HOLIDAY KIDS' VIDEOS A MIXED BAG THIS SEASON.Byline: Chris J. Parker Correspondent There was a time when the only holiday movies a kid could watch were the annual broadcast of ``A Charlie Brown Christmas'' and assorted ``Christmas Carol'' movies. Not anymore. There are nearly 100 kid-friendly Christmas DVDs - and counting - according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a recent search on Amazon.com, plus scores of VHS-only offerings. Each year, more and more videos are released. This is a good trend for parents. After all, it's a lot easier to drive over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house if the minivan is equipped with an entertainment center and some DVDs. Here are reviews of some of the holiday movies released this year: ``Elmo's World Elmo's World is a segment of the children's television show Sesame Street featuring Elmo, a small red monster who speaks in third person and is perpetually 3½ years old. The show also features Mr. Noodle, a human mime character, and Elmo's pet goldfish, Dorothy. Happy Holidays'' Sony Wonder Sony Wonder was the children's music and home video arm of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Sony Wonder distributed Nickelodeon videos from 1993 to 1995 until Nickelodeon parent Viacom's purchase of Paramount Pictures, and material from Sesame Workshop and Classic Media. $14.98 DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. , $12.98 VHS (Video Home System) A half-inch, analog videocassette recorder (VCR) format introduced by JVC in 1976 to compete with Sony's Betamax, introduced a year earlier. Time: 60 min. Audience: All Rating: Three stars The team behind PBS' long-running ``Sesame Street'' has created a fun holiday tale that entertains kids and their parents. In this movie, Elmo can't wait for Christmas to arrive - until he realizes that he doesn't have a present for Dorothy, his goldfish. Elmo searches for the perfect gift, learning about Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah along the way. He receives help from numerous ``Sesame Street'' regulars, and a few guest stars including Kelly Ripa Kelly Maria Ripa (born October 2, 1970, in Berlin, New Jersey) an American Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress, television personality and talk show host. Since February 2001, she has served as the co-host of Live with Regis and Kelly as a harried postal carrier and Santa Claus Santa Claus: see Nicholas, Saint. Santa Claus jolly, gift-giving figure who visits children on Christmas Eve. [Christian Tradition: NCE, 1937] See : Christmas Santa Claus himself. The movie resembles a typical ``Sesame Street'' episode or an extended ``Elmo's World.'' Segments are short to keep the interest of younger viewers, the music is lively and entertaining, and a variety of media (puppets, live-action and cartoons) are used to spice up the show. Some old ``Sesame Street'' favorites steal their scenes. For example, Cookie Monster is a wise man during a staged play of the nativity scene. But instead of bringing gold, frankincense frankincense: see incense-tree. frankincense Fragrant gum resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia (family Burseraceae), particularly several varieties found in Somalia, Yemen, and Oman. or myrrh myrrh: see incense-tree. myrrh symbol of gladness. [Flower Symbolism: Flora Symbolica, 176] See : Joy , he brings cookies. Within seconds, the manger is covered in cookie crumbs. ``The Forgotten Toys'' Sony Wonder $12.98 DVD, $9.98 VHS Time: 30 min. Audience: 3 and older Rating: Two and one half stars This short cartoon movie stays true to its source, ``The Night After Christmas,'' the children's book by James Stevenson. Actor Bob Hoskins (``Who Framed Roger Rabbit?'') is the voice for Teddy, a teddy bear who gets tossed in the trash on the day after Christmas along with Annie, a rag doll. The toys spend the next day in search of another child who will love them, getting help from a Santa-like stranger and an abandoned dog. The illustrations are true to Stevenson's original work, but 20 years later that look feels, well, dated. The story is also a bit too uncomplicated, even for a children's video. Younger school-age children will enjoy this quick holiday respite, but children under 5 years old and older than 9 years old will have a hard time sitting through the movie. ``Thomas' Christmas Wonderland'' Anchor Bay Entertainment $19.98 DVD, $21.98 VHS Time: 45 min. Audience: 2 to 6 years old Rating: Two stars This isn't a new adventure for Thomas the Tank Engine This article is about the fictional tank engine. For the television series, see Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tank locomotive created by the Rev. W. V. , it's six short winter-themed stories from the ``Thomas'' series packaged together. Although the title suggests this is a Christmas movie, it'd be more appropriate to call it a winter-themed package and Christmas happens to be in winter. As such, this will probably appeal only to current Thomas fans, and not win over any new converts or parents who have to put up with Thomas on their TV, in their car stereo and scattered across the play room. The six stories are narrated by actor Alec Baldwin and comedian George Carlin car·line or car·lin n. Scots A woman, especially an old one. [Middle English kerling, from Old Norse, from karl, man.] . Both the DVD and VHS versions include a Thomas original musical video, ``Snow Song.'' Apparently, all the good Christmas songs had been used by other animated talking trains. The DVD includes a connect-the-dots Christmas game and ``Thomas and the Missing Tree'' read-along story. It's packaged with a four-song CD of ``Thomas'' music: ``Thomas' Anthem,'' ``It's Great to be an Engine,'' ``He's a Really Useful Engine'' and ``Let's Have a Race.'' The VHS is packaged with a ``James the Red Engine'' wood train piece. ``Your Tiny Noel'' Child Smart $12.95 VHS Time: 30 min. Audience: 3 and younger Rating: One and one half stars It's not easy keeping the pre-3-year-old set entertained, as this video proves. Child Smart has put together components that have been successful on other products - including ``Barney,'' ``The Wiggles'' and the ``Baby Einstein'' series - but this mix isn't nearly as fun or creative as those others. The plot of ``Your Tiny Noel'' is a sleigh ride by Murray the Monkey to celebrate Christmas traditions around the world. Viewers know they're in another part of the world because the fake monument in the fake window keeps changing (from the Eiffel Tower in France to the Leaning Tower of Pisa Leaning Tower of Pisa White marble campanile in Pisa, Italy, famous for the uneven settling of its foundation, which caused it to lean 5.5 degrees (about 15 ft [4.5 m]) from the perpendicular. in Italy, for example). Murray visits five countries (France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and the United States Relations between the United States and Mexico are among the most important and complex that each nation maintains. They are shaped by a mixture of mutual interests, shared problems, and growing interdependence. ), and each country receives the same treatment. Murray and his puppet friends play in a country-themed room. A song is sung in the native language of the country. There's a few minutes of videotape focused on an off-the-shelf holiday item (such as a Nativity set or a model train). And then some children open presents. The puppetry puppetry Art of creating and manipulating puppets in a theatrical show. Puppets are figures that are moved by human rather than mechanical aid. They may be controlled by one or several puppeteers, who are screened from the spectators. is elementary, and the video of the holiday items and children is mundane. True, this is for the youngest viewers. But even they will want something more entertaining soon enough. CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- 4) no caption (DVD covers) |
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