All Rise...

You know who's up with the latest fashions? Judge David Johnson and his acid-washed jean shorts!

The Charge

Wholesome adventures for friends to share.

The Case

The first thing that pops up on-screen is "Sony Wonder," the studio's kid-friendly brand. I immediately thought of "Tony Wonder," the magician played by Ben Stiller in Arrested Development who pulls Hanukkah cookies out of his chest. That has nothing to do with this review except I wanted to get an Arrested Development mention in there.

Anyway, Holly Hobbie is a spunky young girl who loves fashion and friends and singing and all three come together in this pair of contiguous episodes.

"Inside Out"
Holly is excited to have her friend from the city, Portia, join her and her friends for a fun couple of days. The girls decide to create a fashion show, but there's one problem: Portia is an insufferable @#$%$#$. She lets loose with the passive-aggressive routine, dropping some seriously hurtful comments on Holly's friends.

After a Best Friend Chat, Portia admits she has serious issues with her parents and is projecting her feelings of abandonment and neglect on the new girls. So the Hey Girls Club iron out all the hard feelings, belt out the rousing friendship theme "Let Your Inside Out," pull off the fashion show and forever reconcile the emotionally damaging family dynamics. Yay!

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS EPISODE:
Don't be afraid to cough up your deep-rooted psychological trauma to your BFF, even if she's wearing what appears to be a train conductor's cap.

"Hats Off"
Holly welcomes her pals from the small town of Clover to New York City, where she is ecstatic about showing them the eye-popping glory of skyscrapers, population density and public urination. We of course don't see the seedier elements. NYC is crisply and cleanly animated; but that doesn't stop hayseed Carrie from freaking out over the sensory overload.

They go the zoo, ride in a limo, go up an elevator, all the while with Carrie panicking about her new surroundings. Carrie and the Hey Girls have a heart-to-heart about why it's tough to fit into new places. Someone get the Hey Girls some Xanax. Your song selection: "Home is Where Your Hat Is"

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS EPISODE:
Um, home is here my hat is?

This isn't a bad little show. If I had a daughter, I would have no problem with her watching it. Sure the kids seem to be in a near-constant state of crippling anxiety, but the animation is pleasant and the themes of friendship and encouragement are solid. And though they're fashion-happy girls, this is nothing like the rampaging evil that is Bratz.

Full frame, 2.0 stereo, decent looking and sounding all the way around, bolstered by two sing-alongs, a simple fashion game and trailers.

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