ABC For Kids Spectacular - The Memorable TV DVD Review

This month Roadshow are releasing a great selection of ABC For Kids and Children's titles on DVD. Everything from Thomas to Hi-5 to Postman Pat. Available from July 7 and priced at $19.95 here we take a closer look at what's on offer.
THOMAS AND FRIENDS - THREE CHEERS FOR THOMAS 57 mins \| Extras \| G A further 7 all new adventures of the little tank engine and his friends. These new CGI enhanced adventures are simply wonderful, slightly more modern and with a couple of new engines in the shape of Emily (who seems to have replaced Duck) and Harvey (clearly modelled on Jay Leno) from the docks this is an all singing and all dancing Thomas. The stories range from Thomas having to deal with a difficult corner on his route to all the engines competing to see who has the cleanest engine to Thomas having trouble when the circus comes to Sodor. Thomas is a glimpse into what the world should be like, it's Thomas's 60th anniversary this year and he remains as fresh as ever. Wonderful Stuff. Extras on this disc are a fun interactive Cargo Challenge game.	POSTMAN PAT: The Pirate Treasure 55 mins \| Extras \| G After the 13 original 1980's adventures of the friendly postman were shown ceaselessly for the last 20 years new producers decided a re-branding and fresh episodes were in order and whilst everything is as it was before (all the old characters such as Ted Glen and the Reverend Timms are here) it's also a completely new show, Pat's work is less important now as there is a focus on his family with a wife and a son Julian and there are plenty of new faces in Greendale, like the new Thomas its subtly enhanced and its also very enjoyable, John Cunliffe still voices Pat and this disc contains the half hour length special Postman Pat's Pirate Treasure which features a great character in Pat's cousin Mat as well as two further adventures. Extras wise we get a fun pirate treasure hunt game.
BOOHBAH - SQUEAKY SOCKS 50 mins \| Extras \| G Boohbah is like nothing else on TV, a European (French it looks like) show about five magical atoms of power, light and fun known as Boohbahs, the five (who resemble soft, wobbly, woolly chubby little amoebas of cuteness) spend their time dancing and telling stories, designed to encourage creativity and movement with toddlers it certainly does that. Whether adults get as much out of it as pre-schoolers I'm not sure but it does manage to mesmerise it's target audience. This disc, the third Boohbah release, features three magical stories and extras wise features a learn to move like the Boohbahs section.	JAY JAY THE JET PLANE: Supersonic Adventures 66 mins \| Extras \| G \| Porchlight Entertainment Seen on Channel 9 rather than the ABC Jay Jay is an American take on the classic British style with Thomas type antics only concerning a group of planes led by young Jay Jay the Jet Plane, others in the gang include Snuffy, Winnie Winger and Tuffy The Tiny Tow Truck. All computer generated Jay Jay is pleasant enough but finds it hard to make its mark against the more naive style Postman Pat and Thomas.
PLAYTIME WITH ME SESAME: Playtime With Ernie and Head, Shoulders, Fur and Toes 50 mins \| No Extras \| G A great new spin on the Sesame Street brand is Play With Me Sesame featuring favourite characters such as Bert and Ernie, Grover and Elmo in a series of games and songs specially designed to encourage the creativity and imagination of the pre-school audience, what's nice about Playtime With Sesame is the social side that is played up, of these two new releases (neither of which have any extras) Playtime With Ernie features the loveable rubber ducky obsessed Ernie playing the opposites game as well as leading the "Honker Ducky Dinger Jamboree" whilst Head, Shoudlers, Fur and Toes features Elmo, Grover, Bert and Ernie in a series of games and songs focusing on the body so we have "The Tummy Rub Head Pat" and Elmo's face quiz. You know you are on safe ground with Sesame Street and these entertain nicely!	Hi-5: Action Heroes and Snow Party 57 mins and 52 mins\| Extras \| G This month also sees two new Hi-5 DVD's released, the brand new Action Heroes and previously on VHS Snow Party. Snow Party is perfect for the winter months of course and this DVD actually features four songs that never made it onto the video release, the mixture of songs and sketches is pretty even, one really positive aspect of the Hi-5 routines is the way they always involve their young pre-school studio audience who take great delight in grooving along with the gang. Action Heroes is the brand new release that focuses on how everyone can be a super-hero, the gang tackle such delights as rock climbing, cheerleading, hot air ballooning and Nathan even becomes a game show host for one amusing segment. Extras on this disc include a sharing stories feature and Karaoke versions of the songs.
BASIL BRUSH SPORTS SPECTACULAR 85 mins \| Extras \| G Like Postman Pat the legendary puppet Basil Brush (who actually began life back in the late 1960's) has undergone a revitalisation in the last couple of years, brought out of mothballs to crack a few more ancient jokes. Basil is aimed at a slightly older than pre-school audience and opts for a bit of sitcom type format, its great slapstick knockabout fun and comes with plenty of extra features including out-takes, a photo gallery, an interview with Basil and a penalty kick game. Boom Boom!!	BARNEY: Read With Me Dance With Me 52 mins \| Extras \| G Another release for the Purple Dinosaur, Read With Me Dance With Me has some nice educational aspects as Barney and his friends BJ and Baby Bop tackle the magic of reading stories as they hold a book drive in the park whilst the Dance With Me section focuses on moving and grooving. Music heavy there are 16 songs on the disc all heavily coated in Saccharine and sentimentality, extras on this set include the chance to select a song, a photo gallery and a segment called Your Child and Barney.