Preschool DVDs

In the fairly recent past, Disney has released a number of DVDs targeted
at preschool age children, and because I have a few children that are
either in or near that age range, I have a somewhat vested interest in
these titles. Given how strongly preschoolers get attached to only one
or two DVDs, I’m always trying to find something to broaden the range
of age–appropriate viewing material that they are willing to watch.
I know the younger one could watch the same Wiggles tape or DVD
until the TV burns out, but I think my head would explode well before
that point. Thus, it is in the best interest of familial sanity to try
something a little different once in a while. So read on to find out what
may be worth your time and money to keep your preschooler happy and healthy
for those times you just need to put something on TV to keep them occupied.

• Baby Einstein: Baby Monet
• JoJo’s Circus: Animal A Go–Go
• JoJo’s Circus: Take a Bow
• Growing Up With Winnie the Pooh: Friends Forever
• Growing Up With Winnie the Pooh: A Great Day of Discovery
• Learning Adventures: Mickey’s Reading and Math Fun (Mickey and
  the Beanstalk)
• Learning Adventures: Mickey’s Seeing the World (Mickey’s Around
  the World in 80 Days)

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

The Disc

Following in the footsteps of the previous 17 Baby Einstein videos, Baby
Monet focuses on the four seasons. Featuring Claude Monet’s Haystack
paintings and accompanied by excerpts of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons,
the disc takes children on a journey through each of the four seasons
with a combination of simplified classical music, puppets, toys in action,
and still images. The material is right on target with pre–toddlers to
pre–schoolers, and both my 1–year–old and 4–year–old enjoy watching these
discs every once in a while. The 6–year–old, though, will not get near
them, and if you think you have seen a hooey fit, try to put one of these
on when he is around.

Promotional image © Disney.

The video, audio, and interface are all appropriate for the material and target audience, though not particularly impressive relative to most other DVDs. There are a couple of bonus items, but they only marginally contribute to the value of the disc. Overall, this disc is a decent, albeit short, addition to the Baby Einstein library, so if you are either new to the series or collecting them, then this one deserves consideration.

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

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

The Discs

Straight from Playhouse Disney on the Disney Channel, JoJo’s Circus has
now arrived on DVD. Starring a cute, young clown and her lion Goliath,
JoJo joins her circus friends and invites your young one to join her on
her interactive adventures. Along the way, JoJo and the young viewers
learn not only about academic skills but also social skills such as cooperation,
sharing and respect. While my 1–year–old son likes to watch the shows
on occasion, my first–grade son is not a big fan—but he will generally
tolerate it if that is his only choice. It is a pretty solid show for
pre–schoolers, but as a parent, I find I can only take it in moderated
quantities.

Promotional image © Disney.

These two discs feature several of the short episodes, and they are roughly divided into themes. The Take A Bow disc takes a look at the circus and performing, and JoJo learns about following instructions, trying her best, and you do not have to win to have fun. The Animal A Go–Go disc focuses on animals, and through teamwork, everyone learns about kindness, belonging, and the importance of working together.

The DVD video and audio transfers are on par with the cable or satillite
TV version, and while acceptable for the intended audience, they are not
particularly outstanding. The interface is simple but well themed, and
even my four–year–old can find his way around the menus. Overall, if your
children are fans of the TV show, then these may make decent additions
to your library. But depending on your child’s viewing habits and availability
of cable or satellite in your home, they may be just as happy watching
the Disney Channel shows.

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

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

The Discs

So, you say you can never have enough Pooh? Well, Disney has found another
way to repackage the loveable ol’ bear and his old New Adventures of
Winnie the Pooh television series. Essentially, a group of four episodes
of the television series have been thematically grouped on each of the
DVDs, and the “social skills and life lessons” demonstrated
in the episodes are reinforced by some interstitial puppet–like animation
of the characters. These brief interludes show The Friends Forever disc
focuses on feelings and emotions, and the A Great Day of Discovery disc
highlights social skills, such as consideration, responsible behavior,
and imaginative play.

Promotional image © Disney.

My 4–year–old son is a big Pooh fan (much to his parent’s chagrin), but
he did not really like these discs. I think a lot of it had to do with
the look of the animated shorts, though, and I know that is a big reason
I did not like the overall look and feel of the disc. Each of the episodes
looks old, grainy, poorly animated, and just plain bad. You know things
are not good when you get statements like, “Dad, why is Rabbit green?
He’s not green. He is yellow, and that is not yellow.” Granted, if
you grit through it, the stories do have some redeeming qualities. But
if you do not get the child’s attention, there is no hope for getting
the message across. In the end, unless you or your child absolutely must
have all things Pooh, I suggest looking elsewhere for DVDs to assist in
teaching your children about life lessons.

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

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

The Discs

In a somewhat surprisingly interesting integration of previous Disney
animation and new interactive educational exercises, Disney recently launched
its Disney Learning Adventures DVD series. The concept behind the series
is that they take an animated short, like the classic Mickey, Donald and
Goofy short “Mickey and the Beanstalk,” and periodically stop
it to introduce some sort of interactive activity using the short as a
backdrop or source of material. For example, if there is a scene with
animals, the scene would stop and ask the viewer to count the number of
animals on the screen and select the correct number with the arrow keys.
The activities are nicely integrated, and they seem to be at the right
level for the 2– to 5–year–old target audience. These first
two titles tackle geography, cultural awareness, language, math, spelling,
reading, and story comprehension, and I am sure we will see others that
cover more topics in the near future.

Promotional image © Disney.

In the Mickey’s Around the World in 80 Days disc, the Jules Verne classic is spun with Mickey trying to make his way around the entire world in just 80 days to win a challenge. The core animated short appears to be from the House of Mouse TV series, as it features contemporary Mickey animation, and it makes for an interesting and humorous backdrop for the disc. Along Mickey’s journey, the viewers interactively see and hear children around the world speak several languages, and the young viewers are exposed to the wide variety of living environments throughout the world. I found it interesting to watch along side my boys, and it generally kept their attention.

The aforementioned Mickey and the Beanstalk disc takes the classic Mickey
short and intersperses interactive educational exercises like counting,
reading simple words, analyzing spatial patters, measuring items, and
ordering events. Both of my boys seemed a little less interested in this
disc relative to the other one, but that probably stems from the exercises
being a bit lower than their ability levels. This disc tends to present
more traditional educational activities than the other disc, and both
of my boys get a lot of that type of stimulation from many other sources,
like home, school, PBS, and so on. In several cases on this disc, while
it is an overall interesting and interactive presentation, some of the
activities may be old hat to your young ones.

Promotional image © Disney.

The video and audio transfers, much like all the other discs in this
review, are just fine, but nothing more than what you would get on cable
or satellite. The interface is very visually dynamic and fun, and the
menus are easy to navigate. There are a couple of goodies that tie into
the lessons introduced in the main content, but after going through the
disc once, my boys were ready to move on without going through the bonus
material. The goodies are nice to have, though, and they provide some
additional activities for children on repeat viewings.

Overall, this series looks promising, and the concept seems to work pretty well for preschoolers. If you are looking for a DVD that is a little different to entertain and educate your little one(s) these discs are a pretty good start.