Families Have Lots Of Viewing Options As They Spend The Holidays Together

Courtesy: PBS/PBS Distribution/PBS Kids

It’s hard to believe, but there is officially a little more than a week left in the almost old year. For most of the country, it means winter break is here and kids are out of school, getting excited over Christmas and relaxing. That means lots of parents out there are struggling to find ways to entertain their kids and maybe also keep their brains growing at the same time. Phil’s Picks’ final “best of” list for this year will hopefully help with those efforts.

The last of this year’s “best of” lists focuses on the year’s top new single-disc family friendly DVDs and Blu-rays. It features new releases for families from PBS, Shout! Factory, and Nickelodeon, as well as Turner Broadcasting/Cartoon Network, and even 20th Century Studios. It runs the gamut from the educational to the entertaining, too.

Without any further ado, here is the last of Phil’s Picks’ “best of” lists for 2021, this year’s Top 10 New Family DVDs/BDs.

PHIL’S PICKS’ 2021 TOP 10 NEW FAMILY DVDs/BDs

  1. Hero Elementary: Sparks’ Crew Animal Rescue
  2. Wild Kratts: Cats and Dogs
  3. Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island
  4. Molly of Denali: Molly & The Great One
  5. Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Curse of the Shadows
  6. Victor & Valentino: Folk Art Foes
  7. Ron’s Gone Wrong
  8. Jungle Cruise
  9. Paw Patrol: The Movie
  10. PBS Kids Christmas Collection
  11. Thomas & Friends All Engines Go!: Time For Teamwork
  12. Sesame Street: Things Elmo Likes
  13. Sesame Street: Wonderful World of Friends
  14. Baby Shark’s Big Show!
  15. PBS Kids 15 Girl Power Adventures

That’s it for this year, folks. Again though, there are lots of new titles already announced and scheduled for 2022, so Phil’s Picks is already looking forward to next year for all the new family DVDs and BDs and so much other content. Stay tuned!

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PBS Distribution Keeps Rolling Along Strong With Its Latest ‘Dinosaur Train’ DVD

Courtesy :PBS Distribution/PBS/PBS Kids

Paramount Pictures’ Jurassic Park franchise is a hugely successful series of movies.  That goes without saying.  The property has spawned five movies with a sixth on the way next year.  There is also a lego-based series on Nickelodeon and a series of related kid-friendly video games.  It has even spawned any number of second-rate knock offs from so many independent studios that are anything but memorable.  It really speaks to the franchise’s popularity and longevity.  This past April, the franchise’s popularity was shown even more when PBS and PBS Kids aired a new Dinosaur Train “movie” in the form of Adventure Island.  Unlike all of those noted knock-offs, this take on the Jurassic Park franchise this take is completely entertaining.  That is thanks to its story, which will be discussed shortly.  The bonus episodes that accompany the “movie” make the movie’s home presentation appealing in their own right.  Considering that content featured in this DVD, it makes the DVD’s pricing a positive in its own right.  Each item noted is important in its own right to the whole of the DVD.  All things considered, they make Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island one more of this year’s top new family DVDs/BDs.

PBS Distribution’s home release of Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island is a welcome new addition to the show’s ongoing series of DVDs.  It is so enjoyable that there is no doubt it deserves a spot on the list of this year’s top new family DVDs/BDs.  The DVD’s appeal comes in large part through its main feature, its almost hour-long “movie,” Adventure Island.  As has been noted, the “movie” is a spoof of the movies in the Jurassic Park franchise.  In this story, the Pteranodon family is invited to Adventure Island, a theme part island populated by a bunch of robot dinosaurs and filled with what are supposed to be fun rides.  The robotic dinosaurs are powered by steam, and when unexpectedly go wrong with some of the island’s systems, the dinosaurs get too hot and end up going haywire.  Fittingly, it is up to the Pteranodon kids – Tiny, Shiny, Don, and Buddy – as well as the park’s employees to set things right and get the automatons working right again.  The head of the whole operation denies the problems at first, but eventually admits something is wrong, leading to the eventual happy ending.  While the story is clearly a lifting from the Jurassic Park franchise, it is still its own story.  That originality — and the very fact that unlike the Jurassic Park movies, this movie is family friendly – makes for even more appeal. 

The story’s pacing plays into the presentation, too.  It ensures the story plays out fluidly from beginning to end.  The result of the attention to that item is that it ensures audiences’ maintained engagement and entertainment in its own right.  Keeping that in mind along with the story’s very presentation, the whole shows clearly why this main feature is so important to the DVD’s presentation.  It is just one part of what makes the DVD so appealing.  The bonus episodes that accompany the main feature add their own enjoyment to the whole.

The bonus episode, “Junior Conductor’s Academy” stands out because it marks the first time that the series has taken on the issue of autism.  It joins the likes of Arthur, Hero Elementary, and Sesame Street to focus on the matter as the Pteranodon kids go to the Junior Conductor’s Academy and meet a new dino friend named Dennis.  Dennis is autistic, but at no point do the show’s writers bring extra attention to this matter.  Rather, they ensure that the Pteranodon kids treat Dennis just like he is one of them.  In other words, the writers have normalized the condition rather than pointing it out.  This is actually something hugely important.  It is important because in reality, pointing out such a condition and bringing that added attention can in fact do more emotional and mental harm than good for someone who is autistic.  It can actually be in advertently turned more into a stigma even if one’s attentions in pointing out the condition are honorable.  The same applies to anyone with any handicap, whether mental or physical.  Just like someone in a wheelchair does not want special attention or accommodations, but to be treated like a person first and foremost, so would a person with autism want to be treated as a person first and foremost.  That is exactly what the writers have done here.  The writers are to be highly commended for that approach, just like the writers on the other noted shows for their approaches.

The second bonus episode, “Rollin’ on the Riverboat,” is completely opposite from “Junior Conductor’s Academy.”  In the case of this episode, the Pteranodon family takes a trip along a river on a paddle wheel boat.  The kids learn about the animals that call the river ecosystem home.  This lesson stands out because for so much of the series, the focus on aquatic life has been in the ocean or at a beach setting.  So for the family to go down a more contained aquatic setting and learn about its ecosystem is a major change of pace for the series.  The show’s writers are to be commended just as much for this switch-up as for the approach taken to “Junior Conductor’s Academy.”  There is even a musical number that, in its own way, pays tribute to the one and only Tina Turner and one of her greatest songs.  Audiences will be left to take in this moment for themselves.  Along the way, the passengers even meet a giant dinosaur that they thought was only a myth, leading to a lesson about another dinosaur, which is sure to engage audiences of all ages even more.  The combination of these two fully engaging and entertaining bonus episodes enhances the viewing experience even more.  When that impact is considered along with the engagement and entertainment guaranteed through the DVD’s main feature, the whole shows the DVD’s content as one large whole that makes the DVD well worth the purchase.  Considering the content featured in this DVD and its impact on the viewing experience, it makes the DVD’s pricing a positive in its own right.

The average price point for Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island is right at $8.00.  That price is obtained by averaging prices listed through Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Books-A-Million, and PBS’ store.  Considering that the average price point is less than $10 speaks volumes, considering how much content is offered in this DVD and its ability to keep viewers engaged and entertained.  It is definitely something in itself that will encourage audiences to purchase the DVD.  The least expensive listing is through Amazon and Target, at only $5.89.  PBS, Books-A-Million, and Barnes & Noble Booksellers each list the DVD on the high end (so to speak) at $9.99.  Walmart lists the DVD at $6.27, just above that lowest listing from Amazon and Target.  Best Buy’s listing of $7.99 serves as the mid-range price.  Looking at all of these prices, only three exceed the average price point, and Best Buy’s listing is the only one that even reaches that point.  Walmart, Target, and Amazon all offer relatively affordable prices that will not break anyone’s budget by any means.  Again, considering the amount of content featured in this DVD and that content’s ability to ensure audiences’ engagement and entertainment, it makes those prices all the more appealing.  Keeping that in mind, it shows why it is just as important to examine as the DVD’s content.  All things considered, they make Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island one more of this year’s top new family DVDs/BDs.

PBS Distribution’s recently released Dinosaur Train DVD, Adventure Island is yet another impressive offering for the while family.  It continues to show why the series is such a beloved property in part through its main feature.  The main feature is a nearly hour-long story that uses the beloved Jurassic Park franchise as its inspiration, while keeping the story family friendly at the same time.  That blend of originality and familiarity pairs with the story’s family friendly nature to make the story so enjoyable in itself.  The two bonus episodes make for their own entertainment because they are unlike one another and unlike the main feature.  Considering the content and its impact, the DVD’s pricing proves to be its own positive.  The pricing comes in largely at less than $10 both in terms of the average price point and the separate listings.  In other words, it will not break any viewer’s budget.  Keeping that in mind, the pricing works with the DVD’s content to offer audiences even more motivation to own this presentation.  All things considered, they make the DVD one more of the year’s top new Family DVDs/BDs.

Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island is available now. More information on Dinosaur Train is available online now along with lots of activities, printables, videos and more at:

Websitehttps://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/DinosaurTrain

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Amazon Prime Video Channel Streaming New Collection Of ‘Dinosaur Train’ Episodes; ‘Molly Of Denali,’ ‘Arthur’ Episodes Coming

Courtesy: PBS/PBS Kids/Amazon

PBS Kids is streaming more episodes of Dinosaur Train on the PBS Kids Amazon Prime Video Channel.

Dinosaur TrainVolume 10 started streaming Friday. The five-episode collection features the episodes ‘The Tiny-Saur Train/How Many Horns,’ ‘Don’s Hole-iday’/’We’re Not All Dinosaurs,’ ‘Gilbert The Conductor’/A Clubhouse of Their Own,’ ‘Mom Was A Kid Once (Parts 1 & 2)’ and ‘A Brand New Species (Parts 1 & 2).’

This latest collection of episodes takes the Pteranodon kids off to China for one episode.  In yet another episode, the kids meet a new friend who happens to be a small mammal named Adele Alphadon.  ‘A Treehouse of their Own’ finds the Pteranodon kids wanting a place of their own to hang out that is separate from that of the neighbors.  The kids eventually find the right materials to build their treehouse, thanks to help from their mom.

Courtesy: PBS Kids/PBS/Amazon

The Dinosaur Train episodes that are streaming now via the PBS Kids Amazon Prime Video Channel will help audiences pass the time until the premiere of Molly of Denali Volume Four and the new Arthur special, ‘The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur.’  The prior is scheduled to start streaming Jan. 17 and will feature five episodes from the fledgling series while the latter is scheduled to start streaming Jan. 21.

Molly of Denali Volume Four will feature the episodes ‘Northern Lights/Fiddlesticks,’ ‘Mollyball/Visit Qyah,’ ‘The Night Manager/Not So Permafrost,’ ‘Tooth or Consequences’/Qyah Spy’ and ‘Ice Scuplture/Tale of the Totem.’

‘Northern Lights’ presents Molly working to introduce her friend Trini to the famed Northern Lights after Trini confesses she has never seen them in person.  Molly and her friends make up their own game called ‘Mollyball’ in the aptly-named episode after wet cements ruins plans by Molly and her friends to play a game of basketball.

Courtesy: PBS Kids/PBS/Amazon

In Arthur‘s new movie ‘The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur,’ Arthur learns an important lesson about family and about music, culture and history when he and his family take a trip to visit his Great-Grand Uncle Theo.  Theo is celebrating his 85th birthday, and as the family celebrates, Arthur leans that life in the country is dramatically different from life in the city.

‘The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur’ runs one hour.

More information on these collections and the latest news from PBS Kids is available online at:

 

Website: http://www.pbskids.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PBSKIDS

 

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

‘Arthur’ Leads 2019’s Top New Family DVDs/BDs With Its New Celebration Of Diversity

Courtesy: PBS/PBS Distribution

Entertaining children and keeping them  entertained is not an easy task.  Every parent out there can attest to this statement, including this critic.  Thankfully, new DVDs and Blu-rays are released annually that go a long way toward keeping children entertained while also bringing families together.  This year saw its own share of strong new DVDs and Blu-rays for families, too.  That was thanks to PBS Distribution, Shout! Factory  and even — believe it or not — Warner Brothers Home Entertainment.  From Sesame Street to Wild Kratts to even Scooby Doo and more, this year’s family-friendly DVD and BD releases offered hours of entertainment.

As with every list presented so far, this year’s list features the Top 10 titles of the year, plus five honorable mention titles for a total of 15 new releases.  Without further ado, here for your consideration is Phil’s Picks 2019 Top 10 New Family DVDs and BDs.

 

PHIL’S PICKS 2019 TOP 10 NEW FAMILY DVDs/BDs

  1. ArthurArthur Celebrates Community
  2. Ready Jet Go!One Small Step
  3. Ready Jet Go!Space Rocks
  4. Nature CatNature Cat & Mr. Hide
  5. The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales
  6. Mister Rogers’ NeighborhoodMister Rogers & Making Mistakes
  7. Ready Jet Go!Chasing The Sun
  8. Sesame StreetAwesome Alphabet Collection
  9. Sesame StreetCelebrate Family
  10. Scooby Doo & The Curse of the 13th Ghost
  11. Wild KrattsCreepy Creatures
  12. Wild KrattsBriny Blue Sea
  13. Splash & BubblesPole To Pole
  14. Dinosaur TrainDinosaurs Big & Small
  15. Oddsockeaters

 

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PBS Distribution Releases New ‘Dinosaur Train’ DVD

Courtesy: PBS Distribution/PBS/PBS Kids

PBS Distribution released another new collection of episodes from PBS Kids’ hit series Dinosaur Train this week.

Dinosaur TrainDinosaurs Big & Small was released Tuesday on DVD.  The collection features 10 more episodes from the family favorite animated series.  One of the multitude of episodes — titled “How Many Horns” — features Buddy Pteranodon and his friend Tank Triceratops learning why different dinosaurs have a different number of horns.

“The Tiny-Saur Train” sends the Pteranodon kids off to prehistoric China in a search for the smallest dinosaur of all.

“We’re Not All Dinosaurs,” another of the DVD’s featured episodes, finds the Pteranodon kids meeting a new mammal friend named Adele Alphadon and her friend Cindy Cimolestes.  The discussions in this episode point out that not all Mesozoic creatures were dinosaurs.

Dinosaur TrainDinosaurs Big and Small is available now.  More information on Dinosaur Train is available online now along with lots of activities, printables, videos and more at:

 

Website: http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DinosaurTrain

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

PBS Kids’ New ‘Ready Jet Go!’ DVD Is “Rocking” Fun For The Whole Family

Courtesy: PBS/PBS Distribution

PBS Distribution will release another new collection of Ready Jet Go! Episodes next month on DVD.  The new collection, Chasing The Sun, is set for release April 9.  While audiences wait for the DVD’s release, they have another collection of episodes from the hit series in the form of Ready Jet Go!: Space Rocks.  Released this past January, the DVD features four episodes from the series’ first season that will both entertain and educate audiences of all ages.  Those episodes are themselves are just one of a group of reasons for any family to own this DVD.  The episodes’ secondary content plays its own critical role in the DVD’s presentation.  It will be discussed a little later.  When the DVD’s primary and secondary content is coupled with the DVD’s average price point, the whole of the single-disc presentation makes the collection a (space) rocking – yes, that awful pun was intentional – collection that the whole family will enjoy.

PBS Distribution’s new Ready Jet Go! DVD, Space Rocks is a collection that space enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy.  That is due in part to the episodes featured in the DVD and their primary content.  All four of the episodes featured in this latest RJG compilation are lifted from the series’ debut season, and are presented in exactly the same chronological order in which they were originally aired on television.  This is good in itself in that it means nothing is left out as audiences watch.  Instead of jumping around from one point to another, audiences can feel as if they are watching it on television instead of on DVD.  It’s a minor aesthetic element, sure, but in the bigger picture, that element goes a long way toward the DVD’s presentation.

The actual primary content presented in the episodes is just as important to note of the episodes as their sequencing.  Audiences of all ages will enjoy the lessons about the changing forms of space rocks in “Asteroids, Meteors and Meteorites” and the lessons about the compositions of meteorites and comets in the episodes.  Older audiences will enjoy the lessons because, honestly, plenty of adults forget the specifics of the noted topics very easily.  So for adults, the lessons would be learned for the first time again while for younger viewers, the lessons will be just as fresh, learning them for the first time ever.  As if this is not enough, the lessons tie into one another from the first to the last.  First is the lesson about the different terms used to classify space rocks as they make their way toward and onto Earth.  From there, audiences learn how to determine an average Earth rock from a space rock in terms of its composition and characteristics.  Immediately after that episode, audiences are taught about the composition of comets, which themselves are space rocks.  From there, Jet and his friends create their own asteroid patrol, a smaller version of what NASA already does.  They are then introduced to what the said scientists do every single day.  Again, older audiences will enjoy learning facts that they likely forgot over the years while younger viewers will enjoy just as much, learning those same lessons for the first time.  It makes for an enjoyable time for the whole family.  That is more than enough reason for audiences to check out this DVD, but most definitely not the only reason.  The secondary lessons incorporated into the episodes add even more reason for audiences to view the DVD.

Audiences learn how to make their own homemade comet in the secondary lesson in “Comet Fever.”  “Mindy’s Meteorite Stand” uses the lesson of how to tell the difference in an Earth and space rock as its primary AND secondary lesson.  The use of the magnets plays into the traits that determine if a rock is from space or Earth.  This is the starting point for families and even teachers to do their own lesson about how to spot Earth rocks and space rocks.  “Asteroid Patrol” helps viewers of all ages learn where to look for asteroids in the sky and what to look for.  Simply put, the lessons presented in each episode are just as valuable as the primary content because they take the information presented in the primary lessons and use them to continue that learning first hand.  When the two lessons are coupled, they give audiences more than enough to appreciate.  Keeping that in mind, the DVD’s average price point proves to be money well-spent.

The average price point of Ready Jet Go!: Space Rocks is $5.17.  That price is obtained by averaging prices from PBS’ online store, from Target, Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Books-A-Million.  The least expensive listing at the time of this review is at Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart at $4.79.  The most expensive listing is at Books-A-Million and PBS’ online store.  Whether one purchases the DVD at the low end or high, neither price is very high.  Purchasing the DVD will not break any family’s budget, and will be enjoyed plenty of times at that one-time price.  Considering all that the DVD offers, that makes the disc’s average price point quite affordable.  Keeping everything in mind here, the DVD in whole proves itself a positive addition to any family’s home DVD library.

PBS Distribution’s most recent Ready Jet Go! DVD, Space Rocks is another enjoyable new offering from Craig Bartlett’s (Hey Arnold!, Dinosaur Train) hit science-based educational series.  That is thanks in part to the episodes featured in the DVD and their primary content, which will entertain and educate audiences of all ages.  The secondary content serves as a solid starting point for educators and families alike to try their own related experiments and experiences.  The disc’s average price point is money well-spent, considering all that the primary and secondary has to offer audiences.  Each item is important in its own way to the whole of Ready Jet Go!: Space Rocks.  All things considered, they make the DVD another out of this world hit for the whole family.  More information on Ready Jet Go!: Space Rocks is available online along with lots of games, activities and printables at:

 

 

 

Website: http://pbskids.org/readyjetgo

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OfficialReadyJetGo

 

 

 

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‘The Railway Children’ “Steams Ahead” Of The Competition In Phil’s Picks’ 2018 Top 10 New Family DVDs/BDs List

Courtesy: Film Movement

This critic, for those who might not know, is a parent and is married.  It makes finding time to go through everything needed difficult at times.  It also means trying to find ways to keep a child entertained quite often.  Keeping a child entertained includes finding DVDs and Blu-rays that will entertain and educate at the same time.

Thankfully, that part of doing this job is not too difficult, as companies, such as Public Media Distribution, Film Movement and Shout! Factory Kids have offered again this year, plenty of options.  Those options include, and are not limited to two new (and seemingly the last) Transformers Rescue Bots DVDs, two more fun-filled collections of episodes from Nature Cat and more new material from Wild Kratts and Dinosaur Train.

Of course that new material is just some of the fun new fare offered for families this year.  Film Movement’s release of The Railway Children live is a welcome new take on a stage presentation that also honors its literary source material, and Nickelodeon’s long-awaited Hey ArnoldThe Jungle Movie is a bit of a disappointment, but still worth at least one watch thanks to some major writing problems.

The top spot in this year’s Top 10 new Family DVDs/BDs list goes to the noted stage adaptation of The Railway Children.  This adaptation honors its source material while also presenting a one-of-its kind stage presentation that is unlike almost anything that American audiences have ever seen from stage plays.

The number two and three spots on this year’s list go to Public Media Distribution’s two new Nature Cat DVDs, Onward & Pondward and Winter Dance Party.  Each DVD’s episodes follow a specific theme while also teaching lessons that are directly linked with the themes.

Also included in this year’s list, as noted already are the new Wild Kratts  DVDs and those from Transformers Rescue Bots along with the new Hey Arnold! movie, just to name a handful of titles.  As always, the top 10 pics are the best while the five that follow are honorable mention titles.  Without any further ado, here is Phil’s Picks 2018 Top 10 New Family DVDs & BDs list.

PHIL’S PICKS 2018 TOP 10 NEW FAMILY DVDs & BLU-RAYs

  1. The Railway Children
  2. Nature CatOnward & Pondward
  3. Nature CatWinter Dance Party
  4. Transformers Rescue BotsOutdoor Adventures
  5. Transformers Rescue BotsTeam Rescue Bots
  6. Dinosaur TrainMaking New Friends
  7. Wild KrattsAdventures on the African Savannah
  8. Wild KrattsMdagascar Madness
  9. Littlest Pet ShopBest Pet Friends
  10. Ready Jet Go!Jet’s First Halloween
  11. Super WhyThe Adventures of Little Bo Peep & Her Sheep
  12. Arthur: D.Wand the Beastly Birthday
  13. Hotel Transylvania 3
  14. Disney Pixar Short FilmsVolume 3
  15. Hey Arnold!The Jungle Movie

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Writing, Pricing Make PBS’ New “Dinosaur Train” DVD Another Success From The Hit Series

Courtesy: PBS Distribution/PBS Kids/PBS/Public Media Distribution

All aboard! The dinosaur train is off on more adventures in a brand new Dinosaur Train DVD, Meeting New Friends.  Released June 12, this latest collection of episodes from the family favorite PBS Kids series is another fun set for audiences of all ages.  That is proven in part through the collection’s featured stories.  They will be discussed shortly.  The lessons that are taught through the stories are also important to discuss by connection.  They will be discussed a little later.  The DVD’s relatively affordable average price point rounds out the DVD’s most important elements.  It will be discussed a little later, too.  Each element is important in its own right, as will be pointed out here.  All things considered, they make Dinosaur Train: Meeting New Friends another wonderful, welcome ride on the Dinosaur Train for the whole family.

PBS Kids’ new Dinosaur Train DVD Meeting New Friends is another fun, welcome ride back in time that is sure to entertain and engage the whole family.  That is proven in part through the stories presented throughout this set.  All eight episodes follow the set’s central theme of making friends while continuing to introduce new species of prehistoric creatures.  The Pteranodon kids and their parents befriend a turtle and his friend Tommy, a prehistoric rodent who were washed onto the Pteranodon family’s home after a hurricane in “Rafting the Cretacious.”  It’s through this episode that young viewers are taught about hurricanes and animal dispersal as well as about certain creatures.  It’s fitting that this episode is included in this set, considering that the set has been released during hurricane season.  It’s a good starting point for discussions on said weather systems.  “Beating The Heat” presents its own story, which sees the Pteranodon kids learn about Stegosaurus’ plates.  Not to give anything away, but it turns out they actually have more than one use.  This is something that even adults will appreciate learning.  “Tiny and the Crocodile” introduces another prehistoric creature, this time a dangerous pre-historic crocodile.  These are just a few examples of why the stories included in this set are so important.  Between these stories and others not directly noted here, it becomes clear in watching this DVD that the stories themselves offer plenty for audiences of all ages to appreciate.  They are original and they follow one central theme (I.E. maintaining a certain continuity).  As much as this does to make the DVD’s viewing experience a pleasure, it is only part of what makes the DVD so positive.  The lessons tied into the stories are just as important to the DVD’s presentation as the episodes’ stories.

The lessons tied into the stories are so important to discuss because they don’t stick to just science.  Given, the science lessons are there.  That should not be mistaken.  However, they are not the only lessons presented in these episodes.  “Tiny and the Crocodile” teaches young viewers an important lesson about confronting things that scare you, and does so without going over the top in doing so at the same time.  It presents this lesson by having Tiny go to meet a giant crocodilian named Deanna Dinosuchas, who is the natural predator of Pteranodons.  Deanna is definitely an imposing creature, but Tiny doesn’t let that get to her, and ends up, of course, making a new friend in an unlikely creature.  That in itself leads to an even deeper lesson about never knowing what one can accomplish unless one tries.  To that end, these collective lessons in themselves go a long way toward showing why the lessons are so important.  “Double-Crested Trouble” teaches another important non-science lesson in the form of the importance of teamwork.  This lesson is taught as two Dilophosaurus brothers exhibit quite the sibling rivalry, to which the Pteranodon kids have to react before things get out of hand.  Obviously it ends well.  That’s to be expected.  The important matter is that this lesson would once continue the series’ ongoing tradition of adding non-science lessons into the standard science lessons. To a certain point, “Tiny’s Tiny Friend” also continues that tradition by promoting the lesson of compromise.  This argued lessons rises when a Cimolestes names Cindy (it looks kind of like a possum crossed with a ferret) takes Tiny’s spot on a tree.  Rather than just get mad, Tiny and her siblings work to find Cindy her own spot in the tree.  Of course, they succeed, too, and in the process, make another new friend in Cindy. It’s just one more way in which the lessons tied into these episodes prove to be so important to the DVD’s presentation overall.  When they are joined by the standard scientific lessons included in each episode, the whole of the lessons presents just as much for viewers to appreciate as the stories themselves.  Keeping this in mind, the stories in these episodes and their related lessons are both critical to the DVD’s whole, but are still not the only key elements to consider in what makes the DVD a success.  Its average price point plays into its success, too.

Using the country’s five biggest retailers – Target, Best Buy, Wal-mart, Amazon and PBS’ store – the average price point of this single-disc collection proves to be more than a little affordable.  Between the five outlets, that noted price sits at $8.21.  It is being listed least expensive – no surprise – at PBS’ online store – and a little more surprisingly – via Target.  Of course, this average price point is reached without adding in tax, shipping and handling.  It is just the base price.  Either way, the average price point of less than $10 for eight episodes is affordable for any viewer.  Simply put, at $8.21, that makes the unit price just over $1 per episode.  Again, this will appeal to any family because it is so budget friendly.  When it is considered along with the original stories and the mix of lessons tied into the stories, the whole of these elements goes a long way toward making DinosaurTrain: Meeting New Friends another new welcome DVD from the hit PBS Kids series.

PBS Kids’ new Dinosaur Train DVD, Meeting New Friends, is hardly the first collection of episodes to be released on DVD from the hit series.  At the same time, it is just as enjoyable and impressive as its predecessors.  That is proven in part through the eight original stories that make up the body of the DVD.  The lessons that are tied into the stories add even more depth and enjoyment to the DVD’s presentation.  When the set’s affordable average price point of less than $10 is considered along with the stories and lessons, the whole of the elements, all three elements prove to give audiences of all ages more than enough reason to add this DVD to their home video libraries.  It is available now in stores and online.  More information on this and other Dinosaur Train DVDs is available online now along with printables, activities and more at:

 

 

 

Website: http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtain

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DinosaurTrain

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

PBS Announces Release Date, Specs For New ‘Dinosaur Train’ DVD

Courtesy: PBS Distribution/PBS Kids/PBS/Public Media Distribution

PBS Distribution has another new Dinosaur Train DVD on the way.

Dinosaur TrainMeeting New Friends is scheduled to be released June 12 on DVD and Digital HD.  The series’ latest collection of episodes, it features another handful of episodes that finds the Pteranodon family making new friends in a variety of situations.

In one of the collection’s episods, the Pteranodon family takes a surprise day trip that leads them to meet a Tyrannosaurus Rex who has features similar to Buddy’s.  Another of the featured adventures finds the Pteranodon family helping a pair of new friends find their way home.  In yet another of the collection’s episodes, the Pteranodons meet a 40-foot crocodile named Deanna Dienosuchas, who has quite the toothy smile.

In all, Dinosaur TrainMeeting New Friends features eight episodes and runs for a total of 88 minutes.  It will retail for MSRP of $12.99, but can be pre-ordered online now at a reduced price of $7.99 via PBS’ online store.

More information on Dinosaur TrainMeeting New Friends is available along with Dinosaur Train games, activities, printables and more at:

Website: http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DinosaurTrain

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

PBS Kids Heads Skyward With New ‘Dinosaur Train’ DVD

Courtesy: PBS Kids/PBS/Public Media Distribution

PBS Kids and Public Media Distribution have partnered to take families into the sky with a new Dinosaur Train DVD.

Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs Take Flight will be released Tuesday, June 13 in stores and online. The DVD features eight more episodes spread across a single disc at a total run time of two hours. The DVD will retail for MSRP of $12.99 and can be ordered online now via PBS’ online store.

Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs Take Flight gets its name primarily from its special four-part episode which takes the Pteranodon family on the maiden voyage of the Dinosaur Train Zeppelin.  Tiny, Shiny, Don and their parents discover more than just more dinosaurs on the airship’s first flight.  They also learn about how Earth’s continents came to be spread across the planet, how craters and atolls are formed and even waterfalls.

The second group of episodes is unrelated to the disc’s main episodes. However, it does follow the flying theme in the collection’s title as Don befriends a dragonfly in “Don’s Dragonfly,” and as the Pteranodon family, with the help of Mr. Conductor, help a lost bird get back home in “The Lost Bird.”

The flying theme continues in “Pterosaur Flying Club” and “Petey The Peteinosaurus” as the Pteranodon kids and their friends practice for a flying show and as Tiny, Shiny, Don, and Buddy meet new friend Petey Peteinosaurus respectively.

Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs Take Flight will be released Tuesday, June 13.  More information on this new DVD is available online along with lots of Dinosaur Train activities, games and more at:

 

 

 

Website: http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DinosaurTrain

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.