Movie Review: Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure (plus $$ saving coupon!)

Did you ever see the film Alpha and Omega? It’s the story of two wolves – Kate, and Alpha and Humphrey, an Omega. Alphas are considered the best of the best where as the Omegas are at the bottom of the pile. The two wolves go on an adventure and eventually fall in love.

I never saw the first film. I heard of it but never had a chance to see it.

Now there is another movie based on the Alpha and Omega movie. It’s the first in a series of new films that will be based on the characters. The new film is entitled Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure. It is made available by Lionsgate Entertainment and can be purchased exclusively at Walmart. It’s available on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD (plus Digital), Digital Download and Video on Demand (VOD).

Kate and Humphrey are still together. They now have a family of three cubs – Stinky, Claudette and Runt.

As the cubs are out getting into mischief, Kate and Humphrey are back at their cave getting ready for relatives to come over and celebrate the holidays with them.

The cubs meet up with some rogue wolves who kidnap their little brother Runt. The cubs race home to tell their parents but it’s too late. Runt is now in the custody of their pack’s rivals.

Instead of preparing for the holidays Kate and Humphrey, along with other family members, have to journey across the wilderness in search of their missing pup.

Will they be able to find Runt before it’s too late? Will they make it home for the holiday? To find out you need to pick up (or download) a copy of Alpha and Omega 2: Howl-iday Adventure.

I thought this was a cute movie. The animation might not impress those who are into the more realistic looking CGI form of animation. The animation in this film is computer generated, but not too realistic looking. It’s more “cartoony”.

The story link was great and the characters are cute and likeable. I enjoyed myself throughout the 45 minute movie. My only “complaint” is that I had hoped that the film had more of the holiday element in it. Aside from preparing for the holidays in the beginning, and the family coming across a Christmas tree towards the end, there really wasn’t much about the holiday season in this film except for a few passing mentions. I was thinking this movie would have been more like “Santa and the Two Bears” (except in this case it would be wolves, not bears).

None the less it was still a cute movie that I think would make a great addition to your family movie collection. Teenagers might not be too impressed, but those 10 and under should thoroughly enjoy it.

There are a few bonus features your family should enjoy too.

• Are you an Alpha or Omega? I was neither. I turned out to be more like the duck in the film. 🙂
• Wolf Fun Facts Trivia – I didn’t know as much about wolves as I thought I did.
• A Wolf’s Tale: Making Alpha and Omega 2
• Following the Pack: A Sneak Peek Into Upcoming Alpha and Omega Adventures

The California Wolf Center has partnered with the movie and provided me with some interesting educational facts about wolves.

The wolf is the ancestor of all breeds of domestic dogs. It is part of a family of animals called the wild dogs, which also includes the dingo and coyote.

Wolves are very similar to dogs in behavior. They love to play and chew on bones but will growl or snarl when threatened.

There are two species of wolves found in North America – the Gray Wolf and the Red Wolf.

Wolves are naturally afraid of the unfamiliar and will hide from humans rather than bark or attack them.

Wolves are excellent hunters and have been found to be living in more parts of the world than any other member of the wild dog family.

A wolf pup’s eyes are blue at birth and then turn yellow around the age of eight to sixteen weeks old.

Wolf pups are born deaf and blind while weighing about one pound. It takes approximately eight months before they are old enough to actively join in wolf pack hunts.

Alpha wolves serve as the leaders of the pack. The alpha male and female are normally the oldest members of the pack and the ones with the most experience in hunting, defending territory and other important activities.

The Omega Wolf is the lowest ranking wolf in the pack. However, the omega is not always the weakest member of the pack. It is also not unheard of for the omega to rise to alpha, even without stepping through the ranks of the pack.

Wolves can run on their toes, which helps them to stop and turn quickly and to prevent their paw pads from wearing down.

Wolves have about 200 million scent cells in their noses, where humans have only about 5 million. This allows wolves to smell other animals more than one mile away.

Wolf packs howl to contact separated members of their group, to rally the group before hunting, or to warn rival wolf packs to keep away. Yet lone wolves will howl to attract mates or just because they are alone. Each wolf howls for only about five seconds, but howls can seem much longer when the entire pack joins in.

In chases, wolves can reach estimated speeds between 28 and 36 miles per hour.

Wolves have two layers of fur, an undercoat and a topcoat, which allow them to survive in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. In warmer weather they shed their undercoat to keep cool.

If you would like to learn more please visit www.CaliforniaWolfCenter.org/Learn/Wolf-Facts.

Wolves are similar to dogs. If you have a dog I thought maybe you would like to make this special treat for your four-legged friend.

fun and easy cookie recipe for your four-legged buddy. This homemade recipe is also a great activity for kids – helping them create a special treat for their pup is rewarding for them both.

Cub’s Christmas Cookie

Ingredients

2 ½ cups flour

¼ cup rolled oats

1 egg

2/3 cup of chicken broth

3 tablespoons bacon pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook bacon to a crisp, but not burnt, texture and let cool; then crumble the bacon into small pieces
3. Mix flour, rolled oats, egg and chicken broth in a large bowl until well combined (forms a ball)
4. Once combined, mix in bacon pieces
5. Using your favorite holiday cookie cutters (small or medium size) to cut out your treats
6. Place the cut treats onto a lightly greased cookie sheet about one inch apart from each other
7. Bake for 30 minutes
8. Let cookies cool for 3 to 5 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet
9. Let cool for around 15 minutes before decorating

*Decoration Frosting 

Ingredients

½ cup of light cream cheese

1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and milk until smooth
2. Spoon into a plastic bag, pushing mixture towards one bottom corner
3. Close bag and cut the tip of the corner and use bag to decorate each cookie

I’ll have to try and make this for my dog one day.

I think it would be nice to make these treats for dogs at your local animal shelter. That would be a wonderful gesture. 🙂

I know that my readers like activity sheets. Check out this cute Alpha and Omega 2 activity sheet (below). To download simply click on the photo for a larger view that you can save and print out.

For more information about the film visit www.AlphaandOmegaDVD.com.

If you would like to save $3.00 you can find a coupon for this title at Walmart.com and Coupons.com.

Kimberly

*I received a free screener copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.