KID VIDS

KID VIDS Reviews of films with kids in mind tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22759249 2006-05-02T02:29:20Z Blogger

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true Melinda Ledman 2006-04-27T20:41:00-07:00 2006-05-02T02:29:20Z 2006-04-28T03:50:49Z tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22759249.post-114619624919941179 Booples

Booples: How can I best explain this series?

The characters look like a cross between the Simpsons, Teletubbies, and Hershey's kisses; they sound like the guys from King of the Hill; and they say things you might expect to hear at an Awana meeting. Really fun combination!

This funny little indie cartoon exhibits the typical problems of a first-time film. The characters move very little, scenes are repeated, songs are repeated, and there is a general lack of a compelling story line. But what do you expect for a series that targets ages two through four? Despite all of it's shortcomings (and most indie cartoons have these very same problems), I did appreciate several things about it.

1. It's funny. Despite the simple content and messages, the voices and characters made me laugh. I had to go back and read the return address on the DVD to find out where these guys were from. Texas, of course. And honestly, the characters grew on me. The second time around, the funny little "old guy" voices transformed into "fun, quirky voices" that my kids seem to love.

2. It's simple, yet complex. The stories are VERY short (five minutes each), and deal with one simple issue each. This keeps the focus on the main idea. At the same time, they deal with complicated issues. The stories use concrete images to demonstrate traditionally complex spiritual concepts. Finding a straight path, loving God by loving others, and materialism vs. treasures in heaven are complicated issues even for adults.

3. The Bible is the authority. Instead of using a person to teach the biblical truths, the spiritual guru of the film, "Baaa" (an appropriately named sheep), whips out his Bible and reads from the source. This is a good lesson to children that people aren't the ultimate authorities for their spiritual walks. Without overtly saying so, the story reinforces that people should always go to the Bible first with their questions.

4. The songs were awesome! After the second viewing, I had the main choruses memorized (with no effort, mind you). The songs are catchy enough to not drive you crazy after 10 viewings, and the main choruses are Bible verses. This is a fantastic asset for parents wanting to teach their kids scripture memory. My daughter is highly uninterested in academics (as are most three year olds), and this is a great tool to help her memorize verses without the potential for failure. Atter 100 viewings, she'll know them by heart. She has the Veggie Tales and Barney songs memorized, why not a few Bible verses?

5. A calming effect. This is an interesting observation about this series, or perhaps about the Bible in general. Most days when my daughter watches videos or shows on television, I can barely peel her away. She screams and whines, argues and becomes belligerent with me because I won't let her keep watching more shows. That in itself mystifies me. What is it about television that causes that effect? I don't know yet. Nevertheless, for two days in a row now, I've noticed her disposition was different after watching this show. She seemed calmer and less worked up when it was over. She still wanted to keep watching, but she wasn't angry or aggressive with me. Very interesting. I can only guess that it's the simple, calming nature of the show or the fact that the Bible is being read. I don't know. Maybe you can tell me.

As I've said before, my daughter is the litmus test of a great children's video. Although she was more interested in playing during the songs yesterday, she did wake up asking to watch it today. And to my surprise, she asked me if I would like to be Toodle Boople and she could be Poodle Boople while we played today. Those names ARE fun to say!

I give it a thumbs up, but with a note to parents. Because the show deals with complex spiritual issues, you will need to stop in to explain some of the things they see. Though it appeared simple to me at first, my daughter had a lot of questions about the stories. I loved her curiosity and the opportunity to share spiritual insights with her. But for the parent who wants a "hands off" experience for a little free time to yourself, you may save this one for a day when you're in a better mood.

It's worth checking out for yourself - you can hear a sample song and read the synopsis for each story at www.Booples.com.

false Melinda Ledman 2006-03-03T13:00:00-08:00 2006-04-28T05:30:50Z 2006-03-03T21:42:05Z tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22759249.post-114142212504122290 Boulder Buddies

Recently contacted by the Boulder Buddies founder, David Breecher, I agreed to review this interesting little indie animated video. Part of their motto is that they "bring the 'G' back to G-rated entertainment." That, coupled with the interesting story about how Boulder Buddies came about (check out their website at www.boulderbuddies.com), I felt confident watching the Ledman household premier with my energetic three-year old. For many kid videos, my daughter is the litmus test for a successful film or series. Her ever-processing brain distinguishes between the good stuff and garbage.

The first fifteen minutes of Boulder Buddies was a little disconcerting. I felt like I was being mentally spammed by the characters. Every other word was "Boulder Buddies" or "I love Boulder Buddies." I think one day I might count the number of times the name is used in the first fifteen minutes. Nevertheless, my daughter seemed entertained. To prove how sharp she is, she kept looking over at me to get my reaction. She just wasn't sure what she thought yet. I knew that any reaction from me would influence her viewpoint for the rest of the viewing, so I gave her a blank stare. I knew eventually I'd get her real reaction.

Suspecting that the overuse of branding was probably an ill-advised recommendation from some marketing rep. somewhere, I decided to give Dave Breecher a chance to prove his idea's credibility. And I'm glad I did. In the end, the film does do much more than simply promote itself. Here are the things I found valuable:

1. It taught several basic concepts appropriate for toddlers - ABC's, 123's, colors, shapes, etc.

2. It used flash-card style review of words that begin with the letters of the alphabet. The pictures they used were drawn by kids, which of course enchanted my daughter. I've had a hard time teaching her to connect letters and words, so this was a great teaching tool. She repeated the words after the announcer and I had her point to the letter on the screen. Great stuff!!

3. The timing between segments was just perfect to hold a toddler's attention. Just as my girlie was about to get bored, they'd switch segments. A new song, a new lesson, or a new storyline would capture her attention again.

4. The characters are in fact G-rated. They are a little goofy sometimes, but I'm not in the camp that believes toddlers need to watch action heroes shoot each other down. They can watch that later in life.

(Caveat: I'm more fond of generic educational material than character-building material at this age. Although Pooh Bear overcomes fear in Pooh's Grand Adventure, my daughter was never afraid of the woods until we saw that film. Now, she even spooks ME as she tells about the glowing eyes she sees peeking out of the dark forest - complete with raspy voice, mind you. Kids don't seem to need a premature introduction to fear, backtalking, mean play, selfishness, etc. Of course, that said, one of my daughter's favorite characters is the horribly whiney Caillou. But, I digress...)

5. Though the producers are apparently Christian, there's no Christian talk or moralistic teaching. That's not to say that it won't be present in future videos, but they seem to make a point of keeping the film marketable to a wider market. The only mention of Christ is in the credits, written text only. They simply give credit to Christ for making it all possible. Simple. Broad, but specific. Great example of living what you believe without being pushy. Way to go Dave.

6. My daughter did in fact learn some stuff. Although the first viewing had her singing the Boulder Buddies theme song, after the second viewing , she began calling it " The ABC movie."

Like I said, my three-year old is the ultimate authority. Based on her daily (sometimes twice daily) requests to watch the film, Boulder Buddies must be a success. If you as an adult can accept the branding as a first-time film glitch, and the quirky-looking characters, it's a good series. My daughter wants to watch it every day, and that says something. The only other series that have generated that reaction are Veggie Tales and Little People. Nice going Dave. I'd like to be on the list to get the next installment.

false Kid Vids 2006-02-20T21:28:00-08:00 2006-02-21T05:40:28Z 2006-02-21T05:32:48Z tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22759249.post-114049996857141136 Bambi 2 (DVD)
Review by Kathy Bledsoe

Release Date: February 7th, 2006
Format: DVD
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Director: Brian Pimental
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Alexander Gould, Andrea Bowen, Anthony Ghannam
MPAA Rating: G. Runtime: 73 min

Absolutely Delightful!

An animated straight-to-DVD release to can be a tricky proposition. Many times it means a mass-produced, go-for-the-buck, less-than-satisfying storyline, and poor continuity in color and drawing—especially if linked in some way to a prior release of any kind. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when none of this was true of Bambi 2 ! I was fortunate enough to view this wonderful little gem on the big screen at a promotional screening, and I enjoyed every moment.

The original Bambi was released in 1942, and both animation and Disney have come a long way over 64 years. However, with meticulous care, the Disney team has faithfully recreated the characters and settings, paying close attention to the details of matching the original colors, textures and tones of that era. I felt like I was five again as I watched Bambi running into the forest at his mother’s urging only to crash into the Great Prince of the Forest… his father, the great stag. The storyline happens somewhere just past the middle of Bambi and fills in the gap of what happens to Bambi from his time as a baby fawn to pre-adolescent buck. That would make it a “midquel” perhaps. The voice characterizations have also been carefully chosen and directed to meld well with the originals. Patrick Stewart is a masterful Great Prince and Alexander Gould (the voice of Nemo) excels as Bambi.

As for the plot line, it is crisp and succinct. It begins where it needs to begin and ends leaving you wanting more without any breakdown in between. This is a wonderful story of generations struggling to adapt to each other as Bambi and his father both attempt to deal with their sudden change in status, caused by the death of Bambi’s mother. This was personally painful, as it brought to memory my own observations of my son and his father as they have struggled to build a relationship. Bambi’s father does not want to be the parent responsible for this clingy baby deer, while Bambi desperately needs his father and desires only to fulfill his father’s grand idea of who he should be before he is ready to be that stag.

Complicating the generational problem is an exploration of how the different characters experience grief. The Great Prince is a feelings-stuffer who doesn’t want to be reminded of the loss of his mate. Bambi, the typical youngster, wants to talk… and talk… and talk. Of course, the problem is that Bambi constantly reminds his father of the loss he has suffered and it takes the older stag and Bambi a good deal of time to understand that they both need, and have much, to learn from each other.

Woven throughout the story is the humor and tenderness we have come to expect from Disney. Thumper is again the comic foil and an absolute hoot. The laughter in the theater was genuine and heartfelt all the way from the 50-somethings down to the youngest children. The friendship of Thumper and Bambi also brought the most poignancy to the screen. When Bambi’s father decides to send him away to live with a surrogate doe, Thumper responds to Bambi’s plea, “Don’t forget me,” with “We’re bestus friends. You never forget your bestus friend.” Again, I found my feelings personally assaulted as my current life situation brushed too close to what was happening on the screen.

This short film is a microcosm of relationships and how they ebb and flow through the circumstances of life whether good or bad, difficult or cinchy. Watching made me even more aware of the incredible way that we are made as human beings with the need to connect in meaningful ways. It reminded me of how much I love my God and don’t share that love enough sometimes with those around me. It convicted me to remember that everyone doesn’t travel their life-journey at the same pace or in the same way, and that this is not an excuse for judgment, condemnation or impatience.

How could a fifty-five year old find so much in a cartoon? Watch the DVD and see!
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