DVD Reviews from KidsFirst: ParentGuide Magazine of Tampa Bay: For Parents Who Expect More

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From Ranny Levy at KIDS FIRST!

KIDS FIRST! is a project of the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to empower children to make wise media choices and to promote quality media products that enrich their lives.

Elmo Loves You. When a big gust of wind blows Elmo’s special surprise card away, Rosita tries to help Elmo chase after it. But just when the card seems to be out of reach for the monster friends, Super Grover comes to the rescue and helps save the day! The DVD features a special reflective treatment on the cover, the new song “Elmo Loves You” and a special music video about signing “I Love You.” This release also includes a bonus 5-song music CD featuring a collection of all-time favorite “Sesame Street” hits! DVD. 46 min.; $14.98; Ages 2-5. Sesame Street and Warner Home Video.

Let’s Grow: Lend a Helping Hand. Meet Kellysm and Chicasm, the hosts of TV’s “The Sunny Side Up Show” on the 24-hour preschool channel, Sprout®. Join them as they host this special collection of delightful adventures featuring your favorite friends, Barney, Bob the Builder, Thomas & Friends, Fireman Sam and Angelina Ballerina, and discover how quickly things can go from squeaky clean to terribly messy. Throughout all the stories and with Kelly and Chica’s help, your children will learn that when friends work together, any job can be fun! Hosts Kelly and Chica describe what a “helping hand is” and show young viewers how they can be helping hands at home by creating a recycling bin, putting away their clothes, turning off the lights and using kind words to help others feel better. So follow along with these five episodes and learn about the importance of “lending a helping hand!” DVD. 68 min.; $14.98; Ages 2-5. Lionsgate, HIT Entertainment and Sprout.

Thomas & Friends Splish Splash Splosh. Even when it’s wet outside you can still have plenty of fun, especially when you share your adventures with Thomas & Friends! Grab your galoshes and join the team as they prepare for rainy day visits and sudsy spills, and then get unstuck from a snowy situation in this collection of stories from the Island of Sodor. DVD. 46 min.; $14.98; Ages 2-5. Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment.

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!: Go For Gold! In this athletic-themed collection, Wubbzy and his Friends learn all about teamwork, fair play and good sportsmanship. What happens when Wubbzy joins a hoopty-hoops team? Why is Wubbzy so upset about being small? How do Wubbzy’s friends prove that cheating at games is wrong? Michelle Kwan as Michelle Kwanzleberry and Tiki Barber as Touchdown Tiki star in this collection that takes the Gold! DVD. 81 min.; $16.98; Ages 2-5. Anchor Bay/Starz

Early Readers to Grade School

March On! ... and more stories about African American History. Four stories on one DVD celebrate Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and other people who shaped African American history. The title tale (“March On: The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World”) is based on the book by Dr. Christine King Ferris, sister of Martin Luther King. DVD. 69 min.; $14.98; Ages 5-8. New Video.

Grade School

Scooby's All Star Laff-a-lympics Vol.1. After Olympic fever swept the nations, especially the United States in 1976 (the nation's bicentennial), the worldwide sporting competitions would be sorely missed until 1980, as well as 1984, when the U.S. would be the host nation for the Summer Games. Fortunately Hanna-Barbera provided a worthy substitute in animated form as up to 45 of their cartoon characters (classic and otherwise) were featured on this show competing for the gold medal. While some events were similar to real-life Olympic events, most were pretty offbeat and quite unusual, and could only be done on cartoons like this. Among these weird events were racing on ostriches, camels, kangaroos, rickshaws and unicycles, as well as scavenging for creatures like the Abominable Snowman, vampires, and the Loch Ness Monster. With events like these, each Laff-A-Lympics was bound to be a major adventure! DVD. 88 min.; $14.97; Ages 6-12. Warner Home Video.

The Waltons: The Movie Collection. Honesty. Integrity. Family. Stories of a family's - and a nation's - yesteryear continue in six Reunion Movies. Set in the 1940s are “A Wedding on Walton's Mountain” (will Erin have a change of heart?), “Mothers' Day on Walton's Mountain” (honoring the person everyone turns to when crises arise) and “A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain” (with Robert Wightman as John-Boy). Taking place in the 1960s and featuring Richard Thomas as John-Boy are “A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion” (as a nation mourns the death of JFK), “A Walton Wedding” (no big-city Manhattan nuptials for John-Boy) and “A Walton Easter” (Happy 40th, John and Olivia!). Six warm Walton memories are yours to share. For fans of the family-friendly classic TV series, this 3-disc set features six made for television holiday-themed movies. DVD. 707 min.; $39.98; Ages 12-18. Warner Home Video. Street Date: 01/26/09.

Teens

Cheaper by the Dozen 2.Steve Martin is funnier than ever in this hilarious sequel! Tom Baker (Steve Martin) and wife Kate (Bonnie Hunt) bring their clan together for a memorable summer getaway. But their dream vacation turns into an outrageous competition with the overachieving, overzealous family of Tom's long-time rival, Jimmy Murtaugh (Eugene Levy). Blu-ray. 94 min.; $29.98; Ages 12-18. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Fame. Bursting with explosive music and dance moves, a group of gifted performing artists travel down a path of self-discovery and stardom in “Fame.” In the contemporary remake of the 1980 fan-favorite, the film follows a crew of dancers, singers, actors and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts. A diverse, creative powerhouse, the school offers students from all walks of life a chance to live out their dreams and achieve real and lasting fame...the kind that comes only from talent, dedication, and hard work. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, students, mentored by the best and toughest teachers, strive for their moment in the spotlight and find out who amongst them has what is takes to succeed. DVD. 110 min.; $29.99; Ages 12-18. MGM Home Entertainment.

The Simpsons includes a total of 21 hilarious episodes and features “The Twentieth Anniversary Special Sneak Peak” by Academy Award®* nominee Morgan Spurlock. DVD. 482 min.; $49.98; Ages 12-18. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.