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Bear in The Big Blue House - Heroes of Woodland Valley
Columbia/Tri-Star // Unrated // January 28, 2003
List Price: $14.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
When a prime-time show gets a make-over or goes through any significant changes (such as the recent post Super Bowl episode of "Alias"), this gets covered in the media. But, when a relatively small children's show gets tweaked, it's typically only the fans that notice. The Disney Channel program "Bear in the Big Blue House", which comes from Jim Henson Studios, recently underwent such a change, which can be seen in the newly released DVD "Bear in the Big Blue House: Heroes of Woodland Valley".
Apparently, after five years of concentrating on the characters in the big, blue house, the show's creators wanted to move outside and incorporate more of the random characters who had only been glimpsed over the years. Thus, the show's familiar opening was changed. Now, instead of getting a tour of the house during the opening, we get a tour of all of Woodland Valley, the area in which the big, blue house is located. This gives us a view of all of the characters that will now be incorporated into the show.
This DVD contains a two-part episode entitled "Welcome to Woodland Valley". Despite the fact that "Bear in the Big Blue House" is a familiar program, this episode plays like a pilot. The central premise here is that a storm has caused a tree to fall into the local library. Bear, who, it turns out, is a volunteer fireman, and his friends, Ojo, the bear cub, Pip & Pop, the otters, Treelo, the lemur, and Tutter, the mouse, agree to help bear find volunteers who will assist in cleaning up the library, and donate books. Thusly, the crew makes their way through Woodland Valley, meeting and greeting many different characters. The show touches on the topics of community awareness, charity, and fear of the unknown.
As far as children's TV is concerned, "Bear in the Big Blue House" is still an exemplary show. But, compared to the older episodes, "Welcome to Woodland Valley" really suffers. The basic problem here is that there is too much happening at once. The show is aimed at very young children (although, it can be enjoyed by kids of all ages), and they may be overwhelmed by this episode. For starters, there are too many characters, and most only stay on-screen for a minute, making this a veritable whirling-dervish of Muppets. Secondly, there are too many themes and storylines. Helping with the library is easy enough to follow, but then Ojo has a breakdown, and Tutter finds animals living in the library, and..it just goes on from there. Judging by the show on the DVD, the new direction for "Bear in the Big Blue House" may have been a turn for the worst.
Video
The episode contained here is presented in the show's full-frame format. The show is shot on video, but this transfer shows none of the defects usually associated with that form, such as distortion or haloing. The image is incredibly sharp and clear, showing off a great deal of detail. The show is well known for its color-scheme and this disc doesn't disappoint. The video more than rivals digital broadcast quality.
Audio
The DVD features a Dolby 2-Channel audio track which delivers clear dialogue, sound effects, and music. The track shows no signs of distortion or defects. The musical numbers would have probably benefited from a surround track, but otherwise the audio here is fine.
Extras
The disc contains Sing-Alongs in which the lyrics appear subtitle style on-screen)for the songs, "Good Morning", "No Harm", "Woodland Valley Cha Cha", and "Goodbye Song". The only other extras are bonus trailers for other Columbia/Tri-Star family products.
Even with the unnecessary changes to the style, "Bear in the Big Blue House" is still an excellent children's program. But, if you're new to the show, I would recommend starting with some of the older shows. Fans of Bear will still want to add this disc to their collection, despite its shortcomings.
When a prime-time show gets a make-over or goes through any significant changes (such as the recent post Super Bowl episode of "Alias"), this gets covered in the media. But, when a relatively small children's show gets tweaked, it's typically only the fans that notice. The Disney Channel program "Bear in the Big Blue House", which comes from Jim Henson Studios, recently underwent such a change, which can be seen in the newly released DVD "Bear in the Big Blue House: Heroes of Woodland Valley".
Apparently, after five years of concentrating on the characters in the big, blue house, the show's creators wanted to move outside and incorporate more of the random characters who had only been glimpsed over the years. Thus, the show's familiar opening was changed. Now, instead of getting a tour of the house during the opening, we get a tour of all of Woodland Valley, the area in which the big, blue house is located. This gives us a view of all of the characters that will now be incorporated into the show.
This DVD contains a two-part episode entitled "Welcome to Woodland Valley". Despite the fact that "Bear in the Big Blue House" is a familiar program, this episode plays like a pilot. The central premise here is that a storm has caused a tree to fall into the local library. Bear, who, it turns out, is a volunteer fireman, and his friends, Ojo, the bear cub, Pip & Pop, the otters, Treelo, the lemur, and Tutter, the mouse, agree to help bear find volunteers who will assist in cleaning up the library, and donate books. Thusly, the crew makes their way through Woodland Valley, meeting and greeting many different characters. The show touches on the topics of community awareness, charity, and fear of the unknown.
As far as children's TV is concerned, "Bear in the Big Blue House" is still an exemplary show. But, compared to the older episodes, "Welcome to Woodland Valley" really suffers. The basic problem here is that there is too much happening at once. The show is aimed at very young children (although, it can be enjoyed by kids of all ages), and they may be overwhelmed by this episode. For starters, there are too many characters, and most only stay on-screen for a minute, making this a veritable whirling-dervish of Muppets. Secondly, there are too many themes and storylines. Helping with the library is easy enough to follow, but then Ojo has a breakdown, and Tutter finds animals living in the library, and..it just goes on from there. Judging by the show on the DVD, the new direction for "Bear in the Big Blue House" may have been a turn for the worst.
Video
The episode contained here is presented in the show's full-frame format. The show is shot on video, but this transfer shows none of the defects usually associated with that form, such as distortion or haloing. The image is incredibly sharp and clear, showing off a great deal of detail. The show is well known for its color-scheme and this disc doesn't disappoint. The video more than rivals digital broadcast quality.
Audio
The DVD features a Dolby 2-Channel audio track which delivers clear dialogue, sound effects, and music. The track shows no signs of distortion or defects. The musical numbers would have probably benefited from a surround track, but otherwise the audio here is fine.
Extras
The disc contains Sing-Alongs in which the lyrics appear subtitle style on-screen)for the songs, "Good Morning", "No Harm", "Woodland Valley Cha Cha", and "Goodbye Song". The only other extras are bonus trailers for other Columbia/Tri-Star family products.
Even with the unnecessary changes to the style, "Bear in the Big Blue House" is still an excellent children's program. But, if you're new to the show, I would recommend starting with some of the older shows. Fans of Bear will still want to add this disc to their collection, despite its shortcomings.
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