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Hello Kitty's Paradise - Share and Care
ADV Films // Unrated // February 25, 2003
List Price: $14.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
Proving that media over-exposure isn't necessary to become a household name, Hello Kitty and the characters in her universe have carved their own little niche into our society. Ask any school-age girl about Hello Kitty and it's guaranteed that she's at least heard of it. Parent company Sanrio has taken a unique marketing route by placing Hello Kitty's visage on every product imaginable. Now, we are beginning to see Hello Kitty videos in this country, such as this "Share & Care" DVD from ADV Films.
(This DVD is officially entitled "Hello Kitty's Paradise", and is made up of 8 short episodes. It can be assumed that "Hello Kitty's Paradise" is the title of a Japanese TV program, and the vignettes shown here are taken from that show.)
The segments presented here focus on Kitty (no Hello needed) and her sister Mimi (or Mimmy, it's spelled differently in different places), who live with their parents. Kitty and Mimi love to play and use their imaginations. Throughout the episodes, they have many adventures, such as putting on a shadow-puppet play, worrying over their father's birthday present, driving in a car race, going grocery shopping on their own, and going to a birthday party. In short, the topics here are very simple and easy for young viewers to understand. The episodes last about 10-minutes each and typically cover the subject matter at a decent pace.
Some may find the animation style of this incarnation of Hello Kitty a bit jarring, as it falls squarely into the anime family. Strangely, the opening credits (which feature a highly-addictive song, "It's kitty, kitty, kitty!") display the Hello Kitty that most would recognize from Sanrio products. However, the kittys in the show look somewhat different. Also, the facial features here definitely follow the anime mode. As Japanimation is now dominating children's TV, some kids may not be bothered by the animation, but others may dislike it. As with most anime, this show is dubbed and the language comes across as awkwards at times.
This show does do a good job of bringing across positive messages. Kitty and Mimi regularly use their imagination when playing, and the show proves that imagination can make even trivial objects seem fun. The show puts a great deal of emphasis on friendship and responsibility as well. One episode is devoted completely to racism/diversity, as the Kittys show a group of koalas (at least, I think they were koalas) that everyone should be allowed to play together, no matter who they are.
Video
Once again, as this was presumably from a TV series, "Share & Care" is presented in a standard 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The picture is very sharp and clear, showing very little grain and no defects from the source print. Unlike other animated discs I've viewed recently, there is no breakdown in the animation here and the picture is constantly stable. The colors are a bit dull at times, even the reds and blues, and they don't leap off of the screen as with some other titles.
Audio
This DVD carries an English dubbed Dolby Digital stereo audio track. This track is unspectacular, but it does provide clear audio and sound effects with no hissing or distortion. The track is well-balanced, showing no changes in volume. And, of course, that theme song sounds great.
Extras
While there are no official extras on this disc, there are two animal guessing games after each episode. Technically, I guess this is part of the show, but it feels like an extra.
Hello Kitty is hitting home video in a big way, as both ADV Films and MGM are releasing titles with the popular character. The "Share & Care" DVD is the third in a series of four (thus far) and displays a show that has some flaws, but should enchant fans of the familiar cat.
Proving that media over-exposure isn't necessary to become a household name, Hello Kitty and the characters in her universe have carved their own little niche into our society. Ask any school-age girl about Hello Kitty and it's guaranteed that she's at least heard of it. Parent company Sanrio has taken a unique marketing route by placing Hello Kitty's visage on every product imaginable. Now, we are beginning to see Hello Kitty videos in this country, such as this "Share & Care" DVD from ADV Films.
(This DVD is officially entitled "Hello Kitty's Paradise", and is made up of 8 short episodes. It can be assumed that "Hello Kitty's Paradise" is the title of a Japanese TV program, and the vignettes shown here are taken from that show.)
The segments presented here focus on Kitty (no Hello needed) and her sister Mimi (or Mimmy, it's spelled differently in different places), who live with their parents. Kitty and Mimi love to play and use their imaginations. Throughout the episodes, they have many adventures, such as putting on a shadow-puppet play, worrying over their father's birthday present, driving in a car race, going grocery shopping on their own, and going to a birthday party. In short, the topics here are very simple and easy for young viewers to understand. The episodes last about 10-minutes each and typically cover the subject matter at a decent pace.
Some may find the animation style of this incarnation of Hello Kitty a bit jarring, as it falls squarely into the anime family. Strangely, the opening credits (which feature a highly-addictive song, "It's kitty, kitty, kitty!") display the Hello Kitty that most would recognize from Sanrio products. However, the kittys in the show look somewhat different. Also, the facial features here definitely follow the anime mode. As Japanimation is now dominating children's TV, some kids may not be bothered by the animation, but others may dislike it. As with most anime, this show is dubbed and the language comes across as awkwards at times.
This show does do a good job of bringing across positive messages. Kitty and Mimi regularly use their imagination when playing, and the show proves that imagination can make even trivial objects seem fun. The show puts a great deal of emphasis on friendship and responsibility as well. One episode is devoted completely to racism/diversity, as the Kittys show a group of koalas (at least, I think they were koalas) that everyone should be allowed to play together, no matter who they are.
Video
Once again, as this was presumably from a TV series, "Share & Care" is presented in a standard 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The picture is very sharp and clear, showing very little grain and no defects from the source print. Unlike other animated discs I've viewed recently, there is no breakdown in the animation here and the picture is constantly stable. The colors are a bit dull at times, even the reds and blues, and they don't leap off of the screen as with some other titles.
Audio
This DVD carries an English dubbed Dolby Digital stereo audio track. This track is unspectacular, but it does provide clear audio and sound effects with no hissing or distortion. The track is well-balanced, showing no changes in volume. And, of course, that theme song sounds great.
Extras
While there are no official extras on this disc, there are two animal guessing games after each episode. Technically, I guess this is part of the show, but it feels like an extra.
Hello Kitty is hitting home video in a big way, as both ADV Films and MGM are releasing titles with the popular character. The "Share & Care" DVD is the third in a series of four (thus far) and displays a show that has some flaws, but should enchant fans of the familiar cat.
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