Widescreen: 'Minecraft' convention in Schaumburg, Disney princesses back in theaters

Before "Fortnite" took over seemingly every television, tablet and smartphone in America, the phenomenon that spawned books, merch and its own genre of YouTube videos was "Minecraft," and a convention solely dedicated to the construction/adventure video game is coming this weekend to Schaumburg.

Minefaire, billed as the largest convention for a single video game, expects to draw about 15,000 fans of blocky builders Saturday and Sunday to the Schaumburg Convention Center, 1551 N. Thoreau Drive.

Attending families can partake in "parent-child build challenges," compete in a costume contest, meet notable "Minecraft" players and content creators, and try playing the game in virtual reality.

VIP and daylong passes for Saturday are sold out. Afternoon passes (1 to 5 p.m.) for Saturday cost $45; daylong passes for Sunday cost $49. Tickets are available online at minefaire.com/chicago.

'Dream Big, Princess'

That's the name of a revival screening series coming to AMC Theatres this month that gives your kids a chance to see five of their favorite princesses back on the big screen. If you buy four tickets to any of the showings, you'll get a $5 Walmart gift card. See all showtimes and buy tickets at amctheatres.com.

Here's the weekly schedule:

Sept. 14-20 - "Beauty and the Beast" (2017 live-action version)

Sept. 21-27 - "The Princess and the Frog"

Sept. 28-Oct. 4 - "Tangled"

Oct. 5-11 - "Moana"

Oct. 12-18 - "Cinderella" (2015 live-action version)

• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor who calls "Tangled" his favorite Disney animated film. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.