All Rise...

Judge David Johnson dances like nobody's watching. And loves like he's never been hurt.

The Charge

Toys II Men.

The Case

Yee haw, more adults ballet dancing in clown makeup! Birthday Bash brings the performers from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet into the Toy Castle for 12 more bite-sized episodes of dancing and fun and dancing. When night falls, the Toy Castle and its inhabitants come to life and the adventure begins, all the way through dawn. These mother@#$%&#@* are hard partiers.

Stories are narrated and set to music, while the dancers glide through the air every which way acting out the narrative. Voices are provided for the dancers, but overlaid on the unmoving mouths, which is a tad disconcerting.

With Birthday Bash—you guessed it—the disc features stories having to do with birthdays and parties. The troupe: Rag Doll, Strongman, Sailor, Soldier, Ballerina, China Doll, Goblin, Clown, Frederick and Freda the cohabitating frog people, and the Mouse Family. The episodes:

• "Birthday Bash"
• "Perfectly Perfect Party"
• "Happy Birthday to Me"
• "Not Your Party"
• "Pick a Picnic"
• "Ruby"
• "Rag Doll's Gift"
• "No Birthday"
• "Surprise Party"
• "Birthday Blunder"
• "Little Rag Doll"
• "Meow Meow's Birthday"

And we're done. Three discs and 270 minutes later, I've come to the final disc of The Toy Castle, and probably not a moment too soon. I was on the verge of trading in my And1 mids and throwing on a pair of slippers and taking to the ozone layer with my pirouettes. This live-action combo of dance and storytelling is very well done, packed with colors and movements, and sure to transfix a kid who's brain has yet to be nuked by Yu-Gi-Oh.

For bonuses, you get more "Learn to Dance" bits and a load of DVD-ROM accessible games and activities.

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