LITTLE EINSTEINS: FLIGHT OF THE INSTRUMENT FAIRIES
(TV-G)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *1/2 (out of 5)
Studio: Playhouse Disney
BY KEVIN CARR
Unlike the “Handy Manny” selection of shows and DVDs, I’ve always enjoyed the “Little Einstein” brand quite a bit. What makes this show stand out is the studio’s commitment to making the show creative, exciting and educational at the same time. However, instead of hammering lessons and learning down your throat, things are approached in a much more clever way.
The “Little Einsteins” are four friends who travel around in a big red rocket to help friends and learn new things. Each episode features a classical composer and his music and a famous painter and his style through the animation.
The latest DVD release is “Little Einsteins: Flight of the Instrument Fairies.” This DVD title relates to the first episode in which the children try to help different musical instrument fairies. Additional episodes include “The Puppet Princess,” “The Glass Slipper Ball” and “Little Red Rockethood.” One of my favorite recurring characters, the pseudo-villain Big Jet, shows up in the last episode to steal Rocket’s soup that he made for his ailing grandmother.
Part of the charm of “Little Einsteins” is that the world is very big in this small cartoon. Rather than loafing around their back yard and simply pretending, the kids go on worldwide adventures and see many miraculous things. It also plays to the preschool crowd and inspires them with classical painters and music, which is a nice break from other preschool shows like the dreadful “Hip Hop Harry.”
The DVD comes with a single set-top game: “Music Mix-Up Game.” Kids are challenged to identify the different instrument sounds in this game that is simple enough for which preschoolers can take charge of the remote.
If you have young children, the “Little Einsteins” series is a great buy, and “The Flight of the Instrument Fairies” is another step in that journey.