There's no doubt that Barney can be hard to take for adults, but if you are plopping this disc in the player for your own entertainment, then you've got problems. Let's look at it from the child's perspective. To do so, I've been quizzing my daughter as we watch. She loves Barney, a love based on Barney previews only, as this is our first DVD, and we've only seen the program once or twice. Clearly there's something special to the lovable galoot. So what does she like about the Jungle Friends DVD? "All of it!" is her enthusiastic reply. Deeper still, she likes that Barney is "green and purple and has yellow toes". Asked what she thinks about Barney, she says "he seems like a dinosaur," (honestly folks, if you could hear her say these things, you'd understand). But mostly, she likes the songs.

So as Barney and friends hike through the jungle with Mrs. Nature, searching for the Higgledy-Piggledy Pear Tree, they sing plenty of songs about the wonder of nature, the variety of animals to love, and how we need to take care of the Earth. From the standard park-based intro - with a large-scale song and dance featuring kids break-dancing with brooms - the gang goes on a magical journey that's interspersed with video footage of kids and jungle animals. It's not all fun and games, however, as a bit of eco-drama is squeaked into the mix.

With luck, your preschooler will understand Barney's message. It's important for you parents to talk with your little viewers about these things - while watching, after watching, and all the time. I still remember when 'recycling' became corporate-entertainment-advertising fodder, with a primetime TV special that aired in 1990. Now almost 20 years later everyone knows what recycling is, but do we all do it? More importantly, do we do more than pay lip service to the 'reduce' and 'reuse' parts of the equation? Cheers to Barney and friends for carrying on with the message. Barney's not much fun for adults to sit through, but the simple, cheerful songs, and Barney's pleasant, nurturing personality, resonate strongly with preschoolers. As always, be present for your kids, limit their screen time, and load that DVD player with positive, non-advertising-based programming like Barney: Jungle Friends - The Movie.

The DVD

Video:
Advertised as fullscreen, Barney and his jungle friends actually charge at you in 1.78:1 widescreen. Colors are bright and nicely saturated, though for a Barney joint, this one is a bit dark. They do spend most of their time in the rainforest, after all. Images are crisp and sharp, detail levels are deep, and few of the artifacts that usually plague kid's DVDs (aliasing and edge enhancement, mostly) are missing from this presentation. It's almost as if it was made especially for DVD, instead of broadcast.

Sound:
Dolby Digital 2.0 Audio is pleasing and strong. Not too loud, the mix is tight between songs and dialog, with no distortion. A Spanish language audio track is included as well.

Extras:
This release is a DVD + Music CD Set, so your first big extra is the 5-song Bonus Music CD. Songs included are: 'Over In The Meadow', 'Jungle Adventure', 'Rock Like A Monkey', 'Every Day Is Earth Day', and 'I Love You'. Toss it into your car's CD player and go nuts! Next is the Barney's Animal Safari Match Game, which isn't so much a game as it is a five-minute sequence in which Barney asks us what type of animal makes which type of sound. A similar extra is Earth-Friendly Activities: which finds Barney teaching three kids to make animal puppets from recycled materials, and shows them how to make an egg carton garden. Closed Captioning and a Spanish Language Audio Track complete the set.

Final Thoughts:
Barney is not for everyone, just the kids, so check your cynical, big-purple-dinosaur-hating self at the door. The kids love Barney, and this 'movie' with songs about protecting the Earth and all of its animals is about as positive and innocuous as it gets. Plus, you get a music CD to drive you and your kids crazy (for entirely different reasons). If your kids clamor for TV occasionally - like multiple times a day - who can blame them? TV rules America! So at least keep them away from the commercials with this Recommended DVD.

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