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Strawberry Shortcake - Adventures on Ice Cream Island
Fox // Unrated // August 31, 2004
List Price: $14.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
It's rare to see any character development in children's programming, but that's exactly what we get with Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island. Since the popular Strawberry Shortcake character was resurrected several years ago, Fox has released six animated adventures to DVD, all of which focused on Strawberry Shortcake and her fruity friends. But, Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island looks at one specific character, Honey Pie Pony.
As Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island opens, Strawberry (voiced by Sarah Heinke) decides to share her "Memory Book" with Honey Pie Pony (voiced by Hannah Koslosky). In the first memory, Strawberry and her friends are playing in a tree. Honey Pie Pony wants to join in the fun, but due to her size and the fact that her hooves can't grasp the branches, she can't climb the tree. This makes Honey Pie very sad and she decides that she must go live in a place which is inhabited only by other horses. Ice Cream Island is just such a place. When Strawberry and her friends learn of this, they are sad, but they understand, so they agree to escort Honey Pie to the Island. Once there, Honey Pie frolics with the other horses, but soon begins to miss her old friends. In Strawberry's second recollection, Honey Pie ventures to Ice Cream Island once again for "The Festival of the Fillies", where she is to be grand marshal of the Festival. (I guess Ed McMahon's horse wasn't available.) An evil horse-napper named Licorice Whip (voiced by Jerry Longe) spots Honey Pie and decides that he could make a fortune with this talented talking horse, so he captures her. It's soon up to Strawberry Shortcake and the gang to rescue their four-legged friend.
I've seen all but one of the "new" "Strawberry Shortcake" movies and if I was to guess which one character that the makers of this series would decide to focus on, Honey Pie Pony wouldn't have been my first selection, as she is an odd and slightly neurotic character. But, if you really think about it, choosing the horse as the star of this special makes perfect sense. The entire "Strawberry Shortcake" franchise is already aimed squarely at pre-teen females, with its mixture of cute characters and fun, friendship focused stories. The addition of horses, which young girls are notorious for loving, is just icing on the cake. The positive side of this is that we get to see past Honey Pie's bizarre facade and learn that she's a sensitive pony who truly cherishes her friends...and that she has a pet bee named Honey Doodle. (?!)
As with the other "Strawberry Shortcake" adventures, the focus of Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island is on fun and positive messages. Honey Pie Pony's feelings of being different and left out of the fun are universal and emotions that most children can most likely deal with. The show offers a realistic, although drastic reaction in the fact that Honey Pie wants to run away from the problem, but reinforces the fact that those around you will often accept you for who you are. The show's animation is bright and colorful and for a direct-to-video production, the songs are quite catchy. Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island probably won't bring any new fans into the fold, but viewers who are devoted to the series will no doubt enjoy this entry.
Video
Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island gallops onto DVD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The show has been formatted in a 4:3 aspect ratio, which one can only assume is the original framing for this production. The image is very sharp and clear, as the picture shows no grain or defects from the source material. The colors are outstanding, as the program is filled with vibrant, pastel colors that rarely bleed into one another. There is some notable edge-enhancement to the image and some obvious points where the animation stutters, but the target audience won't be affected by these errors.
Audio
The DVD carries a Dolby Digital stereo audio mix which, like the other entries in the series, offers an unusual amount of bass during the theme song. Otherwise the audio is effective, but unremarkable. The dialogue is always sharp and clear, and the songs sound fine. Stereo effects are used discretely, and the bulk of the sound comes from the center channel.
Extras
The DVD carries a few odd extras. There is a music video for the song "Tell Me a Story", which appears to simply be a scene from another "Strawberry Shortcake" movie. With "Berry Special Friends", we get to know more about 4 characters, including Honey Pie Pony and Angel Cake -- we get to see stats ala trading cards. Finally, there is a 2-minute segment in which narrator Honey Pie Pony gives us a tour of Ice Cream Island.
In case you weren't aware of this fact, all of the "Strawberry Shortcake" DVDs actually smell like strawberries, and like a cat with catnip, I can't help but inhale when I get a new one. The shows aren't great art and don't features state-of-the-art animation, but they do offer good, wholesome entertainment for young viewers.
It's rare to see any character development in children's programming, but that's exactly what we get with Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island. Since the popular Strawberry Shortcake character was resurrected several years ago, Fox has released six animated adventures to DVD, all of which focused on Strawberry Shortcake and her fruity friends. But, Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island looks at one specific character, Honey Pie Pony.
As Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island opens, Strawberry (voiced by Sarah Heinke) decides to share her "Memory Book" with Honey Pie Pony (voiced by Hannah Koslosky). In the first memory, Strawberry and her friends are playing in a tree. Honey Pie Pony wants to join in the fun, but due to her size and the fact that her hooves can't grasp the branches, she can't climb the tree. This makes Honey Pie very sad and she decides that she must go live in a place which is inhabited only by other horses. Ice Cream Island is just such a place. When Strawberry and her friends learn of this, they are sad, but they understand, so they agree to escort Honey Pie to the Island. Once there, Honey Pie frolics with the other horses, but soon begins to miss her old friends. In Strawberry's second recollection, Honey Pie ventures to Ice Cream Island once again for "The Festival of the Fillies", where she is to be grand marshal of the Festival. (I guess Ed McMahon's horse wasn't available.) An evil horse-napper named Licorice Whip (voiced by Jerry Longe) spots Honey Pie and decides that he could make a fortune with this talented talking horse, so he captures her. It's soon up to Strawberry Shortcake and the gang to rescue their four-legged friend.
I've seen all but one of the "new" "Strawberry Shortcake" movies and if I was to guess which one character that the makers of this series would decide to focus on, Honey Pie Pony wouldn't have been my first selection, as she is an odd and slightly neurotic character. But, if you really think about it, choosing the horse as the star of this special makes perfect sense. The entire "Strawberry Shortcake" franchise is already aimed squarely at pre-teen females, with its mixture of cute characters and fun, friendship focused stories. The addition of horses, which young girls are notorious for loving, is just icing on the cake. The positive side of this is that we get to see past Honey Pie's bizarre facade and learn that she's a sensitive pony who truly cherishes her friends...and that she has a pet bee named Honey Doodle. (?!)
As with the other "Strawberry Shortcake" adventures, the focus of Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island is on fun and positive messages. Honey Pie Pony's feelings of being different and left out of the fun are universal and emotions that most children can most likely deal with. The show offers a realistic, although drastic reaction in the fact that Honey Pie wants to run away from the problem, but reinforces the fact that those around you will often accept you for who you are. The show's animation is bright and colorful and for a direct-to-video production, the songs are quite catchy. Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island probably won't bring any new fans into the fold, but viewers who are devoted to the series will no doubt enjoy this entry.
Video
Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures on Ice Cream Island gallops onto DVD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The show has been formatted in a 4:3 aspect ratio, which one can only assume is the original framing for this production. The image is very sharp and clear, as the picture shows no grain or defects from the source material. The colors are outstanding, as the program is filled with vibrant, pastel colors that rarely bleed into one another. There is some notable edge-enhancement to the image and some obvious points where the animation stutters, but the target audience won't be affected by these errors.
Audio
The DVD carries a Dolby Digital stereo audio mix which, like the other entries in the series, offers an unusual amount of bass during the theme song. Otherwise the audio is effective, but unremarkable. The dialogue is always sharp and clear, and the songs sound fine. Stereo effects are used discretely, and the bulk of the sound comes from the center channel.
Extras
The DVD carries a few odd extras. There is a music video for the song "Tell Me a Story", which appears to simply be a scene from another "Strawberry Shortcake" movie. With "Berry Special Friends", we get to know more about 4 characters, including Honey Pie Pony and Angel Cake -- we get to see stats ala trading cards. Finally, there is a 2-minute segment in which narrator Honey Pie Pony gives us a tour of Ice Cream Island.
In case you weren't aware of this fact, all of the "Strawberry Shortcake" DVDs actually smell like strawberries, and like a cat with catnip, I can't help but inhale when I get a new one. The shows aren't great art and don't features state-of-the-art animation, but they do offer good, wholesome entertainment for young viewers.
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