![]() The catchy songs, completely secular treatment of Christmas, and avoidance of talking down to viewers amounts to pretty much what's expected of the show, which is now in its third season. ![]() Like the handful of other episodes I've seen of this colorful stop-motion series, this Christmas episode (twice the normal length) imparts lessons in a straightforward but spunky manner. ![]() JoJo struggles with the decision she made and worries her parents will be disappointed in her. JoJo plans to make things right on her shopping trip to the Circus Town Perfect Present Place (which shows up only one day of the year), but she uses her last popcorn kernel (the place's currency of choice - don't ask) to buy a basket for a stranded bird that Goliath finds instead. Tragedy strikes when the family's long-treasured Santa Clown tree-topper breaks. Singing songs, decorating the tree with hot dogs and banana peels, and so on. Youngsters' favorite six-year-old clown JoJo (voiced by Madeleine Martin) is enjoying a traditional Christmas with her parents and pet lion Goliath (Robert Smith): JoJo's Circus - "A Circus Town Christmas" (24:00) (Originally aired December 7, 2003) Let's take a look at just what exactly is on the disc: That won't make the very brief "Shanna's Show" episodes less tedious on return visits, but if the 3¼ minutes are too much to bear, there is always the "Skip" button. If the moral values and occasional cleverness of "Higglytown Heroes" have the approval of you and your spawn, then this pairing of half-hour Christmas specials could conceivably become an annual tradition for your family for the few years until all have grown out of it. Otherwise, you're getting just the 24-minute Christmas episode "A Circus Town Christmas", which would hardly seem to justify the $19.99 list price, the same tag applied to the two twice-as-long "JoJo's" DVD compilations released last spring. But, while some will lose their critical edge when faced with these guidelines, I think many can still find a wide range of quality among programming created for young children.įor this disc to make good on its promise of one hour of preschooler delight (and the "feature" itself only clocks in at under 55 minutes, including credits), your little one needs to be a fan of not just "JoJo's Circus", but also the other two less renowned series. In addition, there is a special half-hour episode from younger series "Higglytown Heroes" and two installments of the mini-show "Shanna's Show." Young voices, a lack of irony, and simple plots all distinguish each of these shows as fare for young children. We do, however, get JoJo, the likable young clown whose Circus of learning adventures has entertained plenty since it first appeared two falls ago. ![]() Nor are Stanley or those vibrantly-adorned Wiggles (who have shown up on DVD thirty times, but never from Disney). Needless to say, the DVD contains no sign of the biggest attraction (literally and figuratively) of the Anaheim park's half-hour of fun Bear, the seven-foot star of the Jim Henson Company's "Bear in the Big Blue House" and currently-produced "Breakfast with Bear" hour block, is not here. Despite having reviewed some of the handful of Playhouse Disney DVDs the studio has released in 2005, that class basically includes me, because it is probably the one area of Disney's visual entertainment empire that I know least about. Anyone whose notion of "Playhouse Disney" is shaped by the live stage show at Disney's California Adventure may be disappointed by the paltry offerings and noteworthy no-shows here. With only half as many shows and less than half the running time, A Very Playhouse Disney Holiday is far less satisfying as a DVD than its equivalent for slightly older viewers. Next week, with Christmas steadily approaching, Disney's video branch Buena Vista Home Entertainment will release two holiday-themed DVDs from the Disney Channel's original programming.įor big kids and teens, there is Disney Channel Holiday with episodes of comedy series like "Lizzie McGuire", "That's So Raven", and "Kim Possible." For people slightly older who have young kids of their own, there is A Very Playhouse Disney Holiday, which contains episodes from three shows that are a part of the cable network's preschool-oriented block which airs from 6 AM to 2 PM on weekdays, and 6 to 10:30 AM on weekends. Suggested Retail Price: $14.99 (Reduced from $19.99) Single-sided, single-layered disc (DVD-5) Running Time: 55 minutes (4 episodes) / Rating: Not Rated (shows: TV-7)ġ.33:1 Fullscreen (Original Broadcast Aspect Ratio)Įpisodes originally aired between December 2003 and December 2004
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |