Paramount // 2006 // 99 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Judge David Johnson // May 30th, 2006
We've got the whole world to explore.
Just who are the Backyardigans? Extra-terrestrials? Mutated species? Agents of the government? I don't know the answer. What I do know is this: these little bastards love to sing and dance. The Backyardigans stars five talking little animal-kids: Tasha, Tyrone, Pablo, Uniqua, and Austin. Each day, they let their little imaginations run wild, and end up going on simple little adventures, belting out tunes along the way and shaking their money-makers.
Four episodes on this disc:
* "Surf's Up"
Pablo, Tyron and Uniqua suit up and head for
Tiki Beach, intent on catching the gnarliest wave. There they connect with
Austin, who helps them find the best beach. They cruise in their dune buggy,
sing and dance, do a bit of surfing and sing and dance some more.
* "Riding the Range"
Tyrone is on his way to a hoedown.
Meanwhile, Pablo, Tasha and Uniqua take it upon themselves to track down a
bandit, who made off with a jump-rope. The four friends eventually meet up in
the wilds of the desert (following some intensive singing and dancing), and
realize that they had been searching for each other all this time.
* "Race to the Tower of Power"
What secrets does the Tower
of Power hold? That's what the Backyardigans wish to find out. Splitting up into
"super villains" and "super heroes," the race is on. The
villains try to prevent the heroes form getting there using all their slimy
powers, while the heroes overcome. Eventually, the villains realize serving evil
isn't the best way to go and convert to heroes. Hooray!
* "The Quest for the Flying Rock"
It's boys versus girls as
the kids square off and see how can track down the mythical "flying
rock" first. To get to the pyramid where the rock is held, the Backyardigan
adventurers will have to defeat all manner of obstacles and break through the
jungle, with the maximum amount of singing and dancing.
Yee-haw, another four adventures with The Backyardigans, my favorite little kids' show. Not that I watch a lot of little kids television. But I have seen my share of current-day programming and this crazy little CGI musical is the best. It's 22 minutes of sensory stimulation: pretty, colorful characters moving and grooving to catchy little tunes. I particularly enjoy the computer animation, which, while rudimentary, is attractive (and the dance movements are eerily realistic). Storylines are simple; this is after all a series for 5-year-olds. Besides they mainly serve as vehicles to get the characters singing. Recommended for the wee ones.
Review content copyright © 2006 David Johnson; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2008 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Judgment: 90
Perp Profile
Studio: Paramount
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround (English)
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround (French)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 99 Minutes
Release Year: 2006
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks
* "Buffalo Girls" Dance-Along
* "Shake Your Body" Dance-Along
* Trailers
Accomplices
* IMDb
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0439349/combined
* Nick Jr. Official Site
http://www.nickjr.com
* The Backyardigans: Cave Party Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/backyardiganscaveparty.php
* The Backyardigans: It's Great to be a Ghost Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/backyardigansghost.php
* The Backyardigans: The Snow Fort Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/backyardiganssnowfort.php