New Releases

Chapter Stops – Brief DVD Reviews

Animation and Children’s DVD Roundup

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

by Kevin Krock, Home Theater editor

Sometimes life gets going so fast and in so many directions that some
things just start piling up without you realizing it. So, in an effort
to clear space from the top of my DVD player, I put together a series
of short reviews that cover the essentials of the following, mostly average
discs. Most of you will already be familiar with the core material, so
I will focus on highlighting key points that will hopefully assist you
in making your purchasing or renting decisions.

• The Jetsons: The Complete First Season
  
• Home on the Range
• Home on the Range Sing Along Songs
• Spider Man ’67 Box Set
• Bear in the Big Blue House Collection
  

Click to Buy	Ratings Summary (Scored out of a maximum of five)
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I used to watch The Jetsons all the time, but it has been a while
since I have had the chance to sit and watch it. Fortunately, as with
many television shows these days, this four-disc collection of the whole
first season is now available to watch any time you want.

Several of the episodes are quite memorable and a lot of fun to see again,
and the video transfers all look pretty good for the source material being
a few decades old. The audio is a simple monophonic transfer, but it is
clean and solid throughout. The bonus material is not very extensive and
should not be considered a big draw to this collection, but the two episode-specific
commentaries and the four other short featurettes are decent additions
to the viewing material. If you and your family are either big fans of
the Jetsons, TV show collectors, or animation fans, then this set deserves
your consideration.

Click to Buy	Ratings Summary (Scored out of a maximum of five)
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	Value

Home On The Range was the last of Disney’s “traditional”
2D animation features, and it is one of those movies that looks beautiful,
features fantastic animation, has a great soundtrack. Unfortunately, its
weakest points are the quirky storyline and the large cast of leading
characters. I know some people like the movie, but even after watching
it a couple of times, I found it hard to get emotionally involved with
any particular character or drawn into the plight of bounty hunting cows.
I will say, however, that it does have its occasional funny and entertaining
moments, but they are pretty scattered. [You can read Alex Stroup’s movie
review here
from when it premiered.]

Promotional image © Disney.

Even though the movie did not really float my boat, it is very nicely
presented on this disc. The colors and details on this THX-certified video
transfer are spectacular, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack
will sound good on any home theater system. While this is only a single-disc
edition, the movie is short enough (only 76 minutes) that there is a decent
amount of bonus material. The approximately 17 min “Making of”
documentary is an enjoyable survey of how they put the movie together,
and the deleted scenes are also a nice addition. The commentary by Alice
Dewey (Producer), Will Finn (Co-Writer/Director), and John Sanford (Co-Writer/Director)
is interesting and educational, and it is well worth listening to, especially
if you are looking for explanations for why things turned out like they
did.

Promotional image © Disney.

If you enjoyed the movie, then this disc is for you. But for those of
you that have never seen it or found it entertaining but not very memorable,
it is still worth a rental for the commentary and bonus material.

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

Sing-Along Songs

1. “Litle Patch of Heaven” – Home On The
   Range
2. “Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo” – Home On
   The Range
3. “Home On The Range”
4. “Oh, Susanna!”
5. “Old MacDonald Had A Farm”
6. “She’ll Be Comin’ Round The Mountain”
7. “The Farmer In The Dell”
8. “Pecos Bill” – Melody Time
9. “A Cowboy Needs A Horse” – A Cowboy Needs
   A Horse
10. “Stanley Rides Again” – Stanley’s Dinosaur
    Round-Up
11. “Anytime You Need A Friend” – Home On
    The Range

Dance-Along Songs

1. “Litle Patch of Heaven” – Home On The
   Range
2. “Anytime You Need A Friend” – Home On
   The Range
3. “Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo” – Home On
   The Range

I have been a bit surprised by how well put together the Disney Sing-Along
DVD library has been so far. The interface is nicely animated and fun,
and the selection of music pretty closely fits the theme of the disc.
In this edition, several songs from Disney’s last 2D animated feature,
Home On The Range, are intertwined with other classic Western-style
childrens songs. The video and audio are typical for a Disney direct-to-video
release and will be acceptable on most family home theaters. The bonus
material features a number of edutainment activities for your children,
covering areas like reading and spelling. If you have enjoyed any of the
previous Sing-Along DVDs, then this will make a good addition to your
collection.

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	Goodies		Interface
	Value

I remember watching these original Spider-Man cartoons in reruns after
grammar school on weekday afternoons, and it was a surprisingly strong
flashback to hear that familiar theme song and see the “IN COLOR”
logo pop up on my screen when I loaded these DVDs. That is just one example
of the small things about this set that those of us who watched it back
then will more fully appreciate. Although, Spider-Man has enjoyed a recent
resurgence, these episodes should still play fairly well with current
young viewers. All 52 original episodes from 1967 are presented on this
six disc set, and while I have yet to make it through all 19 hours or
so of episodes, it was a lot of fun to see several of these classics again.
Amongst Spidey’s memorable foes that he encountered during this first
season are Dr. Octopus, The Green Goblin, Mysterio, the Rhino, the Kingpin,
Dr. Magneto.

While all the episodes I watched revealed their age with dust, scratches,
and other minor visual distractions, the colors are surprisingly saturated.
Additionally, the animation was designed for Saturday morning cartoons,
so some leeway must be given for the relatively unrefined look to the
episodes. As for the audio, do not expect anything more than what was
there originally, a simple monophonic soundtrack. Even at that, though,
some of the audio is a bit rough around the edges. Also, do not go looking
for any bonus material on this set. Personally, I thought breaking the
set up into two releases with some additional bonus featurettes would
have been better, but maybe there was not enough material to warrant that
option.

This set, while a boon to those that love Spider-Man, has a rather limited
audience and may not play well with a wide family audience. Just go into
it prepared that you and your family really have to want to watch a lot
of Spider Man to pick up this set. If you fit that category, then by all
means, track it down. For the rest of you, though, save your money for
another DVD on another day.

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

Everybody with a child and the Disney Channel knows about Bear and all
his friends in the Big Blue House. My boys have been watching Bear for
years, and now they can watch the gang any time they want on our DVD player.
Actually, this collection of DVDs was previously owned by Columbia Tristar,
and Buena Vista Home Entertainment recently obtained the home video distribution
rights to the Bear franchise. If you already have the Tristar discs, there
will not be any significant difference between those and any with a Disney
label.

Promotional image © Disney.

All the discs present the TV shows with decent quality, but nothing better
than what you can get from your satellite or cable. The convenience is
having all these episodes available on DVD rather than in a stack of VHS
tapes or waiting for them to be rerun. Besides the Sing-Along songs, there
is not other bonus material, which is kind of a disappointment, but these
discs are truly targeted for the children. The discs I have watched with
my boys include:

• Heroes of Woodland Valley
• Party Time with Bear
• Potty Time with Bear
• A Bear for All Seasons
• Everybody’s Special
• Shapes, Sounds & Colors with Bear
• Tidy Time with Bear
• Visiting the Doctor with Bear
• Sleepy Time with Bear and Friends
• Dance Party!

Each of these discs, except the Heroes disc, contains three episodes
of the show in their entirety, and your children can either watch the
shows individually or you can watch all of them continuously. For families
with young children and toddlers, these discs make great additions to
your library, and you do not need to have all of them for your children
to enjoy Bear and the gang. After going through all those aforementioned
discs, my boys end up watching only one or two episodes over and over,
anyways. So, track down your children’s favorites and pick them up at
your local discount store.