| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Maggie and The Ferocious Beast - Let's Go To The Beach
Columbia/Tri-Star // Unrated // February 4, 2003
List Price: $14.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
Any parent can tell you that with the advent of cable and satellite TV, the amount of children's programming on television is staggering. As with any medium which offers many choices, there is are varying degrees of quality amongst the shows. The programs which air on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. schedule, which is aimed at very young viewers, are typically entertaining, educational, and all around enjoabyle. But, there is an exception to every rule and the Nick Jr. program "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast" (which is distributed on DVD by Columbia/Tri-Star Home Entertainment) is the exception here.
The newly released DVD "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast: Let's Go to the Beach" was my first real exposure to the program, and I must say, I was not impressed. The show focuses on three main characters; Maggie (voiced by Kristen Bone), a fun-loving young girl; Hamilton Hocks (voiced by Michael Caruana), a pig who likes to keep things in a box; and the Ferocious Beast (voiced by Stephen Ouimette), who is a beast, but isn't very ferocious. These three share adventures in Nowehere Land (is that supposed to be a Beatles' reference?), and, according to this DVD at least, love spending time at the beach.
The DVD contains six segments, each of which run about 8 minutes. The six episodes are:
"Walk the Walk" -- While attempting to walk like Sidestep the Crab, Beast crushes Sidestep's house. Maggie, Hamilton, and Beast then build Sidestep a new house.
"Out of Water Beast" -- On one extremely hot day, Hamilton decides to play in his inflatable pool. But, it's too small for the Beast. So, Hamilton and Maggie find a way for the Beast to have some watery fun with them.
"Sun Spots" -- While playing at the beach, Beast forgets to put on his sunblock and gets sunburn.
"Sloooow Motion" -- Maggie and her friends discover a new beach which is inhabited by turtles. They decide to imitate the turtles by walking and talking slowly.
"Hamilton's Box Car" -- Hamilton uses a box to turn his tri-cycle into a car. When Maggie and Beast decide to go to the beach, Hamilton refuses their offer to walk, deciding to take his car instead. But, when Maggie and Beast reach the beach, Hamilton is nowhere to be found.
"Sailing Away" -- The group takes a boat out onto the sea to find the "Secret Island". While on-board the boat, they learn that the front is called the bow.
It's very clear that "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast" is aimed at very young children. Taking a cue from "Sesame Street", this show features a monster (the Beast) in a positive view. The stories are all quite simple and at 8-minutes, don't require too much concentration. The characters all speak slowly and there are pauses between each line, so that youngsters don't feel overwhelmed. The show has a bright and colorful look. The problem with the show, from this adult's perspective, is that it's pointless. Some of shows teach obvious lessons, such as when Beast showed responsibility for his actions by re-building Sidestep's house, or the price that Beast paid for not wearing his sunblock, while other episodes seemingly have no theme or moral at all. On the other hand, "Hamilton's Box Car" came off as warped in its view, as Hamilton is made to feel guilty for attempting to be independent and try something new. "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast" is an odd, aimless show, that feels like filler when seen on Nick Jr. and is even more hollow when viewed on its own.
Video
On this DVD release, "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast" is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The image is incredibly sharp and clear, showing no grain or defects. The colors look fantastic, and there is no oversaturation of the hues. Due to the precision of the digital transfer, there are some wavy lines around the characters when they move, but otherwise, this transfer more than rivals digital broadcast quality.
Audio
This DVD features a Dolby Digital stereo audio track. This track provides clear dialogue, music, and sound effects, with no overt hissing or distortion. The track contains some surprisingly good stereo effects, and there are several moments in the show where a character voice or sound effect will come from off-screen and will be heard in the appropriate speaker. Someone spent some time working on this sound mix.
Extras
The only bonus feature on the DVD are trailers for other Columbia/Tri-Star family products.
With all of the quality shows on television which are aimed at children, parents can do much better than "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast". While shows aimed at youngsters aren't always comprehensible to adults (ie: "Teletubbies"), this show comes off as particularly pointless. Despite that, this DVD contains a superior audio and video transfer.
Any parent can tell you that with the advent of cable and satellite TV, the amount of children's programming on television is staggering. As with any medium which offers many choices, there is are varying degrees of quality amongst the shows. The programs which air on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. schedule, which is aimed at very young viewers, are typically entertaining, educational, and all around enjoabyle. But, there is an exception to every rule and the Nick Jr. program "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast" (which is distributed on DVD by Columbia/Tri-Star Home Entertainment) is the exception here.
The newly released DVD "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast: Let's Go to the Beach" was my first real exposure to the program, and I must say, I was not impressed. The show focuses on three main characters; Maggie (voiced by Kristen Bone), a fun-loving young girl; Hamilton Hocks (voiced by Michael Caruana), a pig who likes to keep things in a box; and the Ferocious Beast (voiced by Stephen Ouimette), who is a beast, but isn't very ferocious. These three share adventures in Nowehere Land (is that supposed to be a Beatles' reference?), and, according to this DVD at least, love spending time at the beach.
The DVD contains six segments, each of which run about 8 minutes. The six episodes are:
"Walk the Walk" -- While attempting to walk like Sidestep the Crab, Beast crushes Sidestep's house. Maggie, Hamilton, and Beast then build Sidestep a new house.
"Out of Water Beast" -- On one extremely hot day, Hamilton decides to play in his inflatable pool. But, it's too small for the Beast. So, Hamilton and Maggie find a way for the Beast to have some watery fun with them.
"Sun Spots" -- While playing at the beach, Beast forgets to put on his sunblock and gets sunburn.
"Sloooow Motion" -- Maggie and her friends discover a new beach which is inhabited by turtles. They decide to imitate the turtles by walking and talking slowly.
"Hamilton's Box Car" -- Hamilton uses a box to turn his tri-cycle into a car. When Maggie and Beast decide to go to the beach, Hamilton refuses their offer to walk, deciding to take his car instead. But, when Maggie and Beast reach the beach, Hamilton is nowhere to be found.
"Sailing Away" -- The group takes a boat out onto the sea to find the "Secret Island". While on-board the boat, they learn that the front is called the bow.
It's very clear that "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast" is aimed at very young children. Taking a cue from "Sesame Street", this show features a monster (the Beast) in a positive view. The stories are all quite simple and at 8-minutes, don't require too much concentration. The characters all speak slowly and there are pauses between each line, so that youngsters don't feel overwhelmed. The show has a bright and colorful look. The problem with the show, from this adult's perspective, is that it's pointless. Some of shows teach obvious lessons, such as when Beast showed responsibility for his actions by re-building Sidestep's house, or the price that Beast paid for not wearing his sunblock, while other episodes seemingly have no theme or moral at all. On the other hand, "Hamilton's Box Car" came off as warped in its view, as Hamilton is made to feel guilty for attempting to be independent and try something new. "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast" is an odd, aimless show, that feels like filler when seen on Nick Jr. and is even more hollow when viewed on its own.
Video
On this DVD release, "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast" is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The image is incredibly sharp and clear, showing no grain or defects. The colors look fantastic, and there is no oversaturation of the hues. Due to the precision of the digital transfer, there are some wavy lines around the characters when they move, but otherwise, this transfer more than rivals digital broadcast quality.
Audio
This DVD features a Dolby Digital stereo audio track. This track provides clear dialogue, music, and sound effects, with no overt hissing or distortion. The track contains some surprisingly good stereo effects, and there are several moments in the show where a character voice or sound effect will come from off-screen and will be heard in the appropriate speaker. Someone spent some time working on this sound mix.
Extras
The only bonus feature on the DVD are trailers for other Columbia/Tri-Star family products.
With all of the quality shows on television which are aimed at children, parents can do much better than "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast". While shows aimed at youngsters aren't always comprehensible to adults (ie: "Teletubbies"), this show comes off as particularly pointless. Despite that, this DVD contains a superior audio and video transfer.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||