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Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales
Fox // Unrated // August 22, 2006
List Price: $14.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
What happens when the result of a trend from the recent past clashes with a new hot trend? Strawberry Shortcake was a line of toys and subsequently home-videos which were popular in the 1980s. The late 1990s saw a resurgence of retro goodies such as Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Strawberry Shortcake, which begat a new line of direct-to-video titles beginning in early 2003. Since then, there have many of these titles, with latest being Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales. This incorporates fairies, which are very hot right now, as evidenced by Disney's renewed focus on Tinkerbell in their licensed products and the line of fairy book for young readers by Daisy Meadows. But does jumping on a bandwagon guarantee a quality product?
As the name implies, Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales contains two short stories (contained in one 45-minute feature) focusing on fairies. In the first tale, Strawberry Shortcake (voiced by Sarah Heinke) along with her pets Custard the cat (voiced by Anna Jordan) and Pupcake the dog (who can't talk, although every other animal in the series can) are walking through the strawberry patch, when they find a small fairy named Margolo (voiced by Andrea Ware). Margolo claims that Pupcake startled her and that the fright caused her to injure her wing. Therefore, Strawberry takes the fairy back to her house, where she is invited to stay until she recovers. Margolo explains that her job is to fly through the strawberry patch, where she help the berries to grow and gives them their healthy color. She indulges in the hospitality offered by Strawberry and her friends, but Custard senses that something isn't right. The intuitive cat has the feeling that Margolo is malingering. When the strawberries begin to rot on the vine, it becomes time to confront the fairy.
The second story opens with a strong wing blowing a fairy named Sherry Bobbleberry (voiced by Laura Marr) into Strawberry Shortcake's house. The fairy tells Strawberry that she was flying near the outskirts of her homeland, and the sudden wind blew her off course. She explains that on her flight, she saw a potential flood which would threaten her kingdom. Sherry also describes the fact that she's a "Fairy Princess, Fourth Class" and thus doesn't have the power to talk to the Fairy Queen (voiced by Susie Baer Collins). On top of that, Sherry considers herself a "goof" and doesn't think that anyone would listen to her anyway. Strawberry and her friend Ginger Snap (voiced by Samantha Triba) convince Sherry that she must believe in herself. Strawberry, Ginger, and Sherry, with Custard and Pupcake in tow head off for the fairy world so that Sherry can warn the queen of the inevitable danger.
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales marks the 12th DVD in this series. Of those releases, the quality has remained fairly consistent, but like any series, there have been highs and lows. This release represents one of the highs, as the inclusion of the fairies, while not original, adds a new story element to the feature. These new characters not only encompass a current fad, but they also add a much needed sense of variety, as Strawberry's friends, all of whom are named after confections, seem quite interchangeable at times.
The stories contained in Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales are a nice combination of fanciful entertainment with a good life-lesson. Neither tale will come across as overly original to adults, but children should be intrigued by the stories. Margolo's story is chock full of morals as it focuses on the fact that she not only deceived Strawberry Shortcake and took advantage of her hospitality, but she slacks off from her job as well. (My children pointed out that Margolo is the name of the bird from Stuart Little 2 and that due to her injured wing (just like Margolo the bird), Margolo (the fairy) drives a little car just like Stuart Little. Is there a connection here?) The story of Sherry Bobbleberry isn't as heavy-handed, as it teaches the viewer the value of confidence and believing in oneself.
The aspects of this series which made it successful to begin with can still be found here. The animation is bright and colorful (if not slightly above Saturday-morning cartoon quality) and the few songs in the feature are upbeat and brief (and thus, tolerable).
Video
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales flies onto DVD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The feature is presented in a 1.33:1 full-screen aspect ratio. At first glance, the video looks very good. The picture is sharp and clear, and just the right brightness. The colors, made up of primary colors and pastels, look fantastic. There is no grain, nor any defects from source material. However, the digital transfer does result in some problems. There are some notable jagged lines in the animation at times, and I also noticed strobing during some scenes.
Audio
The DVD features a Dolby stereo audio track. This track provides clear dialogue and sound effects with no hissing or distortion. The songs sound fine and the few stereo effects are well-placed. This doesn't compare with a DTS track on an action film, but it serves the purposes of this animated feature.
Extras
The only extra on the DVD is a MUSIC VIDEO for the song "Do you know the way to Berry Fairy Fields?", which feels as if it could be a deleted scene from the Margolo story.
Given the fact that young girls are asked (or told by the media) to grow up way too fast these days, it's nice to see that there's still wholesome entertainment like the Strawberry Shortcake series. Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales should appeal to pre-adolescent girls with its mix of familiar characters, fairies, and fun songs.
What happens when the result of a trend from the recent past clashes with a new hot trend? Strawberry Shortcake was a line of toys and subsequently home-videos which were popular in the 1980s. The late 1990s saw a resurgence of retro goodies such as Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Strawberry Shortcake, which begat a new line of direct-to-video titles beginning in early 2003. Since then, there have many of these titles, with latest being Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales. This incorporates fairies, which are very hot right now, as evidenced by Disney's renewed focus on Tinkerbell in their licensed products and the line of fairy book for young readers by Daisy Meadows. But does jumping on a bandwagon guarantee a quality product?
As the name implies, Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales contains two short stories (contained in one 45-minute feature) focusing on fairies. In the first tale, Strawberry Shortcake (voiced by Sarah Heinke) along with her pets Custard the cat (voiced by Anna Jordan) and Pupcake the dog (who can't talk, although every other animal in the series can) are walking through the strawberry patch, when they find a small fairy named Margolo (voiced by Andrea Ware). Margolo claims that Pupcake startled her and that the fright caused her to injure her wing. Therefore, Strawberry takes the fairy back to her house, where she is invited to stay until she recovers. Margolo explains that her job is to fly through the strawberry patch, where she help the berries to grow and gives them their healthy color. She indulges in the hospitality offered by Strawberry and her friends, but Custard senses that something isn't right. The intuitive cat has the feeling that Margolo is malingering. When the strawberries begin to rot on the vine, it becomes time to confront the fairy.
The second story opens with a strong wing blowing a fairy named Sherry Bobbleberry (voiced by Laura Marr) into Strawberry Shortcake's house. The fairy tells Strawberry that she was flying near the outskirts of her homeland, and the sudden wind blew her off course. She explains that on her flight, she saw a potential flood which would threaten her kingdom. Sherry also describes the fact that she's a "Fairy Princess, Fourth Class" and thus doesn't have the power to talk to the Fairy Queen (voiced by Susie Baer Collins). On top of that, Sherry considers herself a "goof" and doesn't think that anyone would listen to her anyway. Strawberry and her friend Ginger Snap (voiced by Samantha Triba) convince Sherry that she must believe in herself. Strawberry, Ginger, and Sherry, with Custard and Pupcake in tow head off for the fairy world so that Sherry can warn the queen of the inevitable danger.
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales marks the 12th DVD in this series. Of those releases, the quality has remained fairly consistent, but like any series, there have been highs and lows. This release represents one of the highs, as the inclusion of the fairies, while not original, adds a new story element to the feature. These new characters not only encompass a current fad, but they also add a much needed sense of variety, as Strawberry's friends, all of whom are named after confections, seem quite interchangeable at times.
The stories contained in Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales are a nice combination of fanciful entertainment with a good life-lesson. Neither tale will come across as overly original to adults, but children should be intrigued by the stories. Margolo's story is chock full of morals as it focuses on the fact that she not only deceived Strawberry Shortcake and took advantage of her hospitality, but she slacks off from her job as well. (My children pointed out that Margolo is the name of the bird from Stuart Little 2 and that due to her injured wing (just like Margolo the bird), Margolo (the fairy) drives a little car just like Stuart Little. Is there a connection here?) The story of Sherry Bobbleberry isn't as heavy-handed, as it teaches the viewer the value of confidence and believing in oneself.
The aspects of this series which made it successful to begin with can still be found here. The animation is bright and colorful (if not slightly above Saturday-morning cartoon quality) and the few songs in the feature are upbeat and brief (and thus, tolerable).
Video
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales flies onto DVD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The feature is presented in a 1.33:1 full-screen aspect ratio. At first glance, the video looks very good. The picture is sharp and clear, and just the right brightness. The colors, made up of primary colors and pastels, look fantastic. There is no grain, nor any defects from source material. However, the digital transfer does result in some problems. There are some notable jagged lines in the animation at times, and I also noticed strobing during some scenes.
Audio
The DVD features a Dolby stereo audio track. This track provides clear dialogue and sound effects with no hissing or distortion. The songs sound fine and the few stereo effects are well-placed. This doesn't compare with a DTS track on an action film, but it serves the purposes of this animated feature.
Extras
The only extra on the DVD is a MUSIC VIDEO for the song "Do you know the way to Berry Fairy Fields?", which feels as if it could be a deleted scene from the Margolo story.
Given the fact that young girls are asked (or told by the media) to grow up way too fast these days, it's nice to see that there's still wholesome entertainment like the Strawberry Shortcake series. Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Fairy Tales should appeal to pre-adolescent girls with its mix of familiar characters, fairies, and fun songs.
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