I LOVE making cute, themed foods – especially ones inspired after movies and fun characters! And there’s a new animated movie, The Wild Life, hitting theaters on September 9th! It’s full of adorable animals (like Carmello the Chameleon) and we’re excited to see it! So, I’m thrilled to partner with sponsor Lionsgate on a fun, themed chameleon lunch inspired by the movie. 
We’re big fans of animals (and animal movies), so the boys are so excited for The Wild Life! Here’s more about the movie:
From the over-exuberant parrot Mak to the snack-obsessed tapir Rosie, from the persnickety echidna Epi to the acrobatic pangolin Pango, from the ditzy goat Scrubby to the commonsensical kingfisher Kiki and the always-cool chameleon Carmello, things are larger-than-life on a tropical isle that is pure wild animal paradise. Then Robinson Crusoe, a marooned human, arrives in the midst of a furious storm, and their lives are forever changed by this bewildering new “creature.” No matter their differences, castaway human and quirky animals embark on an hilarious new adventure, building the island’s first tree-house and surviving together. But when two conniving members of the animal kingdom — the savage cats Mal & May – pounce into a battle for control of the island, Crusoe and his animal posse must uncover the true power of friendship against all odds (even savage cats).
SUCH a unique group of creatures! A pangolin, echnidna, tapir, and chameleon (among other fun creatures) – LOVE it! I couldn’t resist making a fun food idea to celebrate and decided to go with crazy Carmello the chameleon! To make your own chameleon lunch, here’s what you’ll need:
Chameleon Quesadilla/Wrap:
- Spinach/veggie wraps (green in color)
- wrap filling – you could make it with cheese and warm it up like a quesadilla. Or, make it more wrap-like and do a cream cheese spread with ham or salami.
- 1 green olive & 1 black olive
- string cheese
- Pull ‘n peel licorice
- food writer marker
To make the chameleon lunch, use a piece of paper (unless your free hand is really good 😉 ) to draw out a little chameleon roughly the same size of the container space that you have. Cut that out and use it as a pattern on top of the veggie wrap. Using a knife, cut out the chameleon shape (do that twice or just do two layers at once). 
Then, fill your chameleon cut outs with whatever you like. Make a melty cheese quesadilla or use a cream cheese spread (with any other ingredients you’d like). Once you have it filled, then add the embellishments. Use a little cream cheese to attach a cut green olive (stuffed with a bit of black olive) for the eye. Then use a little strip of string cheese for the mouth. For added embellishment, use a food writer marker to make the curly tail! 
Once that’s done you can start packing your lunch with other fun themed extras! I used pretzel sticks (like logs you might find washed up on the beach). So, that’s what I set our chameleon on! Then, I added some animal crackers (since The Wild Life has a serious animal theme going on) and then some tropical fruit (kiwi, mandarin oranges, and pineapple) to go with the tropical, deserted island theme! Once you have everything packed for the lunch, you can add on the chameleon’s long tongue with a long piece of pull ‘n peel licorice! SO fun!!!!! 
This would be PERFECT to surprise the kids with on September 9th, with a little special note about going to see the movie that weekend! I’m sure they’d be thrilled. These items would be perfect for a The Wild Life themed party! 
The Wild Life Movie sails into theaters on Friday, September 9th! Make plans to go see it!
For more info, visit The Wild Life Official Site. And you can follow along on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. #TheWildLife
