BABY EINSTEIN: BABY MOZART & BABY BEETHOVEN
(not rated)
MOVIE: *** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5)
Studio: Disney
BY KEVIN CARR
When I received the DVDs of the Baby Einstein 10th Anniversary, it caused me to reflect on how things happen in cycles.
A little more than seven years ago, my wife and I gave birth to our first son. As new parents, we knew we were in uncharted territory, and we tried a lot of things in our early years. Back then (when VHS was still a viable platform), my wife bought our first Baby Einstein video. It was simple, released by F.H.E. rather than Disney and it wasn’t very well engineered. However, it worked well.
I don’t recommend using Baby Einstein videos as babysitters any more than I do SpongeBob as a steady diet for a seven-year-old. However, these videos, as simple and as rustic as they once were, still offer a colorful, fun stimulus for young children.
For the Baby Einstein 10th Anniversary, Disney has released some of the original videos on DVD. Both feature classical music over videos of puppets, toys and shapes with bright colors. Each video features a classical composer – “Baby Mozart” and “Baby Beethoven.” Watching them now, with my youngest son who was born only four months ago, I’m brought back to the time when my eldest watched them before he could even talk.
On DVD, the videos offer a little more functionality. Like other discs in the Baby Einstein line, these come with a continuous play feature, as well as three activity modes for use: “Play,” “Dance Together” and “Quiet Time.” There’s also new elements on each disc for a puppet show and Discovery Cards, which feature real-world images with sound effects.
In addition to the short half-hour videos, there’s Tips for Moms, including ways to enhance together time with your baby and founder Julie Clark telling the story of how she started Baby Einstein a decade ago for her own daughter. This adds a nice element of inspiration for families out there who are itching to put together their own products because they know their kids will love them.