Hemo the Magnificant is a 54 minute short about blood and the circulatory system. In it writer Richard Carlson and scientist Frank Baxter talk to a magic screen - where an animated character named Hemo the Magnificent (A Greek God named for the word hemacyte) and his cute animal friends reside - and explain all about the heart, arteries, veins, capillaries as well as the function of carbon dioxide and oxygen.

The other short on the disc is about the phenomena of weather and is titled; Unchained Goddess,. As in the other one writer Carlson and scientist Baxter talk both to animated characters - who have names like Meteora and Boureaus - and to us as they parse the meanings of weather patterns, wind, clouds, rain, sleet, hail as well as the phenomena of things like the coriollus effect and hurricanes.

Similar to the other previously reviewed DVD Our Mr Sun and The Strange Case of the Cosmic Ray there is so much information in the 54 minute running time of these shorts that viewers may feel inclined to take notes. For this reason the shorts are perfect for teachers and astute students.

The films are a bit dated technically but the information is solid. They also make casual references to god and religion while still staying very factual and scientific. The bottom line is that there are fun and educational.

How does it Look?
The two shorts are presented 1.33:1 and they look okay. The colors are bit muted and fuzzy. The animation is pleasantly humorous in both even though the colors have an old TV look to them.

How does it Sound?
Everything is in monoaural and sound just fine. These films aren't geared toward the Dolby Digital format anyway.

Extras:
There are no extras.

Overall:
This is a very informative and fun double feature DVD. The two films try to take big scientific studies and cram them into 50 minutes of (mostly) animate fun. As I said in my previous review I'm not so sure that these would hold the attention of kids today. I'm not sure they did in the 1950's either. But there is no doubt that if you follow them closely and take notes they will help the viewer get a good grasp of the body's circulatory system and weather and you will definitely enjoy a laugh or two along the way.