Fans of PBS Kids’ animated series Hero Elementary received some welcome news this week. Officials with the broadcasting company announced Wednesday, that the series will air new episodes during the week of March 29. If information researched is to be believed, the upcoming episodes are a continuation of the series’ debut season, which launched almost a year ago. While audiences wait for the premiere of the new episodes, they can enjoy a handful of already premiered episodes in the series’ first-ever DVD, Sparks’ Crew Pet Rescue! The DVD is a positive home entertainment debut for the series, thanks in part to its featured episodes. This item will be discussed shortly. The lessons that are featured in each episode are important in their own right to the whole of the DVD’s presentation, too. They will be discussed a little later. Keeping all of the noted content in mind, it makes the DVD’s average price point money well-spent. This will also be discussed later. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the DVD. All things considered, they make Sparks’ Crew Pet Rescue! a successful first home release from Hero Elementary.
Hero Elementary’s debut DVD, Sparks’ Crew Pet Rescue! is a positive first offering from what is one of PBS Kids’ newest programs. It is a presentation that will appeal to audiences of all ages. That is due in no small part to the single-disc presentation’s featured episodes. The collection is composed of approximately 10 episodes, all of which are featured in Hero Elementary’s debut season. The episodes are definitely not featured in chronological order, but that is okay. That is because all 10 episodes actually do follow the central theme of the DVD’s title. Given, not every episode necessarily deals with pets per se, but they do all focus on the central theme of animals. To that end, maybe the DVD’s title should have replaced the word “pet” with the more generic term “animal.” Regardless, that the episodes all follow one overarching theme in their stories is itself laudable.
Staying on the topic of the episodes’ stories, each story gives audiences something different. “Turtle Beach” for instance finds the kids cleaning up a local waterfront where a turtle has laid her eggs. This episode presents a pair of lessons that will be addressed a little later. On another hand, “The Feed for Speed” finds Sparks’ Crew’s “mascot” Fur Blur competing an animal competition with other “mascots” at the young superheroes’ school. It presents its own important lesson that will also be discussed later. “Bugging Out” takes on the familiar science fiction/superhero trope of the protagonist getting shrunken. In this case, it happens accidentally. Audiences will be left to find out for themselves how it happens and how the kids get out of their predicament. Between this episode, the others noted here and the others featured in the DVD, it should be clear by now why the episodes featured in this DVD are so important to its presentation. They form a solid foundation for the DVD in dual fashion. Enhancing that foundation are the lessons that each episode teaches.
The lessons that are taught in the featured episodes are not relegated to just the topic of animal care. “Turtle Beach” for instance presents an ecological lesson when Mr. Sparks’ students clean up the beach. It is not just to look out for the baby turtles who hatch at the story’s end, but to care for the planet. This is done in a non-preachy fashion, too, making it well-placed into the story. The lesson in “Feed For Speed” is one of the importance of proper pet care. Young viewers learn how important it is to make sure our furry, four-legged friends are properly fed and cared for. They learn through this episode, the importance of taking that responsibility seriously when Fur Blur struggles through the school’s animal superhero contest. It is yet another important lesson that bears repeating for any child wanting a pet. Children need to understand that it’s not all just fun and games. “What You Don’t See,” which comes late in the DVD’s presentation, teaches the all-too-familiar lesson about how animals use camouflage for survival. The lesson is learned as the kids have to save a wild horse. It is just one more way in which the various lessons featured in the DVD prove their importance to the collection’s presentation. When they and the rest of the featured lessons are considered along with the episodes and their stories, that depth and breadth of content leaves no doubt that audiences of all ages will remain engaged and entertained throughout this collection’s two-hour-plus run time. Now, keeping all of this in mind, that certainty means the DVD’s average price point is money well-spent.
The average price point of Sparks’ Crew Pet Rescue! is $8.39. That number was obtained by averaging listings at Walmart, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, and PBS’ online store. The DVD was not listed through Target and Books-A-Million at the time of this review’s posting. What is interesting here is that save for PBS’ listing of $9.99, $7.99 was the most commonly occurring listing. It showed up at each of the other noted retailers. While PBS’ listing exceeds the average price point, it is still less than $20. The other listings are less than $10. Of course after shipping and handling numbers do go up slightly, but only slightly at best. To that end, whether viewers choose the less expensive listings or that of PBS’ the reality is that this DVD is not going to break anyone’s budget. What’s more, audiences will get more than two hours of engaging and entertaining when they purchase the relatively affordable DVD. Keeping all of this in mind, the whole of Sparks’ Crew Pet Rescue! proves itself to be a truly successful presentation and deserving of a spot on any critic’s list of the year’s top new family DVDs.
Hero Elementary: Sparks’ Crew Pet Rescue is available now. More information on PBS Distribution’s new Hero Elementary DVD is available along with activities, printables, and more at:
Website: https://pbskids.org/heroelementary
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeroElementary
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