More Princess DVDs

Click to Buy	Ratings Summary (Scored out of a maximum of five)
	Audio		Video
	Goodies		Interface
	Value

The Movie

The first story is from the Aladdin television show, produced back in
1994. Princess Jasmine introduces the story, but is not seen frequently
in the episode. The main idea centers around Carpet and how it feels left
out of a friendship with Aladdin.

© Disney.

If you are a particular fan of TV animation, or the movie Aladdin,
you will enjoy this rerun. The only positive I could find was the use
of most of the original voices from Aladdin. The Genie is voiced
by Dan Castellaneta, also the voice of Homer Simpson, and I did have a
few moments of amusement listening for the “D’oh!” quality of
his Genie. Most children will not be old enough to remember when this
series was on the air, so perhaps the episode will seem a bit more novel.

Next up is Snow White introducing her story of friendship with Dopey.
Snow White needs to make dinner for the dwarfs and needs Dopey’s help.
I don’t know which is worse: fuzzy old television animation or a whole story made
up of stills and clips. Or charging good money for either of them. …But
I digress. By using the DVD remote you can have Dopey help Snow White
save the day and have dinner on the table by five.

Lastly is Ariel introducing her tale of friendship, which is—surprise!
Another television episode from the 1994 Little Mermaid series. In this
made–for–television episode, Ariel and her friend Gabriella reminisce about their
adventures under the sea. At least this episode aligns a little better
with the theme of the disc, and all of the original voices from the movie
are used.

The Goodies

The bonus features include several games and one music video, “Where
Dreams Begin.” I suppose they ran out of ideas after “If You
Can Dream” from volume 1; this new song sounds like a Jump 5 demo
track reject. The music is truly terrible—all techno–beat with
nondescript voices and lyrics. It actually makes If You Can Dream sound
like a quality recording; at least most of the original voice actors were
used in that one. The video accompanying the song is a jumble of short
clips from various Disney movies.

“The Princess Academy” is a quiz led by a Julie Andrews wanna–be
narrator who leads aspiring princesses through a series of questions and
tests. Grab a book! Walk around with it on your head! It’s actually more
entertaining than the princess stories, and the audio and video quality
are much easier on the eyes.

Finally, a craft activity invites girls to make their own “friendship
wreaths” with paper, glue and glitter. Real live children are used
using this segment, all decked out in Disney princess costumes. The children
take viewers step by step through the wreath–making process, failing
to mention to let the glue and glitter dry on the crowns before placing
it in the hair. Hopefully, parents will understand the time–lapse
filming used in this segment; I’ve washed glue out of several little princess’
hair before over this same issue, and it’s not as obvious to a 5–year–old
as you might think.

The Video, Audio and Interface

The Final Evaluation

I never imagined myself writing this, but if you feel you must have a
Princess Story DVD, buy the first volume. The quality is a bit better
and the music video will not make you want to break your DVD player into
little tiny bits. Better yet, save your money for Bambi or the
platinum edition of Aladdin. Quality never goes out of style.

Click to Buy	Ratings Summary (Scored out of a maximum of five)
	Audio		Video
	Goodies		Interface
	Value

The Movie

This DVD claims to have everything needed to “make your princess
party a success.” The DVD intersperses old Disney television episodes with
games and activities.

© Disney.

The first episode is from the television series. A scheming girl named
Saderia is trying to steal away Aladdin from his true love, Jasmine, by
casting a spell on all the humans. The animals are not affected by it,
and soon everyone is mixed up in wacky situations, until Jasmine is returned
to her rightful place. The other episode is from a series that apparently
never made it to television at all and was released as a direct–to–video
selection from Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World, enitled
“Fifi’s Folly.” The episode centers around the romance between
the feather duster Fifi and Lumiere. Most of the characters look nothing
like their original selves, and the storyline is forgettable, which is
probably why the show never made it to television as a regular series.

The Goodies

The party games include “Pocahontas’ Drawing Game”, “The
Perfect Prince” game, “Princess Pajama Jam,” “Ariel’s
Treasure” game, “Mulan’s Fortune Teller,” and “Belle’s
Mixed–up Stories.” None of them are worthy of a lengthy explanation,
but unless you have a gift on hand wrapped in several layers, Ariel’s
game is going to be utterly useless to watch. If you are a fan of Eddie
Murphy’s Mushu, the Fortune–Teller game will be the most bearable:
Mushu shows kids how to make what I call a cootie–catcher, and Disney
calls a fortune–teller. Kids can also pick their own fortune with
a virtual cootie–catcher, also narrated by Mushu.

As in the Tales of Friendship, this disc includes the music video
“Where Dreams Begin” and is just as dismal as in the other DVD.
Fast–forward if you know what’s good for you.

The disc also has a DVD–ROM feature that has party invitations, thank–you
cards, checklists and recipes that are available for print–out, as well
as some coloring pages. Nothing spectacular, but in good keeping with
the party theme.

The Video, Audio and Interface

As in the previous review, the Aladdin episode looks pretty horrendous
compared to the bright crisp game sections and interface. The interface
is pared down so young children will have an easy time navigating the
menu.

The Final Evaluation

For 102 minutes of content, I would never recommend anyone pay retail
for this DVD, or the Tales of Friendship, for that matter. If your
child receives it as a gift, or you pick one up at Sam’s Club for under
10 dollars I will rest a little more easily. There are so many other quality
Disney DVDs on the market to purchase; classic, remastered, beloved films,
that it’s hard to justify spending any money at all on these recycled
and rehashed DVDs.