The Charge

Growing up is the greatest adventure of all.

The Case

Caillou (pronounced "kai-you) is a small bald boy with a squeaky voice who no doubt has years of middle school beatings to look forward to. But here and now, he's an imaginative little tike who takes even the most mundane, ordinary life experience and turns it into a hallucinatory adventure!

Each episode contains a series of small, seven-minute stores. Four imagination-fueled adventures on this disc:

"Caillou's Surprise"
One morning at breakfast, Caillou accidentally breaks his mother's favorite mug. Shocked and saddened, Caillou goes with his Grandma to a pottery class where he makes a replacement mug. Then he gives it to his mom. And she's happy. The end. Later in the episode, Caillou plans a surprise party for his teacher. Finally, the power goes out at Caillou's house and he and his pal Sara make up games to play in the dark.

"People I Love"
Caillou learns about Valentine's Day and what to do to show people that you care deeply about them, namely, making flimsy paper hearts. After, a rainy day prevents Caillou from playing at the playground, but he and his grandma kill time by having a dance contest. Then, Caillou is thrilled to be the water boy on his dad's baseball team. And, lastly, Caillou and his pal Leo have a sleepover and have adventures that include bathing together and learning about the dangers of sharing toothbrushes.

"Captain Caillou"
First: Caillou and Grandpa go the park one day and Caillou discovers the joy of farting around with a radio control sailboat. Second: Caillou learns about loud noises by observing a lawnmower, a garbage truck, a jackhammer, an ice cream truck and an airplane. Third: Caillou prepares for his role as ring bearer in a family friend's wedding, held on a horse ranch. He then visualizes himself riding around in the Old West.

"Knowing How"
It's tough learning how to ice skate. Just ask Caillou, who gets discouraged from fall after fall during his first lesson on the ice rink. Next up, in a thrilling tale, Caillou discovers the wonders of the United States postal system. Finally, Caillou learns a valuable lesson about punctuality.

Like most little kid cartoons these days, Caillou is based on some kind of extensive research into the intricacies of child development. Specifically geared toward enhancing traits like self-esteem in toddlers, the show is engineered to mold your kid into healthy, emotionally stable child, with important life lessons and family dynamics the focus.

Whatever. I still think the kid is annoying.

Full frame, 2.0 stereo all the way. FYI, the shows are edge-faded purposely, as if everything happened in a dream. Extras: interactive games, animated character bios, DVD-ROM-accessible coloring pages and parenting tips.

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