DVDTalk.com can sometimes put staffers in curious positions. In one sense, writers are logging product reviews as much as they are criticizing movies. As much as they want to know if a movie is good or bad, readers want to know about the quality of digital transfers, audio quality and if value is added as far as extras are concerned - all things that speak, if you will, toward a product's effectiveness. But what happens when DVDs such as Mastering Tips and Tricks of Knife Handling or Pocket Snails Potty Adventure cross the reviewer's path? Are reviewers to take the weeks or months required to master slicing and dicing, or wait until their children are no longer wearing diapers before rendering judgment?

My girl is not quite ready for potty training, and I'll admit I put the snails in my pocket for future use. Worse, there's a huge part of me that wants to recommend Pocket Snails Potty Adventure to 20-somethings who like to drink, as they'd likely have a LOT of fun with this goofy instructional video. I mean, a LOT of fun, because we're talking about three crudely animated, vaguely pulsating snails with chirpy British accents that sing horribly simple and catchy songs about learning to make poo in a bucket. The good news is, my daughter really liked the snails, bopping along to their songs, while the painfully simplistic path to potty training slimed out by these energetic gastropods made the whole process seem far less intimidating than I'd previously thought.

Using extremely basic graphics, the snails sing a few cheerful, repetitive tunes for psyching toddlers up to the task - letting them know the process may be new and scary but that they absolutely can do it and will feel great when they've mastered the skill. An included Potty Steps Map is recreated in the animation, which the snails and their human friends Jake and Wendy use to explain each bit of the process, such as: recognize when you need to go, tell and adult, go to the bathroom and do it, etc. These steps are clearly stated a few times over the half-hour running time, so eager young ones and their possibly baffled or nervous parents can feel comfortable and confident that everything's going to come out fine.

While my family hasn't begun to take the steps on the Potty Steps Map (I and my wife, however, are already potty trained) we will definitely use the Pocket Snails to help us down that road when the time comes. The Pocket Snails Potty Adventure is super-simple, goofy and amusing both for kids and (for entirely different reasons) adults, making it an entertaining tool that renders quite plain and comfortable a process that can seem intimidating for all involved.

The DVD

Video:
The digitally mastered Pocket Snails Potty Adventure comes in a 1.33:1 fullscreen presentation with bright cheery colors for the tots. The animation is crushingly simplistic Flash animation, crushingly simplistic, but too many bells and whistles would probably just confuse everything. That said, images are clear and mostly sharp, though sometimes the poor little snails get pixilated.

Sound:
Pocket Snails Gordon, Dale and Buttons sing their songs and impart advice in Hi-fi stereo. The important parts are easy to hear, although I felt that sometimes the snails' backing vocals in some of the songs were mixed in a little too quietly. Those are the opinions you get when a failed-musician reviews a DVD about the potty.

Extras:
Extras include three short Sing-Along Songs with karaoke-style words to follow, from the DVD program - the tots will love them. Bonus Scenes: Encouragement and Congratulations, totaling two minutes, are there if your toddler needs help over the potty hurdles. The URL to a Potty Chart Download is included, as is a silly one-and-and-a-half-minute Blooper Reel (not necessary, in my opinion). A Music Player plays the three songs without animations or lyrics on-screen, while Meet The Snails is three one-paragraph text-with-picture 'biographies' of each snail. Also, a text Company Bio tells you about the good work of (and gives contact information for) Soaring Star Productions. Not a bad patch of extras for kids who won't know the difference!

Final Thoughts:
Pocket Snails Potty Adventure, for all intents and purposes, looks fit to do the job. Very young children will like the snails, enjoy their songs, and have no problems following the steps and learning the whole using-the-potty game. Adults will be thankful that the process is laid out in a few simple steps that make it seem like the easiest thing in the world. Adults will also crack-up at the head-slapping crudeness, simplicity, and lines from songs such as 'you don't need your diapers no more!' Eager to get that kid out of diapers and on the pot? You'll find the Pocket Snails Potty Adventure rather Highly Recommended. Nice job, Pocket Snails!

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