I never imagined myself sitting down to watch a show about talking trains. And yet, after having two kids, a lot has changed. My daughter might be into the Pixie Hollow Fairies, but my son is into Thomas. It started out with books, slowly moved to train tables, and now has progressed to television and movies. I can't stop the obsession, and I'm not even sure I want to. Thomas and his train pals make my kids really happy in a nice relaxed way, and I've even found myself liking the crew and learning all their names despite myself. For better or worse, Thomas & Friends has become a part of my life. And now here I am reviewing a DVD co...Read the entire review

Originally making his first appearance in Aardman Animation's Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave (1995), the inquisitive and clever Shaun the Sheep has become one of the company's most popular supporting characters. Unfortunately, Shaun didn't make an appearance in the duo's first feature-length adventure---but Aardman hadn't forgotten fans of the woolly hero. Later that year, a television series featuring Shaun hit the British airwaves, with Region 1 eventually catching up a short time after. Produced in the company's trademark style of expert stop-motion animation, the aptly-named Shaun the Sheep reminds first-time viewers of classic Wile E. Coyote and Tom and Jerry...Read the entire review

TheSeries:  

Theopening credits start to roll and thesweet-natured theme song delicately questions: "What's the storyWishbone?"  It was always fun to find outthe answer to just that!

Originally making his first appearance in Aardman Animation's Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave (1995), the inquisitive and clever Shaun the Sheep has become one of the company's most popular supporting characters. Unfortunately, Shaun didn't make an appearance in the duo's first feature-length adventure---but Aardman hadn't forgotten fans of the woolly hero. Later that year, a television series featuring Shaun hit the British airwaves, with Region 1 eventually catching up a short time after. Produced in the company's trademark style of expert stop-motion animation, the aptly-named Shaun the Sheep reminds first-time viewers of classic Wile E. Coyote and Tom and Jerry...Read the entire review

Aardman Animation's Wallace & Gromit, the lovable clay duo created by animator Nick Park, are celebrating their 20th birthday, but they haven't seen much small-screen action during the last 15 years. This isn't counting their 2005 big-screen adventure, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, or a handful of invention-themed shorts (dubbed Cracking Contraptions), but it proves one point: they're almost too big for TV now. Spin-offs like Shaun the Sheep feel perfectly at home on the smaller medium, yet the prospect of new W&G material is something else entirely.

Their latest made-for-TV adventure (and their first since 1995's A Close Shave) is A Matt...Read the entire review

Thomas & Friends: Team Up With Thomas:
Yes, it's still necessary to explain who Thomas is. Plenty of people don't have kids. The lovable British Tank Engine, an anthropomorphic anachronism from the Industrial Age, spends time with his rail yard buddies - many of whom are also engines, getting into various work-related adventures. Thomas and friends act with the typical rash enthusiasm and lack of respect for logic used by most preschoolers. It is a match made in heaven. This four-episode collection may be a match made in heaven for you parents, as not only is Thomas & Friends' appeal ratcheted up with new animation, but also, the dang thing comes with a Thomas engine!

Thrifty parents know toy wooden Thomas play sets are quite dear; the toy engine included in this set will set you back about ten bucks - for one single car! It's a great extra, even though it will undoubtedly set you o...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
Friendship and fun in the world of construction

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Animation
Likes: DVD magazines, documentaries, out-there movies
Dislikes: meandering films
Hates: Getting depressed by documentaries

The Story So Far...
Originally a British series that's been re-dubbed for North American audiences, Bob the Builder follows the titular handyman as he aids the people of Bobsville and the local area, with the help of his talking trucks and tools. Why he does it isn't clear (does he work for the government?) but he's dedicated to the tasks at hand. There have been several releases to date, and DVDTalk has Read the entire review

Thomas & Friends: Engines and Escapades:
It's time for the Terrible Twos and I'm losing the battle. What once seemed like a grand idea - snatch up a few kids DVDs for when I need a break - has been proven the beginning of the end; I may be raising a tantrum-prone vidiot. Readers point out that as an avocation I sit in front of my screen ... and then write about the experience. Call me when we've all turned into blobs with monitors for faces. Until then, when Girl starts screaming, I'm sorely tempted to cave, quickly screening one of her pixelated paramours.

But in the benign list of non-advertisement-driven (if not merchandised to the hilt) television pleasures is Thomas the Tank Engine. A British production, Thomas and Friends tells the cheery tales of Thomas and his chuffing-puffing friends of Sodor Island. Primarily a bunch of happy faces, (though sometimes scowls emerge) this bunch ...Read the entire review

Bob the Builder: Building Bobland Bay:
My forays into reviewing kids' DVDs for my daughter's sake became a concerted effort, now a compulsion, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Still something better suited to the preschool and older crowd than my two-year-old, Bob the Builder nonetheless holds a place in our hearts; except she calls him Bob named Builder. Said Builder is working on his own little seaside resort in Bob the Builder: Building Bobland Bay, a 54-minute collection of six 'never seen on TV' episodes of the children's favorite.

Unless these episodes are being released prior to their being aired on television, there's no reason they didn't make the cut. Containing the usual down-to-earth jocularity and can-do brio of any other Bob the Builder collection, this is an as-usual exemplary group. After building the town of Sunflower Valley from scratch, Bob sets his sights on the ne...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
Saccharine-sweet "entertainment" for less-discriminating kids

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Kids shows with a brain
Likes: Noggin
Dislikes: The vast majority of these shows
Hates: Barney, Pandering childrens programming

The Shows
Springtime Fun? Really? If you can find me anything related to spring in the six episodes compiled on this disc, you should go into detective work. What you really have is a sampler of HIT Entertainment's kids programming, which represents pretty much everything I hate about childrens television. Every time my daughter wants to watch TV, I thank the TV gods for the gift of Noggin, a kids programming channel that recognizes that adults are often stuck watching, and gives a wi...Read the entire review

Bob the Builder On Site: Roads and Bridges:

"Yes we can!" is the rallying cry of many in this world. Sure, Barack Obama is one of those, but he co-opted it from Bob The Builder. Maybe. Or maybe it was some labor movement or civil rights thingee. Enough with the politics, though. Can we review it? Yes we can.Come along with Bob, Wendy and their crew of Can-Do construction equipment pieces from their new home in Sunflower Valley as they give kids a rundown of how to build roads and bridges. Is it an attempt to get the kiddoes in line with our automobile-choked culture, or far more benign? Only Rupert Murdoch, or someone on down the line, or the creative team behind Bob The Builder knows for sure. Maybe I'm over-thinking this.

Using nice old-fashioned clay and model based animation, Bob and his team are brought to life, showing us all about building roads and bridges. But instead of being a...Read the entire review

The Show:

Barney loves you. Take that, ye cynics.

One of the more enduring mysteries of the modern age is the chasm between the adoration that so many children have for Barney, that ever-cheerful purple dinosaur, and the decidedly lower regard many parents have for the lively lizard.

Long a staple of PBS' children's programming, Barney is a pop culture touchstone and an unavoidable rite of passage for parents. His relentlessly sweet disposition and predilection for hackneyed songs are likely to grate on grownups shell-shocked from attending one too many toddler birthday parties. For children, however, Barney is irresistible.

Why? Now, 20 years after Barney's debut, the appeal remains open to debate. DVD Talk colleague Paul Mavis has posited that Barney's nurturing nature is an antidote for kids used t...Read the entire review

HiT Entertainment and 20th Century-Fox have released Angelina Ballerina: A Star Collection, a three-disc boxed set featuring Rose Fairy Princess, Lights, Camera, Action!, and In the Wings, with each disc containing four episodes of the light, charming animated series about a mouseling who wants to be a Prima Ballerina.

Based on the series of best-selling children's books by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig, Angelina Ballerina looks at young Angelina (voice of Finty Williams), who lives in Chipping Cheddar, a small town outside of London, and whose main focus in life is the ballet. Taught by Miss Lily (voice of Judi Dench), Angelina tries to balance not only the complexities of her chosen art, but also the far more difficul...Read the entire review

HiT Entertainment and 20th Century-Fox have released Bob the Builder: Ultimate Adventure Collection, a three-disc boxed set containing 12 episodes from the popular stop-motion animated children's series. With only a few very minor extras included (two of the episodes have never aired before), you'll have to be a big Bob the Builder fan to purchase this somewhat pricey collection.

Developed back in mid-90s by Keith Chapman, Bob the Builder is one of those children's shows that, backed by a comprehensive marketing and manufacturing effort, becomes an instant "reality," permeating your kid's consciousness because the character is suddenly everywhere. The TV show is on all the time, and no matter what store you go into, there's some kind of tie-in merch...Read the entire review

Oh, boy! Oh, boy!

Much like Michael Corleone, every time I count that big purple dinosaur out of my life, he's pulls me back in. Listen, I don't particularly enjoy Barney. He can be annoying and obscenely chipper, and his songs are...well, they won't make it on Broadway, let's just put it that way. And every time I think one of my kids has grown too old for him, another young one suddenly adores him. I've written before about Barney (please click here to read that review), so I won't go into a lot of detail on the background of the show. But let's be honest, the big purple guy is not for grownups.

But you know, it is fun to watch your kid watch Barney. My five-year-old daughter loves to sing and dance, and the Barney videos are perfect vehicles fo...Read the entire review

HiT Entertainment and 20th Century-Fox have released Thomas & Friends: Steam Engine Stories, a three-disc box set serving up over two-and-a-hours worth of the little engine that could and all his friends, including 18 episodes from Seasons 8 and 9. Each disc also has plenty of fun extras that Thomas' little viewers will love, making Thomas & Friends: Steam Engine Stories a sure-fire bet for parents or grandparents looking to buy that perfect gift for under the Christmas tree this December.

I've written before about Thomas & Friends (please click here for a more detailed look at the series), and in fact, after watching Thomas & Friends...Read the entire review

HiT Entertainment and 20th Century-Fox have released Thomas & Friends: Carnival Capers, a collection of six episodes from the tenth season (2006) of the internationally popular British children's series. Episodes include Percy and the Carnival, Thomas and the Birthday Mail, A Smooth Ride, The Green Controller, Edward Strikes Out, and Thomas' Frosty Friend. The series was new to me (I found it quite pleasant), and no doubt fans will enjoy this trim little collection (each episode is only seven minutes long - perfect for little children's attention spans).

I'm fairly certain my eldest son had some Thomas merchandise when he was a little boy (the character takes in millions all over the world each year), but whether or not I caugh...Read the entire review

Super-dee-duper! Barney: Let's Go to the Fire House is an entertaining (for young, young kids) and educational trip with that rockstar purple dinosaur, Barney. Packed with information on a variety of subjects, including fire safety, Barney: Let's Go to the Fire House is a can't miss addition to your youngster's DVD collection.

I didn't realize that Barney has been around for twenty years now. It debuted on local Texas TV in 1987, and then went national on Public Broadcasting in 1992. I don't know how popular he is today, but I do remember that back in the mid-90s, a couple of my kids were crazy about him, and watched his show, Barney & Friends religiously. Featuring that obscenely cheerful and good-natured Tyrannosaurus Rex, Barney & FriendsRead the entire review

As part of Jim Henson's empire and a showpiece for his brilliant insanity, Fraggle Rock was a show that captivated children back in the 80s. Each week kids would tune in to watch the underground adventures of Gobo, Red, Wembley, and the rest of the Fraggles down at Fraggle Rock. I was six at the time the show aired and found myself smack dab in the middle of the target audience. It was that adoration of the show that made me check out the series when the first season was released on DVD last year.

Much to my surprise going back to watch the show some twenty years later brought a different experience. Yes, deep down Fraggle Rock is as true a children's show as you'll ever find, but in between the laughs and silly songs the plots were surprisingly deep with messages about tolerance, friendship and self confidence. Fans of Henson's work already know tha...Read the entire review

In a nutshell: The Fragglesare on DVD, but where's the season sets?

The Muppet Show was a comic masterpiece, linking outrageouslyfunny skits with appearances by some great entertainers, many of whom werefinding trouble getting work at the time. Dark Crystal wasa stunningly intricate puppet masterpiece that still looks impressive today. Jim Henson was the creative genius behind both of those productions, butfor my money his greatest achievement was Fraggle Rock. ThisTV show that started airing in 1983 on HBO in the US isn't a children'sshow, it is a show aimed at all age groups. A simple show on thesurface, the more you examine it, the more you realize that it was actuallyvery carefully thought out. Funny, charming and occasionally touching,...Read the entire review

Anyone with young children is surely familiar with Bob the Builder and all of his friends. And, I guarantee, that they're familiar with the show's very catchy theme song. The show airs on Nickelodeon (and during CBS' Saturday morning "Nick Jr." programming) and has become a huge phenomenon, with Bob the Builder merchandise filling store shelves everywhere. Now, Bob the Builder joins the digital generation, with his first foray onto DVD, courtesy of Hit Entertainment.

The Movie


The premise of "Bob the Builder" is very simple. Bob is a handyman who can fix or repair anything. Bob's motto is "Can we fix it? Yes, we can!" He is frequently called upon to make repairs in his town. He works with Wendy, who manages the office and helps with repairs as well. Bob is further assisted by his construction equimpment, each of whom has a name and a spcific personality. There's Lofty,...Read the entire review