SM Cartoon Fest: Every kid's dream come true

Once upon a time, we dreamed of a magical world filled with princes and princesses, talking animals and spirits of the forest, heroes and villains. We joined in their wonderful adventures and discovered new lessons, made new friends and discovered new places. We were 10 years old, and wished we could pass through that TV screen and hug and play with such dear friends. And our wish was granted.

SM Supermalls made every kid's dream come true as they launched the biggest jamboree of 38 cartoon characters in 44 malls nationwide at the SM City Fairview Annex Atrium last April 12. Perfect for kids and kids-at-heart, the SM Cartoon Fest brought our childhood cartoon characters to life and offered exciting activities like face painting, cartoon film showings, craft shows, scrapbook making and raffle prizes.

I became the 10-year-old kid again clapping and shouting with joy as they presented every character on stage. We all went wild as they first featured the Angry Birds, and wished we could throw the birds live with a real slingshot. Awarded as the Overall Best Licensed Program of the Year and Best Character/Toy Brand Program of the Year in 2012, Angry Birds is truly a global game phenomenon that kids will always want to play.

Meet the Minions, Gru's loyal but mischievous glow-in-the-dark sidekicks who first appeared in Chris Melendandri's Despicable Me. Produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, the movie will be followed by a second installment with another comic and heartwarming adventure and will be in theaters on July 3.

Vamonos! The kids all shouted as they cheered for Dora the Explorer, the much-loved character who helps us improve our English and Spanish language skills.

Better hide your lasagna; Garfield is on the move. I still remember collecting Garfield comics from the newspapers watching the Garfield movie with Jon and Odie. Thanks to Jim Davis, Garfield shares the laughter and the lasagna with 200 million people in 110 countries every day.

Tom and Jerry joined the jamboree and after another cat-and-mouse chase on stage finally hugged each other and became friends. We have truly enjoyed Tom and Jerry's adventures even without dialogue; even my 7-year-old Japanese cousin loves to watch them all day long.

The 1970's Sesame Streetclub--Elmo who taught us the alphabet, Cookie Monster who helped us solve number problems and Bert and Ernie who helped us develop critical skills also paid a visit to the kids and kids-at-heart.

Dare to be Square. Nickelodeon's Spongebob Squarepants took a day off from his work at the Crusty Crab and danced and played with the kids at the SM Annex Atrium.

Lorax, DC Comics Heroes Green Lantern, Hello Kitty, Batman, Robin and Superman, Hop, Loony Toons' Tweety Bird and Sylvester, Robby Rabbit, Monster High, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Polly Pocket and Barbie Ballerina completed the 38 cartoon characters showcased in the SM Summer Cartoon Fest.

Supported by Bates/Nickelodeon, Richprime, Pacific Licensing, Honeybarn, Solar Entertainment, FCI, Click Licensing and Astroplus/Magnavision among others, SM Cartoon Fest is a summer-long festival which ends on May 31. Special discounts are also available for character items and toys. Visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/supermalls for more updates and promos.