This Nickelodeon Double Pack serves up two themed compilations aimed at younger audiences and their value-conscious parents: Dora's Musical School Days and Blue's Big Musical Movie. Both titles were previously issued on DVD between 2000-2007 and have since gone out of print. Oddly enough, neither separate release has been reviewed at DVD Talk thus far...so today, it's literally a two-for-one deal.

Together, this Double Pack is truly a mixed bag as far as quality goes, but it's hard to complain when you're getting two for the price of one....so if you've got a little one interested in either franchise, I suppose you could do a lot worse. Technically speaking, these recycled discs are certainly beginning to show their age, although at least they appear faithful to the original 1.33:1 broadcast versions (as opposed to some newer Nick titles like Bubble Guppies, which are cropped from 16x9 source material).

Both discs look pretty good for their age and budget. Presented in their original 1.33:1 aspect ratios, Dora's Musical School Days and Blue's Big Musical Movie boast strong colors and no flagrant compression issues. Even so, there is some interlacing present (especially during Dora) and an overall softness to the images, most likely due to the source material and limited effects. Overall, these are still quite watchable and, though new remasters of both shows would be welcome, it's a passable enough effort for the price.

The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, again preserving the original broadcast experience. As expected, the bulk of the music-driven content sounds clean and clear, while dialogue and narration also come through without any major problems. Dora, as always, is mixed a little louder than the more passive Blue's Clues, but that's just the nature of the beast. Channel separation is slightly evident at times, but it's a mostly leveled-off experience that entertains more than amazes. No English or foreign subtitles have been included on either disc, though Closed Captions are supported during each episode.

Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer / Blue's Clues Double Pack, like other multi-disc compilations, is an easy way to beef up your kid's DVD collection if you're a little late to the party. Both included titles are plus or minus a decade old and, of course, their content and A/V presentations reflect source material that isn't as new or shiny as the now-regular HD standard of kids' programming. Still, it's a mixed bag: the Blue's movie is good fun, but the overrated Dora continues to be a repetitive show that doesn't offer much of value except for a few obligatory Spanish words. Overall, these music-themed episodes still average out to a passable effort, all things considered...so if your little ones are at least slightly interested in either franchise, Nickelodeon's bargain-priced Double Pack is well worth looking into. Recommended.