'Whale Rider,' other flicks good family fun

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Oct 30, 2003 by Chris Hicks Deseret Morning News

Here are some new family-oriented DVDs that have recently landed on video-store shelves.

-- "Whale Rider" (Columbia/TriStar, 2003, PG-13, $26.95). This utterly charming -- and beautifully photographed -- family film was a surprise hit over the summer, the story of a young Maori girl in New Zealand whose mother died in childbirth and whose father has run off. As a result, she has been raised by her grandparents.

Her grandfather, however, is a tribal chief, and he's disappointed that she's not a grandson to whom he can pass on Maori tradition. His 12-year-old granddaughter is quite capable but he ignores her desires and focuses instead on local boys in the village. And it takes the title moment to bring them together.

Keisha Castle-Hughes is perfect as the girl, and the rest of the cast is also very good. (And the PG-13 is completely unwarranted -- especially compared to most PG-13 movies today; this one should be rated PG.)

Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary, trailers, making-of documentaries, deleted scenes, photo gallery, etc.

-- "A Kid for Two Farthings" (Home Vision, 1955, not rated, $19.95). This sweet fable from director Carol Reed ("The Third Man") is about a poor boy (Jonathan Ashmore) in London who wants to help his mother and her friends find happiness. So, when his mother's employer, Mr. Kadinsky (David Kossoff), a tailor, tells the boy about magical unicorns and how they can grant wishes, the lad gathers up his loose change and sets out to buy one in the crowded marketplace.

What he gets is a small baby goat, which has one small, twisted, off-center emerging horn, and he becomes convinced the animal is granting wishes to his friends. The biggest stars here are Celia Johnson as his mother and Diana Dors (who has dialogue about looking like Marilyn Monroe!) as a local girl, and wrestler Primo Carnera is also on had. A delightful artifact.

-- "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 1st Season" (Paramount, 1999-2000, not rated, $49.99, three discs). OK, I'm an adult and I don't have young children at home anymore, so, at first, I felt a little silly watching these "SpongeBob" episodes. But hey, this is one funny show. And I'll bet a lot of parents are watching this with their kids, not sending them into the TV room alone.

While it's unusual to see an entire season of a kids show released in a box set, this one deserves it, and it provides hours of entertainment that will keep your kids busy -- and happy. . . . And maybe you, too.

Extras: Full frame, 40 episodes, video commentary, making-of documentaries, music videos, etc

-- "The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: The Cat's Playhouse" (Columbia/TriStar, not rated, 1996). This is Dr. Seuss, Muppet- style, with three 20-minute episodes aimed at young children, as the Cat in the Hat teaches positive (and musical) messages about cleaning up, enjoying friends, etc. (Sam I Am and Yertl the Turtle also make appearances.)

Extras: Full frame, three episodes, etc.

-- "Thomas & Friends: Platinum Edition (Best of Thomas, Percy & James)" (Anchor Bay, 2003, not rated, $29.98, three discs). Billed as eight episodes selected by viewers, this package is broken down into three discs, "The Best of Thomas," "The Best of Percy" and "The Best of James," with uplifting messages for children and sing-along music.

Extras: Read-A-Long stories, interactive games, DVD-Rom applications, biographies, etc.

-- "Thomas & Friends: Thomas' Snowy Surprise & Other Adventures" (Anchor Bay, 2003, not rated, $19.98). As the title suggests, Thomas the Tank Engine and friends celebrate the holidays here. Good fun for young children.

Extras: Interactive games, Sing-A-Long songs, booklet, etc.

-- "Tiny Planets: Bing Bong Bell" (Ventura, 2003, not rated, $14.99). Little furry Bing and Bong explore the universe on a flying sofa in this colorful computer-animated outing from Europe that airs daily on the Nickelodeon Noggin channel.

Extras: Interactive features, etc.

-- "Sing Along Songs: Brother Bear -- On My Way" (Disney, 2003, not rated, $19.99). Basically karaoke for kids, featuring songs from recent Disney features ("Treasure Planet," "Lilo & Stitch," "Brother Bear," etc.).

Extras: Full frame, interactive games, etc.

-- "Disney's Very Merry Christmas Sing Along Songs" (Disney, 1998, not rated, $19.99). This sing-along disc features Christmas songs set to Disney cartoon clips, all with holiday themes.

Extras: Full frame, 22 sing-along Christmas songs, etc.

E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com