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Harry & His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs 1
Warner Bros. // Unrated // October 10, 2006
List Price: $14.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
"Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs" is a lovely, charming cartoon based on the book by Ian Whybrow and Adrian Reynolds; the series launched in the fall of 2005 on Teletoon in Canada and Cartoon Network in the US. It's sweet and cute, endearing entertainment for the preschool set; there's nothing here to really win over parents, but everything's so gosh darn likable that you can't help but approve.
The premise is quite simple: Harry is a precocious five-year-old who has a bucket full of dinosaurs. They're toy dinosaurs, but of course they spring to life when mom's not around, becoming Harry's miniature friends - Taury, Trike, Pterence, Sid, Patsy, and Steggy. (C'mon. "Pterence?" That's just downright adorable.) And then Harry jumps into the bucket to be transported to Dino World, which imaginatively looks an awful lot like a giant version of Harry's bedroom, with wallpaper sky and pillow mountains. (In Dino World, the dinosaurs are now their "correct" size.) Other toy friends also appear in Dino World to help with Harry's adventures, and sometimes even Harry's friend Charlie gets to come along, too.
In a way, it's an update on the PBS series "Dragontales," but while that show's more cloying than endearing, "Harry" pulls back on the forced cutesiness, instead relying on a simplicity - both in storytelling and in animation style - that allows for a more gentle approach to the material. Of course Harry will learn about doing what's right and making good choices, but the series pulls back from dumbed-down humor and other such kiddie TV pitfalls. Instead, "Harry" has a pleasant calm about it; even when it gets worked up, it does so in a gentle way.
As such, it's a show that's wonderful for youngsters while never getting on parent's nerves. It's easy to like Harry and his dino pals, and although the lessons taught here aren't anything groundbreaking, the presentation is so delightful that it's quite the welcome cartoon.
The DVD
Warner Brothers has collected five 11-minute episodes of "Harry" for a collection titled "To Dino World and Back!" (When broadcasting the "Harry," networks usually air two episodes back-to-back as a single half-hour block. Presenting them individually on this disc - each episode contains its own opening and closing credits - actually maintains the show's original format.)
The episodes are:
"Aaagh!" Harry draws a monster at bedtime, then has a bad dream.
"Goal!" A soccer game in Dino World helps Harry learn how to play fair.
"Overdue!" Harry doesn't want to return his favorite library book and hopes to hide it.
"Uh-Oh!" Harry breaks his mom's teacup and tries to fix it before she comes home.
"Nobody's Listening To Me!" Harry storms off to Dino World when he fails to get attention.
Video
This series relies on bright colors and bold lines, both of which crackle in this transfer. Presented in the original 1.33:1 broadcast format.
Audio
It's Dolby stereo for the crisp soundtrack. No subtitles or alternate audio tracks are included, although the disc does support closed captioning. (That this is a Canadian production with no French tracks of any sort is a tad surprising.)
Extras
None, except for a set of commercials and previews for other Warner Brothers releases.
Final Thoughts
The show is a delight, the audio/video presentation is sparkling, and the low price is attractive. Yet I'm reluctant in my recommendation for this particular release - it's not even a full hour of programming, the five episodes seen here are only a wee fraction of the fifty-plus episodes produced to date, and there's not a bonus feature in sight. I'll say most parents will be fine if they just Rent It, as the limited amount of episodes will lose their repeat potential just about the time it's due to be returned. (It disappoints me not to label this as fully Recommended, however, so please keep in mind that it's the skimpy disc and not the show itself that earns the lower score.)
The premise is quite simple: Harry is a precocious five-year-old who has a bucket full of dinosaurs. They're toy dinosaurs, but of course they spring to life when mom's not around, becoming Harry's miniature friends - Taury, Trike, Pterence, Sid, Patsy, and Steggy. (C'mon. "Pterence?" That's just downright adorable.) And then Harry jumps into the bucket to be transported to Dino World, which imaginatively looks an awful lot like a giant version of Harry's bedroom, with wallpaper sky and pillow mountains. (In Dino World, the dinosaurs are now their "correct" size.) Other toy friends also appear in Dino World to help with Harry's adventures, and sometimes even Harry's friend Charlie gets to come along, too.
In a way, it's an update on the PBS series "Dragontales," but while that show's more cloying than endearing, "Harry" pulls back on the forced cutesiness, instead relying on a simplicity - both in storytelling and in animation style - that allows for a more gentle approach to the material. Of course Harry will learn about doing what's right and making good choices, but the series pulls back from dumbed-down humor and other such kiddie TV pitfalls. Instead, "Harry" has a pleasant calm about it; even when it gets worked up, it does so in a gentle way.
As such, it's a show that's wonderful for youngsters while never getting on parent's nerves. It's easy to like Harry and his dino pals, and although the lessons taught here aren't anything groundbreaking, the presentation is so delightful that it's quite the welcome cartoon.
The DVD
Warner Brothers has collected five 11-minute episodes of "Harry" for a collection titled "To Dino World and Back!" (When broadcasting the "Harry," networks usually air two episodes back-to-back as a single half-hour block. Presenting them individually on this disc - each episode contains its own opening and closing credits - actually maintains the show's original format.)
The episodes are:
"Aaagh!" Harry draws a monster at bedtime, then has a bad dream.
"Goal!" A soccer game in Dino World helps Harry learn how to play fair.
"Overdue!" Harry doesn't want to return his favorite library book and hopes to hide it.
"Uh-Oh!" Harry breaks his mom's teacup and tries to fix it before she comes home.
"Nobody's Listening To Me!" Harry storms off to Dino World when he fails to get attention.
Video
This series relies on bright colors and bold lines, both of which crackle in this transfer. Presented in the original 1.33:1 broadcast format.
Audio
It's Dolby stereo for the crisp soundtrack. No subtitles or alternate audio tracks are included, although the disc does support closed captioning. (That this is a Canadian production with no French tracks of any sort is a tad surprising.)
Extras
None, except for a set of commercials and previews for other Warner Brothers releases.
Final Thoughts
The show is a delight, the audio/video presentation is sparkling, and the low price is attractive. Yet I'm reluctant in my recommendation for this particular release - it's not even a full hour of programming, the five episodes seen here are only a wee fraction of the fifty-plus episodes produced to date, and there's not a bonus feature in sight. I'll say most parents will be fine if they just Rent It, as the limited amount of episodes will lose their repeat potential just about the time it's due to be returned. (It disappoints me not to label this as fully Recommended, however, so please keep in mind that it's the skimpy disc and not the show itself that earns the lower score.)
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