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Blue's Clues - Blue's Room Snacktime Playdate
Paramount // Unrated // August 10, 2004
List Price: $16.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
In my recent review for Clifford's Really Big Movie I noted that "If it isn't broke, don't fix it." was a good rule to live by. Well, I'm back with another children's program with abide by this old saying. Given the fact that children often don't deal well with change, one must wonder why the makers of a successful show would want to shake up the formula, but that's exactly what we get with Blue's Room: Snacktime Playdate.
Since 1996, Blue's Clues has been a hit for Nickelodeon and is beloved by children everywhere. On that show, all of the characters, whether they be humans, animals, or inanimate objects, could talk, save for Blue, the star of the show, whose trademark bark was voiced by series creator Traci Paige Johnson. Well, someone had the bright idea that Blue should not only be given a voice, but that the familiar animated character should become a puppet, and thus we have a Blue's Room, a spin-off and pale imitation of Blue's Clues. The show takes place in Blue's room, where the now-talking Blue puppet (voiced by Victoria Pontecorvo) plays with her friends, Polka Dot, Fred, Doodle, Dictionary (voiced by Brianna Gentillella), and Dress-Up. Unlike Blue's Clues which is driven by the fact that Steve/Joe must solve a mystery, Blue's Room is made up of various activities. In Blue's Room: Snacktime Playdate, Blue and her friends talk about and play games which are centered on snacks. Blue must guess what kinds of snacks Doodle is drawing and she reads the classic book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie". When the characters finally sit down to have their snack, Blue shows everyone how to make a healthy snack with a banana, yogurt, and granola.
Blue's Room may have the same star as Blue's Clues, but that's where the similarities ends. While Blue's Clues offered a unique blending of live-action humans with animated characters (all in a weird 2-D meets 3-D world) and a sometimes sly sense of humor (I'm sorry, but Mr. Salt is just plain funny!), Blue's Room looks and feels like any other kids' puppet show. The program may have good intentions and offer the bright colors that children are drawn too, but the premise is unoriginal and the scattershot approach of the show doesn't offer much for the viewer to grasp onto. The inclusion of a classic story like "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" is a good idea, as youngsters should always be encouraged to read, but hearing that funny tale only reminds us of how dull Blue's Room is.
Fortunately, the Blue's Room: Snacktime Playdate DVD contains three episodes of the original Blue's Clues. In "Blue's Wishes", Joe (Donovan Patton) and Blue find a magic wand and use it to ride on their toy train. When that game ends, Joe must figure out what Blue wants to wish for next. This leads them on a trail of other things which deal with wishing. "Cafe Blue" features original star Steve Burns, as he and Blue pretend to have a restaurant. But, as their menu has no dessert, Steve must guess what Blue wants for dessert. As he tries to learn this, Steve learns many things about cooking and food. Finally, in "The Grow Show", Blue wants to play outside, but makes Steve play "Blue's Clues" to learn what she wants to do. As Steve ventures outdoors, he learns about nature and what makes plants and trees grow. All three of these shows exemplify what makes Blue's Clues such a great show for children, with its emphasis on learning and problem-solving.
Video
Blue's Room: Snacktime Playdate romps onto DVD courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The shows are presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio, as they were originally produced for broadcast television. The image on "Snacktime Playdate" is impeccable, as the shot-on-video production looks great. The picture is very clear and there is on the slightest hint of edge-enhancement, although there is some video noise when characters make sudden movements. The colors look great here. The same can be said for "Blue's Wishes", as the animation looks quite vibrant. The last two episodes are somewhat older and don't look as good, as they display some artifacting and bleeding of the colors.
Audio
The audio for all four episodes is a Dolby Digital stereo mix. These tracks sound fine, although they are quite lackluster. Dialogue comes from the center channel, with an occasional sound effect emanating from the right or left channel (such as when Steve/Joe is called from another room). The tracks are well balanced and show no hissing or distortion.
Extras
The only special features on this DVD are a "Blue's Snacktime Playdate" set-top game and 5 TV spots for Blue's Room.
I won't go as far as to say that Blue's Room is an abomination, but it's certainly unnecessary when Blue's Clues is still on the air. Younger viewers may be attracted to this show, but adults will sorely miss the charming qualities of the original Blue's Clues.
In my recent review for Clifford's Really Big Movie I noted that "If it isn't broke, don't fix it." was a good rule to live by. Well, I'm back with another children's program with abide by this old saying. Given the fact that children often don't deal well with change, one must wonder why the makers of a successful show would want to shake up the formula, but that's exactly what we get with Blue's Room: Snacktime Playdate.
Since 1996, Blue's Clues has been a hit for Nickelodeon and is beloved by children everywhere. On that show, all of the characters, whether they be humans, animals, or inanimate objects, could talk, save for Blue, the star of the show, whose trademark bark was voiced by series creator Traci Paige Johnson. Well, someone had the bright idea that Blue should not only be given a voice, but that the familiar animated character should become a puppet, and thus we have a Blue's Room, a spin-off and pale imitation of Blue's Clues. The show takes place in Blue's room, where the now-talking Blue puppet (voiced by Victoria Pontecorvo) plays with her friends, Polka Dot, Fred, Doodle, Dictionary (voiced by Brianna Gentillella), and Dress-Up. Unlike Blue's Clues which is driven by the fact that Steve/Joe must solve a mystery, Blue's Room is made up of various activities. In Blue's Room: Snacktime Playdate, Blue and her friends talk about and play games which are centered on snacks. Blue must guess what kinds of snacks Doodle is drawing and she reads the classic book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie". When the characters finally sit down to have their snack, Blue shows everyone how to make a healthy snack with a banana, yogurt, and granola.
Blue's Room may have the same star as Blue's Clues, but that's where the similarities ends. While Blue's Clues offered a unique blending of live-action humans with animated characters (all in a weird 2-D meets 3-D world) and a sometimes sly sense of humor (I'm sorry, but Mr. Salt is just plain funny!), Blue's Room looks and feels like any other kids' puppet show. The program may have good intentions and offer the bright colors that children are drawn too, but the premise is unoriginal and the scattershot approach of the show doesn't offer much for the viewer to grasp onto. The inclusion of a classic story like "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" is a good idea, as youngsters should always be encouraged to read, but hearing that funny tale only reminds us of how dull Blue's Room is.
Fortunately, the Blue's Room: Snacktime Playdate DVD contains three episodes of the original Blue's Clues. In "Blue's Wishes", Joe (Donovan Patton) and Blue find a magic wand and use it to ride on their toy train. When that game ends, Joe must figure out what Blue wants to wish for next. This leads them on a trail of other things which deal with wishing. "Cafe Blue" features original star Steve Burns, as he and Blue pretend to have a restaurant. But, as their menu has no dessert, Steve must guess what Blue wants for dessert. As he tries to learn this, Steve learns many things about cooking and food. Finally, in "The Grow Show", Blue wants to play outside, but makes Steve play "Blue's Clues" to learn what she wants to do. As Steve ventures outdoors, he learns about nature and what makes plants and trees grow. All three of these shows exemplify what makes Blue's Clues such a great show for children, with its emphasis on learning and problem-solving.
Video
Blue's Room: Snacktime Playdate romps onto DVD courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The shows are presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio, as they were originally produced for broadcast television. The image on "Snacktime Playdate" is impeccable, as the shot-on-video production looks great. The picture is very clear and there is on the slightest hint of edge-enhancement, although there is some video noise when characters make sudden movements. The colors look great here. The same can be said for "Blue's Wishes", as the animation looks quite vibrant. The last two episodes are somewhat older and don't look as good, as they display some artifacting and bleeding of the colors.
Audio
The audio for all four episodes is a Dolby Digital stereo mix. These tracks sound fine, although they are quite lackluster. Dialogue comes from the center channel, with an occasional sound effect emanating from the right or left channel (such as when Steve/Joe is called from another room). The tracks are well balanced and show no hissing or distortion.
Extras
The only special features on this DVD are a "Blue's Snacktime Playdate" set-top game and 5 TV spots for Blue's Room.
I won't go as far as to say that Blue's Room is an abomination, but it's certainly unnecessary when Blue's Clues is still on the air. Younger viewers may be attracted to this show, but adults will sorely miss the charming qualities of the original Blue's Clues.
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