Common Sense Media Names Disney's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as Inaugural Recipient of Common Sense Seal

Common Sense Media, the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology, today announced the Common Sense Seal, the first honor of its kind to recognize and champion films that delight families with enriching stories and to encourage studios to make more excellent family content that appeals across generations. Since 2003, Common Sense Media has been helping families discover great media through its library of independent, age-based ratings and reviews, and the Common Sense Seal will honor the best of the best in family movies as they make their theatrical debuts. The movies that receive this recognition will meet Common Sense Media's highest standard based on overall quality in addition to worthwhile themes, positive messages, and role models.

Disney's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, scheduled for wide release on October 10, 2014, is receiving the inaugural Common Sense Seal. Based on Judith Viorst's classic book by the same name, Alexander is a standout, engaging movie that kids and parents will enjoy together, with important messages about learning to appreciate the good days along with the bad and staying positive and sticking together in the face of adversity. The film offers plenty of funny jokes that are likely to go over kids' heads so parents won't be bored as well as enough action and laughs to keep everyone entertained.

"We don't see enough great movies with positive role models and messages that make parents feel like a trip to the movies is time well spent together and we think families deserve better," said Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense. "The Common Sense Seal will recognize the best in family movies with a goal of inspiring studios to create more films that kids and parents can enjoy together. It's fitting that a Disney movie should be our first recipient, given the studio's commitment to making quality family films like Alexander."

"At Disney we believe in making quality entertainment that families can enjoy together, and ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY is not only a great film for families, but it highlights what it means to be a family," said Alan Horn, chairman of the Walt Disney Studios. "We're honored that it has been chosen by Common Sense Media for this inaugural seal celebrating its positive message for audiences."

The Common Sense Seal will consider all wide-release theatrical movies targeted at children, tweens, teens, and families. The seal selections are determined by Common Sense Media's in-house team of seasoned movie reviewers, editors, and child-development experts based on the proven rubric deployed across more than 6,000 movie titles since Common Sense Media's founding in 2003. The seal will be given to a select number of theatrical releases each year and will be announced in advance of each movie's premiere.

About Common Sense Media's Movie Ratings
Common Sense Media rates and reviews movies based on a combination of two factors: age-appropriateness and quality. We rely on developmental guidelines culled from some of the nation's leading authorities to determine what content is appropriate for which ages. Common Sense Media movie reviews feature a content grid that evaluates specific elements of each movie, including messages, role models, violence/scariness, sex, language, consumerism, and substance use. We know every family and every child is different, but all families need information to make great media choices. Common Sense Media movie reviews also include suggested discussion points for families, providing an opportunity for parents to talk about themes and issues that arise and to convey their own views and values. Common Sense Media movie ratings and reviews are available on our website, through our mobile app, and through our distribution partners. Our unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and are not influenced by the content creators or by our funders.

About Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Disney's ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life, a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair and is followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns that he's not alone when his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette), and sister (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days; anyone who says there's no such thing as a bad day just hasn't had one. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, directed by Independent Spirit Award-winner Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl, Cedar Rapids, Youth in Revolt) from a screenplay by Rob Lieber, is a 21 Laps Entertainment/Jim Henson Company production. The film hits theaters nationwide October 10, 2014.

About Common Sense
Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families and educators thrive in a world of media and technology. We rate, educate, and advocate on behalf of kids, families, and schools. Common Sense offers the world's largest and most trusted library of age-based ratings and reviews of all types of media content targeted at kids, and our research-based curriculum and tools are used in over 75,000 U.S. schools. For more information, go to http://www.commonsense.org.

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