The Plot:
Plot? PLOT?!? Are you kidding - or should that be, "kitting"...

Anyway, for about 43 minutes or so, we see various underage felines cavorting around in their natural habitat, which apparently, is either a sheet covered corner of someone's cramped one bedroom loft, or a nice patch of grass in a nameless part of the world. These somewhat scrawny things rough and tumble about, play with various toys and trinkets, and even get the occasional Friskies meal break. Then they sleep. Then they cavort. Then they eat and sleep some more. In essence, they act like cats. That's it. No social commentary subtext. No "Soylent Green is people" plot twist at the end. Just fuzzballs acting cute and cuddly.

The DVD:
There are basically two ways to look at The Wonderful World of Kittens. One is the sentimental, or "Grandma" viewpoint. The other is the cynical or "Grinch" mentality. After reading both, it is up to you to decide how best to spend your hard earned, often already earmarked, less than disposable income. Let's begin with a little lace doily action:

The Grandma View:
Ooooooooh my...how precious! How absolutely darling! How sweet! How wonderful! How much? Let's face it, only a wisenheimer whippersnapper with an IPod shoved up their short pants would dare "dis" (is that the right hipster term?) this exercise in adorableness. After all, who needs variety (too spicy) when you can have the same seven kittens featured over and over again. Each one of our four legged stars are so diabetically delightful, so saccharinely shameful in their level of snoogly charm that even the most appealing buttons wish they were this cute. One can just sit back and ponder the lack of legitimate beauty in this world while watching this far from cloying cat attack. I can just see my grandchildren gathered around the 19" Zenith, a tall glass of icy celery tonic and a bowl of hard candy as their couch potato companions, endlessly looping this whiskered love fest. After all, Grannies need their downtime as well. Growing old isn't all endless cans of Ensure and Bingo cards, you know.

The Grinch View:
Someone call the ASPCA pronto! If boredom and poor production values were torture, the innocent little animals participating in this sad excuse for electronic babysitting would be pure pitbull training fodder. No underage feline should be involved in such a shoddy production. Heck, the Japanese crap better cat videos than the sorry excuse for kitten burlesque we get here. Simply repeating the same set-up and shots over and over again is not fun - it's a time suck. Clearly, the creators of this catnip con job are trying to tap into the growing gullibility of the dying DVD marketplace. Promise them something "purrfect", and then deliver the dull, disposable dross. Then rake in the cash. Oh sure, every once in a while, a cute little face will melt our media hardened heart - if only a little - and there is no doubt that some in the audience over the age of 135 (or under the age of 'newborn') will dig this frumpy feline fiesta, but with a subject like kittens, you should be hitting home runs, not balking and bunting for crying out loud!

Frankly, both sides are right. There is nothing here that is harmful or horrifying. Yes, it feels homemade but then a lot of the nu media has that same "fresh from the camcorder" feel. Some may enjoy the quirky Casio keyboard noodlings of accompanying composer Brian Dewan. Others will regret the day his earnest earworms crawled into their cranium. There is no middle ground with something like The Wonderful World of Kittens. Either you'll love it or loathe it. Oh, and one more warning: dog lovers need not apply.

The Video:
Since it was shot on video and not given a post-production "film feel", the 1.33:1 full screen "family friendly" approach to The Wonderful World of Kittens is understandable. The image is decent, reflecting a nice level of light and camera control. The transfer tends to avoid anything blatant in the way of defects and the overall feel is up close and cozy. Don't expect anything remotely resembling reference quality and you'll be all right.

The Audio:
Brian Dewan's oddball aural accompaniments are all the sonic situation has to offer here, and the Dolby Digital Stereo Surround 2.0 delivers the din in a nice ambient manner. You won't be rushing out to buy his latest releases, but at least the music is modulated and presented well.

The Extras:
We get a photo gallery of specific kittens used on the DVD, a collection of trailers from distributor Bright Red Rocket, and a preview for something called "Cat Head Theater" (an Asian martial arts cartoon with feline faces in the place of human ones). All in all, a not very impressive collection of added content.

Final Thoughts:
If you fall on the "Grandma" side of things, you'll believe this is a Highly Recommended way of keeping all or your grade school and under charges good and brainwashed. It's innocuous and more or less wholesome. If you're a grumpy "Grinch", you'll believe that nothing short of a Skip It will do. Splitting the difference (and taking into account the otherwise limited replay and retail value here), a Rent It will have to do. Indeed, an afternoon spent with I Can Haz Cheeseburger will provide a dozen more delights than anything this quaint quarter hour has to offer. While no one can deny the cuteness on display, The Wonderful World of Kittens is not the ultimate in baby cat entertainment. Instead, it's ordinariness as overkill.

Want more Gibron Goodness? Come to Bill's TINSEL TORN REBORN Blog (Updated Frequently) and Enjoy! Click Here