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Strawberry Shortcake - Spring for Strawberry Shortcake
Fox // Unrated // March 11, 2003
List Price: $14.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
They say that everything old is new again, and that adage is certainly true in the case of Strawberry Shortcake. Once a popular line of toys in the early 1980s (the catch was that every doll had a particular fruity scent), the icon has seen a comeback in the past few years, first by way of retro T-shirts, and now, a series of new home-videos, including "Spring for Strawberry Shortcake".
Strawberry Shortcake (voiced by Sarah Heinke)lives in a world which is apparently based solely on agriculture (and desserts), as her main interest is growing things. As our story opens, it is mid-March, and Strawberry is awaiting the arrival of Spring, so that she may begin her gardening. However, there is still snow on the ground and the air is chilly. Where can Spring be? Strawberry, along with her friends Ginger Snap (voiced by Samantha Triba), Orange Blossom (voiced by Dejare Barfield), Huck (voiced by Daniel Canfield), Apple Dumplin' (voiced by Katie Labosky), and Angel Cake (voiced by Rachel Ware) (not to mention several animals), go in search of Spring. They find that Spring is not only a season, but a young girl who isn't quite ready to begin her annual job.
"Spring for Strawberry Shortcake" varies overall in quality, but for the most part, it's better than other offerings in this genre. The weak-point here is the animation. It's not necessarily bad, but it isn't all that creative either. Bland might be a good word for it. However, given the nature of the show, the drawings are very colorful, as one would expect.
But, most everything else here works just fine. The story is compelling, but not overly complicated, therefore, it can appeal to younger children. (Although, there may be too many characters for some kids to follow!) The story presents many themes that children can understand, such as friendship and having fun, but it also contains a very positive message about working together with others and accepting one's responsibilities. The movie also contains several rousing musical numbers, which fall somewhere between annoying and catchy. (I'm still not pleased by the fact that my daughter loves the reggae influenced "Strawberry Jammin'" song!) While "Strawberry Shortcake" is squarely aimed at girls, the makers wisely chose to include Huck, a male character who likes to skateboard and tease the female characters...just in case a boy chose to watch it.
Video
As "Spring for Strawberry Shortcake" was most likely intended solely for direct-to-video status (or as a TV special), the movie is presented in a standard 1.33:1 full-frame ratio on this DVD. As mentioned above, the colors in the show are very good, and they look great on this transfer, which offers a clear image, showing no grain or overt defects. At times, imperfections in the animation are noticeable. This usually consists of inconsistencies with straight lines, or slight blurring during motion. Otherwise, the transfer is very good.
Audio
Strawberry Shortcake has got a fat bottom! I'm not talking about the glutious maximus of the character herself (I'm not a pervert!), I'm talking about the amount of bass on this DVD! The Dolby Digital stereo audio track contained here has somehow been programmed to send an earth-shaking amount of bass to the subwoofer, creating a very odd viewing experience. Once the bass problem has been corrected, the audio track yields clear dialogue and nice music reproduction, which is free from hissing or distortion. But, still, what is up with all of that bass? (Who knew that Strawberry Shortcake was going to become one of my home theatre demo discs?)
Extras
The only true extra to be found here is a "music video" for a song by the character Ginger Snap. There are also some bonus trailers for other "Fox Flix".
While it could have easily been another cheap video used to market toys, "Spring for Strawberry Shortcake" is a fun and enchanting program, which should easy hold the attention of youngsters and make for repeat viewing. And, as an added bonus, the DVD case smells like strawberry. (I'm not kidding.)
They say that everything old is new again, and that adage is certainly true in the case of Strawberry Shortcake. Once a popular line of toys in the early 1980s (the catch was that every doll had a particular fruity scent), the icon has seen a comeback in the past few years, first by way of retro T-shirts, and now, a series of new home-videos, including "Spring for Strawberry Shortcake".
Strawberry Shortcake (voiced by Sarah Heinke)lives in a world which is apparently based solely on agriculture (and desserts), as her main interest is growing things. As our story opens, it is mid-March, and Strawberry is awaiting the arrival of Spring, so that she may begin her gardening. However, there is still snow on the ground and the air is chilly. Where can Spring be? Strawberry, along with her friends Ginger Snap (voiced by Samantha Triba), Orange Blossom (voiced by Dejare Barfield), Huck (voiced by Daniel Canfield), Apple Dumplin' (voiced by Katie Labosky), and Angel Cake (voiced by Rachel Ware) (not to mention several animals), go in search of Spring. They find that Spring is not only a season, but a young girl who isn't quite ready to begin her annual job.
"Spring for Strawberry Shortcake" varies overall in quality, but for the most part, it's better than other offerings in this genre. The weak-point here is the animation. It's not necessarily bad, but it isn't all that creative either. Bland might be a good word for it. However, given the nature of the show, the drawings are very colorful, as one would expect.
But, most everything else here works just fine. The story is compelling, but not overly complicated, therefore, it can appeal to younger children. (Although, there may be too many characters for some kids to follow!) The story presents many themes that children can understand, such as friendship and having fun, but it also contains a very positive message about working together with others and accepting one's responsibilities. The movie also contains several rousing musical numbers, which fall somewhere between annoying and catchy. (I'm still not pleased by the fact that my daughter loves the reggae influenced "Strawberry Jammin'" song!) While "Strawberry Shortcake" is squarely aimed at girls, the makers wisely chose to include Huck, a male character who likes to skateboard and tease the female characters...just in case a boy chose to watch it.
Video
As "Spring for Strawberry Shortcake" was most likely intended solely for direct-to-video status (or as a TV special), the movie is presented in a standard 1.33:1 full-frame ratio on this DVD. As mentioned above, the colors in the show are very good, and they look great on this transfer, which offers a clear image, showing no grain or overt defects. At times, imperfections in the animation are noticeable. This usually consists of inconsistencies with straight lines, or slight blurring during motion. Otherwise, the transfer is very good.
Audio
Strawberry Shortcake has got a fat bottom! I'm not talking about the glutious maximus of the character herself (I'm not a pervert!), I'm talking about the amount of bass on this DVD! The Dolby Digital stereo audio track contained here has somehow been programmed to send an earth-shaking amount of bass to the subwoofer, creating a very odd viewing experience. Once the bass problem has been corrected, the audio track yields clear dialogue and nice music reproduction, which is free from hissing or distortion. But, still, what is up with all of that bass? (Who knew that Strawberry Shortcake was going to become one of my home theatre demo discs?)
Extras
The only true extra to be found here is a "music video" for a song by the character Ginger Snap. There are also some bonus trailers for other "Fox Flix".
While it could have easily been another cheap video used to market toys, "Spring for Strawberry Shortcake" is a fun and enchanting program, which should easy hold the attention of youngsters and make for repeat viewing. And, as an added bonus, the DVD case smells like strawberry. (I'm not kidding.)
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