Saturday, September 06, 2008

MomCat Reviews: Tortoise Vs. Hare DVD (and GIVEAWAY!)

I don't know about you, but I have always been a big fan of Jim Henson's work. The Muppet Show was one of my favorite shows on TV as a kid. So, I was happy when I was asked to review a new kids' DVD put out by The Jim Henson Company. Now, I know Mr. Henson has long since left us, so I was curious to see how his legacy is living on through his children.



UNSTABLE FABLES: Tortoise Vs. Hare is a fun take on the classic tortoise and hare race. You know the one--where slow and steady wins the race? Well, Henson's company has managed to weave a whole lot of great messages into their new race off and bring humor along with it.


The Tortoise and the Hare are at it again, but this time they are both suburban father's each with their own family. Walter the Tortoise and Murray the Hare haven't lost their competitive streak--a fact that sometimes becomes a big problem for their families who are just trying to get along with their neighbors. When a big race is advertised, both Tortoise and the Hare convince their reluctant children to compete with them to settle once and for all their long rivalry.


What I loved about this flick was that it was funny and appealed to both my 4-year-old daughter AND my 9-year-old son. And, there's not a lot of shows that do that actually. After recently sitting through the The Clone Wars with my daughter, I realized I really need to be as careful with what she watches as I was when my son was 4, instead of just letting her watch what her brother watches.


The storyline is fun, adventuresome and has several moral lessons, not just your the basic patience lesson you expect. The adult animals each learn lessons about taking competition too far, letting your children be who they want to be and not who YOU want them to be, and more. The kids in the meantime are learning their lessons about respecting differences, and trusting others. And, they even managed to throw in a small substory with the two animal moms--one a corporate-world mom and the other who stays home and the false judgements they make about one another.


The DVD also includes several cute features, such as how to draw the characters, about the making of the movie and a sneak peak at the studio's next "Unstable Fable."


The only caveat I have in this very glowing review is that there were a couple of places when the writers threw in a "shut up" or a "butt" that I thought were unnecessary. But, nowadays, it is near impossible to see a kids' movie without hearing those words all over the place. Definitely, the overall lessons this entertaining movie teaches are much more important and lasting.


UNSTABLE FABLES: Tortoise Vs. Hare is on sale in stores starting Sept 9th and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a film the whole family will enjoy.


AND, here's the big kicker--I AM GIVING A NEW DVD OF THIS MOVIE AWAY TODAY! That's right! If you're the first to email me that you want this DVD, and send your address and name, I will mail a brand-spankin' new copy for you and your family to enjoy!


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1 Comments:

Blogger cpullum said...

This looks got I haven't seen this one and my daughter hasen't either!
cpullum(at)yahoo(dot)com

11:31 PM, September 06, 2008  

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