All Rise...

Judge David Johnson knows where Spot is. And he'll tell you, right after you drop $100,000 in unmarked bills at the corner of 8th and 42nd.

The Charge

Good dog.

The Case

Based on the line of children's books from author Eric Hill, this 1993 animated series gives us the low-impact, minimalist adventures of Spot the dog. Spot is a curious puppy who talks to a hippo on a swing set. That's about all the narrative depth you're going to get out of these shows, six of which are featured and three more are nestled in the extras. Of course, nuanced storytelling isn't the point here: engaging your kiddos is, and I am confident that Spot is up to the task.

Here are the stories (totaling a lean 30 minutes):

• "Where's Spot?"
• "Spot's Lost Bone"
• "Spot at the Playground"
• "Spot Goes to the Park"
• "Spot Finds a Key"
• "Spot Goes Splash"

See, not hard-hitting tales, but when your source material adds up to about 400 words, what can you do?

All snarkiness aside, Spot is a charming bit of animation that should definitely appeal to the toddler demographic. Stories are brief and succinct, with very little distraction. You've got some laid-back narration detailing Spot's laid-back adventures and a low-impact, hand-drawn animation style, which looks dated in comparison to contemporary cartoons—but dated is good sometimes.

The DVD: full frame, 2.0 stereo, three bonus episodes (;"Spot's Bath,;" ;"Spot's Treehouse,;" ;"Spot's Umbrella;"), a shapes and colors game, and a book reading from Eric Hill

The Verdict

Not Guilty. Here's a bone.

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