal it with packing tape. Write the date you packed it and the date you plan to open it on the index card and tape it to the top of the box. Your family will enjoy anticipating how their “wisdom” will be perceived when your time capsule is opened many years from now!
Go to cinematters.com for more film fun!
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