DVD Review: Wayside School: Season One

TV Show Info:
Writer:John Derevlany
Director:Riccardo Durante
Cast: Mark Rendall, Denise Oliver, Tara Strong, Martin Villafana, Lisa Ng, Julie Lemieux, Kedar Brown, Jason Marsden, Jayne Eastwood, Terry McGurrin
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Nickelodeon/Paramount

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: June 25, 2007-Present
Season Air Dates: June 25, 2007 – December 24, 2007
DVD Box Set Release Date: August 19, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $17.99
Episodes: 13 episodes from Season One

I reviewed Wayside: The Movie last year when it first came to DVD. I had heard buzz about a television show being planned. At the time I wasn’t sure if I was going to be a fan or not. In cases like that, where I am not fond of a cartoon, I usually let my girls decide. If they like it, I will begrudgingly watch it for them, but that doesn’t mean I look forward to the process. However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I like Wayside School a lot more than I did the movie version.

The premise of the show is still the same, based on a series of books that offer a unique spin on the classroom environment. Kids really do seem to like this and after giving it a second try I have to admit it’s not a bad show. The main difference between the movie and the show is that many of the voice actors are different. The most noticeable difference is the teacher; Mrs. Jewls is no longer voiced by the talented Kathy Najimy. The new Mrs. Jewls, Julie Lemieux, is equally as amusing, but it would have been nice to see Najimy stick around.

The Wayside School: Season One Plot
Rather than take about the inner workings of the plot, I have decided to offer a plot synopsis for each episode. This gives you, as parents, the chance to see what each show is about and it will help you decide if you feel the show is right for your kids.

“Pull My Pigtail”/”Class Cow”: Dana wants to force Todd to love Maurecia because it’s Valentine’s Day. She plans to make Todd fall in love by having him pull on Maurecia’s ponytail. Next up, Mrs. Jewls is away from class on a faculty retreat and while she’s gone a cow wonders into class! The students assume that it is their substitute teacher and wouldn’t you know it, they end up learning more from the cow than their own teacher!

“Meet the Pets”/”Oh, Great Leader”: The pets come to school and Todd is assigned the job of watching them to ensure that he becomes more responsible. In the other half of the episode, principal Kidswatter is surprised by the birthday party the kids throw for him, especially since he thinks the kids are trying to get rid of him.

“Honors Class”/”Cabbage, My Boy”: In honors class Maurecia is sent to the special, honors class instead of Dana. While she spends her time getting out, Dana spends all her time trying to get in. Next up, Myron adopts a head of lettuce and makes it his younger brother. Mrs. Jewls creates a new assignment that is all about family.

“Mascot Madness”/”He is It!”: The teetherball team thinks that Todd should be the team mascot, but Todd thinks it’s a bad idea. This leads Dana to creating a giant Todd head so that Myron can become the mascot. In the next segment, Todd is it during a game of tag, but when Myron is tagged he demands special treatment and complete obedience.

“Best Friendzzz”/”Kindergarten King”: Myron and Dana get into a fight and decide they cannot be best friends anymore. Myron becomes best friends with Shari (while she is sleeping) and Dana is Todd’s new bff. In the next episode, Todd is sent home early and is forced to ride the kindergarten bus. While on the way home, Todd helps out a kindergartener and becomes the king of the small children.

“Myron Vs. Normy”/”Age of Aquarium”: Myron pretends to be his made up twin brother Normy in order to avoid getting in trouble. Everyone likes him so much that they want him to be class president. Todd is the only one that realizes that Normy is really Myron and tries to convince him to do the right thing. In “Age of Aquarium”, the kids get to experience a field trip, but instead of the kids going to the aquarium, the fish come to the classroom!

“Channel Kidswatter”/”The Elevator”: The principal decides to run a home shopping channel out of his office. The students begin to supply plenty of trinkets, claiming they are from the new art curriculum. The stairs aren’t working in the second part of the episode, but when Todd and Principal Kidswatter get stuck in the elevator a bunch of kids calling themselves Louis have to work together to get them out.

“Mad Hot”/”Mamaland Blues”: The principal challenges a neighboring school to a dance competition. He then decides the team to represent Wayside will be Todd, Maurecia, Myron, and Dana. Next up, Dana discovers a marriage certificate and begins to think that her and Miss Mush might be related.

“Principles of Principals”/”Teacher’s Parent Conference”: Not knowing that Principal Kidswatter was trying to set people up, Todd wins the principal for a day contest only to end up with tons of work to do. In the next episode, It’s grading day and the kids need to submit a report card for Mrs. Jewls. Todd gives Mrs. Jewls bad marks causing her to need to stay after school. When her father threatens to make her teach at a private school, the kids ban together to help Todd and keep Mrs. Jewls at Wayside.

“Rat in Shining Armor”/”Mrs. Gorf”: During the spring Halloween dance, the kids need to dress up as something. Maurecia wants Todd to dance with her and when he won’t do it Miss Mush puts a rat in a knight suit to give Maurecia a dance partner. Next up, the kids will be going on a camping trip on the 18th floor. Maurecia wants Todd to sit next to her, but he’s afraid that she will want to punch him in the arm. This leads to a discussion about their old teacher Mrs. Gorf.

“Todd Falls in Love”/”French Fried”: Todd learns that Maurecia posted love posters about him all over the place. In retaliation, Todd eats Mush’s mushroom surprise, which makes him fall in love with an unlikely suspect. The next episode has a new chef working in the teacher’s lounge. This makes Miss Mush incredibly jealous and leads to a cooking challenge!

“Music Lessons”/”Todd and Bull Story”: Myron uses a nose flute to control his friends, but he learns that the sound also makes cows tear down the school. In “Todd & Bull Story”, the kids mistake a pile of props for a Wishing Well. Little do they know, Todd is the one making their wishes come true.

“Louis Gets Some Class”/”My Fluffy Hair”: When the principal learns that Louis never graduated he makes him go back to class. Myron doesn’t like this though because Louis is more popular. Next up, Fluffy thinks Maurecia pays more attention to Todd, so he runs away. Fluffy is later mistaken for a wig and decides to use this new power to bring down Todd.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
It states on the box that Wayside School: Season One is available in 1.33:1 standard full frame video. However, the specs must be wrong because mine looked much nicer than I expected it to look given the circumstances. No matter the specs, Wayside looks great with a beautiful, bright color blend and nothing negative to report in the way of compression errors or picture deformities.

The audio is offered in Dolby Digital 2.0 and it sounds just fine the way it is. Actually, it sounds much better than I expected from a children’s cartoon. The music is fun and lively and the dialogue is easy to understand. In addition to an English track, audio is available in both French and Spanish. Closed Captioning is also added for those with hearing impairments.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
There is only one true bonus feature, as I am not counting the before the series Wayside: The Movie preview. The one real feature available is not really a feature at all, but an added gift. Wayside is packed with one of the books that the series is based on, Sideways Stories. This is a great book that kids will love to read. My oldest daughter spent plenty of her free time reading this to her younger sister with only the occasional need for help from me. I was thrilled to receive a book with this set as I knew that it was based on the books, but my children hadn’t read them yet. So, while there were no real special features, this book made the set much better than some commentaries or games would have.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
While I had reserved feelings for Wayside: the Movie, I have to say that Wayside School has come to grow on me. The animated characters are unique and things move quickly enough to keep even an adult at least mildly entertained. Most importantly, the kids love it and it’s not anything that I have to worry about them watching. Wayside School is all in good fun and it’s pretty safe television watching for youngsters. There isn’t much here for a parent to complain about!

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Wayside School, Season One, Two Disc Set, TV on DVD, Kids, Cartoons, Nickelodeon, Wayside the Movie, Sideways Stories, Paramount Home Entertainment

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Kassidy received her degree in Journalism in 2002. She lives in the Midwest with her husband of six years, Jason, their two little girls, Madison (6) and Emma (3), and four month old, Little J (Jason Jr.) . The couple is very excited to welcome their first son. Passions in life for Kassidy include painting, writing, being a Mommy, watching romantic comedies, and dancing.

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