All Rise...

They used to call Judge David Johnson two nicknames in kindergarten. One was "Little Einstein" and the other was "Poops."

Editor's Note

Our reviews of Little Einsteins: Rocket's Firebird Rescue (published August 29th, 2007), Little Einsteins: The Legend Of The Golden Pyramid (published March 7th, 2007), Little Einsteins: Fire Truck Rocket's Blastoff (published October 7th, 2009), Little Einsteins: Flight Of The Instrument Fairies (published August 6th, 2008), and Little Einsteins: The Christmas Wish (published October 27th, 2008) are also available.

The Charge

All systems are go!

The Case

This is my first encounter with the Little Einsteins. They're four friends who talk to the viewing audience and fly around in their rocket ship and go on exciting adventures. Sign me up!

"The Treasure Behind the Little Red Door"
The Einsteins are racing a "big, mean jet" to Hawaii to retrieve a secret treasure hidden behind a little red door. Using their handy treasure map, the kids will follow the detailed instructions and sound cues and defeat their archenemy and grab the treasure. But along the way, they'll face challenges like trying to cool an erupting volcano by waving their arms, or making it over some big waves, or encouraging rocket to walk on his spider legs by having you, the viewer, wiggle your fingers like you're playing the piano (?!).

"Super Fast!"
After a quick stop at the musical gas station for a fill-up of "music gas," the Einsteins embark on their next mission: to rescue three pigs flying biplanes (?!). To do this, they'll need your help to determine which pigs correspond to which musical speed: adagio, moderator and allegro. This particular endeavor will take them to South America and China and outer space.

"The Great Sky Race Rematch"
The Einsteins' mortal enemy returns! Big Jet has shown up to take on Rocket in the Great Sky Race. Unfortunately, Big Jet and his cheating ass sabotages Rocket's flying controls, forcing Rocket to turn to his alternate abilities, pogo-jumping, cruising underwater and turning into a locomotive (?!).

If those episodes sound bizarre that's because they are. But we're not the target demographic, pal. The Little Einsteins are made for preschoolers and—to me—appear to have been engineered with your rugrat's social, emotional, and mental development in mind. Translation: I have no clue what the purpose of most of the stuff going on is, but I'm also totally sure that there's a point to it.

Episodes blend classical music with animation and incorporate recognition exercises and audience interactivity. The Einsteins frequently ask for responses from the viewers, both verbal and physical (move your hands! wiggle your fingers!) and will return these requests with positive affirmation. The total package amounts to a music-filled, colorful journey of interactivity and a killer F-14 jets. That being said, a few more episodes would have been nice.

The DVD is typical: full frame, 2.0 stereo (French, Spanish, English), a "Rocket-Around-the-World" set-top game and two bonus Safety Patrol animated shorts.

Give us your feedback!

Did we give Little Einsteins: Race For Space a fair trial? yes / no

What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.

Share This Review

Follow DVD Verdict

Other Reviews You Might Enjoy

• VeggieTales: Minnesota Cuke
• The Snowy Day And Other Ezra Jack Keats Stories
• Baby Looney Tunes, Volume 3: Puddly Olympics
• The Babysitters Club