Fans of PBS Kids’ reboot of The Berenstain Bears will finally get to own the series in whole on DVD starting next week. PBS Distribution is scheduled to release the series’ entire three-season run March 23 on a five-disc set. The collection is largely a positive presentation thanks to its packaging, which will be discussed shortly. While the packaging plays well into the set’s appeal, the collection is not perfect. Its lack of any episode listing detracts from its appeal. This will be discussed a little later. The set’s pricing pairs with the content and packaging to make for its own appeal. When all three items are considered together, the set in whole becomes a work that is still among the best of this year’s new family DVD/BD box sets.
PBS Distribution and Nelvana’s forthcoming release of The Berenstain Bears is a presentation that families will largely welcome. That is due in large part to the set’s packaging. The packaging is important to note because of the space that it saves on consumers’ DVD and BD racks. The case is the size of that which contains a single disc presentation, yet it contains five discs safely and ergonomically inside. What’s interesting is that while the new set spreads the episodes across five discs, the series’ three standalone season sets collectively spread the series across six discs, so one can only assume that some compression or something else took place in order to eliminate one disc. Either that or it simply turned out in the end that six discs were not needed in order to contain all 40 episodes. Each episode had two episodes, leading to the 80 stories noted on the box’s cover. A check of the episodes against a full listing through Wikipedia reveals that all 40 episodes are in fact presented across the set’s discs. So all in all, audiences get in this packaging, the full three season run of The Berenstain Bears in one box that is equal to that of one of the series’ three standalone sets. In other words, audiences get the whole series in a space-saving setting. It makes for a strong start for the presentation.
The packaging used for The Berenstain Bears: The Complete Collection is unquestionably a positive for the set’s presentation. While the packaging is such a strong positive for the set’s presentation, the collection is not perfect. The problem arises in the realization that there is no listing anywhere in- or outside of the box to note which episodes are on which discs. It is a minor aesthetic issue on the surface, but on a deeper level, it means audiences will have to either take time memorizing the points at which the seasons split across the discs or they will just have to take time going through the episode listings on the discs. The displeasure that audiences will feel at having to go through the discs is certain to detract from the enjoyment. To the good, at least the series ran only three seasons, so audiences will not have to go through but so much content to find the episodes that they want to watch. To that end, while the lack of an episode listing does detract from the collection’s presentation, it does not make the set a failure. The set’s pricing works with its content and packaging to make it an overall success.
The average price point for The Berenstain Bears: The Complete Collection is $18.52 That price was obtained by averaging prices listed through Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, and PBS. Interestingly enough, Target has the set listed twice at two completely different prices. The listings are for the same set, not divided between the 1985 series set and 2003 series set. Why Target would post the 2003 series set is anyone’s guess. Regardless, both listings are well below the average price point, at $16.59 and $14.199. Amazon and Best Buy each list the collection below the average price point, too, at $16.59 and 17.99. Barnes & Noble Booksellers and PBS each list the set above the average at $19.99 and $24.99 respectively. Looking at all of these prices, it goes without saying that the collection is relatively affordable for the most part. By and large, audiences will find themselves paying less than $20 for three seasons of content presented chronologically and ergonomically in their new package. All in all, The Berenstain Bears: The Complete Collection proves to be among the best of this year’s new family DVD/BD box sets.
PBS Distribution and Nelvana’s forthcoming release of The Berenstain Bears: The Complete Series is a presentation that any family will welcome by and large. That is due in large part to the set’s packaging. Audiences get all three seasons (40 episodes) of the 2003 series in one normal size DVD case. It is not some bulky box that takes up so much space. Rather, it will replace all but one of the standalone sets that families might own. That is because the case is, again, that normal, even containing five discs. While the packaging does a lot to make this collection so appealing, the lack of an episode listing to help audiences save time does detract from the set’s presentation to a point. Luckily it is not enough to make the set a failure. Keeping that in mind, there is one more positive to note, the set’s pricing. By and large, the collection’s pricing is relatively affordable, coming in at less than $20. Yes, there are a couple of listings that exceed that point, but for the most part, the collection’s pricing proves positive in its own right. When it is considered along with the set’s packaging and full series content presentation, the collection proves itself a welcome presentation in any family’s home DVD/BD library. The Berenstain Bears: The Complete Collection is scheduled for release Tuesday.
More information on The Berenstain Bears: The Complete Collection is available along with all of the latest Berenstain Bears news at:
Website: https://www.berenstainbears.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berenstainbears
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBerenstains
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