Movie Info:
Writer: Charles M. Schulz
Directors: Bill Melendez
Cast: Chad Webber, Robin Kohn, Stephen Shea, Hilary Momberge, Todd Barbee, Linda Ercoli, Bill Melendez
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video

Release Info:
Original Release: October 29, 1972
DVD Release Date: October 7, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $13.99

Yet another Charlie Brown special is being released. It’s safe to say that 2008 is the year of the Charlie Brown DVD. With recent releases of It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and The Charlie Brown Holiday Collection, it only seems fitting that You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown should be Warner Home Video’s latest release. It is an election year, after all. What better way to celebrate that then with Charlie Brown and the gang?

We’re a Charlie Brown family. I don’t think any of us have ever seen You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown though. We own all of the holiday specials, so this is a nice addition to our collection. I think you’ll find that while this isn’t as spectacular as your favorite holiday special (such as Christmas or Thanksgiving), this does have a typical Peanuts formula, making it more than enjoyable for the entire family. This is probably because You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown was made back in 1972. I’ve found I much prefer the older Peanuts animated features to the newly made ones. That’s just my personal preference.

With the election so crucial this year, I believe it is important for children to understand the election process. This month, we’ve been offering plenty of presidential themed units, DVD time for president-friendly titles, such as the John Adams Chronicles, and worksheets to help our son better understand the election process during his daily homeschool (our son is autistic - which is part of why we homeschool him). You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown is just another way to teach him about elections, with the Peanuts gang there to guide our entire family through the class election for president, which Linus has entered.

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TV Show Info:
Creators: Larry Schwarz, Ken Katsumoto
Cast: Kurt Csolak, Robbie Sublett, Peter Fernandez, Sahra Mellesse, Carter Jackson, Michal Friedman, Dave Skigen, Michael Sinterniklaas, David “Zen Mansley”
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount & CBS

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: June 27, 2008-July 11, 2008
Season Air Dates: April 27, 2008-Present
DVD Box Set Release Date: August 12, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $42.49
Episodes: Three episodes from the first season of Speed Racer: The Next Generation “The Fast Track I, II and III”

My nickname in high school was Speed Racer. It’s not something I cared to be called one way or another. It also wasn’t because I had exceptional driving skills. I’d be hard pressed to find any person in a power wheelchair not called Speed Racer (or who hadn’t heard someone say to them “Go, Go Speed Racer in their life) who grew up in the 1970s or 1980s. I grew up in the 80s. We all knew of and had watched the original Speed Racer cartoon from the 70s, so it seemed like a fitting nickname.

When I heard that Speed Racer: The Next Generation was being developed by Lionsgate Entertainment for NickToons, I was curious. We’ve seen some successful re-doings of shows from when I grew up such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even the Carebears. While these shows just can’t compare to the originals, they are enjoyable as fresh, new interpretations in their ow right. This could go either way, though. Speed Racer: The Next Generation could either be a totally new, hip incarnation or it could totally bomb.

Not surprisingly, I find that I’m not overly fond of Speed Racer: The Next Generation. The animation gets on my nerves more than anything. If they wanted to go modern, they should have gone completely modern. I much prefer the older animation styles of my youth, but times are a-changing and everything is beginning to look digitized. Unfortunately, Speed Racer: The Next Generation suffers from being stuck somewhere between digitized and static animation. It gives the entire animation process a choppy feel. That is, by far, my biggest complaint.

Not far off is the story writing. Speed Racer: The Next Generation is lame. I didn’t laugh once at any of the supposed jokes. I counted down the seconds until the show was over. There are way too many unlikeable or annoying characters (Conor, Jesse, Jared, Annalise). Even Speed Jr. isn’t exactly likable. The dialogue is corny and the entire premise that Speed Racer had two children he’s never seen or met is just ridiculous. The whole premise of Speed Racer disappearing is dumb because nothing or no one could have ever made the original Speed Racer disappear and/or go off into hiding.

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Movie Info:
Creator/Writer: Ross Bagdasarian
Cast: Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., Janice Karman, Sherwood Ball, Nancy Cartwright, Tress MacNeille, Frank Welker, Vanessa Bagdasarian, Michael Bagdasarian
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Season Episode Air Dates: Two episodes from 1988 and one from 1989
DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $10.99

I’ve probably already mentioned in a previous Chipmunks DVD release that I grew up watching the chipmunks cartoons. I loved their show. It aired from the time I was almost three until I was ten. This is pretty much the perfect age range for kids to enjoy the show. I still love the Chipmunks though, so I look forward to all of the releases that Paramount (and the various other studios with rights to the Chipmunks) put out. That’s part of why I decided to do the review for Alvin & The Chipmunks: Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration.

The Chipmunks have a long and prosperous history. I’ve never really touched on it in a review, but I’d enjoy telling all of you who are reading this about it now. The Chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore were created by Russ Bagdasarian Sr. in 1958. Originally a music group, the Chipmunks have won a total of six Grammy Awards throughout the years. Bagdasarian was a singer, songwriter, actor and music producer. He went by the stage name of David Seville, which we all know is the name of the chipmunks’ fictionalized guardian. In the early days though, Bagdasarian played that role, later inventing a cartoon version of Dave for Chipmunk-based cartoon specials.

Another interesting tidbit about the Chipmunks I’m sure I shared in previous reviews is that the Chipmunks were named for the executives of the first company that signed the trio, Liberty Records. The three were named after Alvin Bennett, Simon Waronker, and Theodore Keep. While the Chipmunks are all fictional characters and while Bagdasarian spent $190 of his last $200 buying a recorder that allowed him to alter the speed of his recordings, which gave him that patented Chipmunk sound, the trio released several records, starting with the infamous “The Christmas Song”.

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TV Show Info:
Creator: Dan Schneider
Cast: Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy, Nathan Kress, Jerry Trainor, Mary Scheer
Rating: G
Studio: Nickelodeon

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: September 8, 2007-Present
Season Air Dates: September 8, 2007-February 23, 2008
DVD Box Set Release Date: September 23, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $18.99
Episodes: A variety of 13 episodes (from within the first 16 episodes) from Season One of iCarly

I had to review a screener copy of iCarly when Nickelodeon sent it to us, before the premiere of the show last year. I decided to watch it with my then 12 year old son. It only took one episode for me to realize he loved it and I hated it. The show is annoying, obnoxious and somewhat pretentious. Miranda Cosgrove and her overacting gets on my nerves. Jeanette McCurdy seems to have some comedic ability that is wasted when Miranda tries to overact and Jeanette overcompensates to keep up with her. The only good actors on this show are Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor.

When Carly and Sam are hosting their show, I seriously think they’re either trying to be game show hosts with their fake smiles and over-exuberant attitudes or they’re just fakey fake actresses. It’s the worst part of iCarly, and considering that’s the main point of the show, it makes me dislike this show. It isn’t necessarily that the writing is bad. Heck, I like Dan Schneider. I have ever since he was on Head of the Class and its clear he’s also the same dude who wrote a Nick show I loved All That. iCarly has the same kind of humor, but the actors ruin the show.

Of course, kids won’t mind. They really don’t pay that much attention to acting. Most of them like over the top acting anyway. My son is now 13. He loves iCarly. It is hilarious to him and if its on television, he always makes me watch it. When it comes down to it, iCarly is one of his favorite shows. I can’t say it’s all negative either because it feeds the needs of technology junkies and makes kids aware of their ability to use technology in this high tech world.

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TV Show Info:
Creators: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Cast: Dee Bradley Baker, Zach Tyler, Mae Whitman, Jack De Sena, Dante Bosco, Mako, Jessie Flower, Grey DeLisle, Olivia Hack, Cricket Leigh
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Nickelodeon/Paramount Home Video

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: February 21, 2005-July 19, 2008
Season Air Dates: September 21, 2007-July 19, 2008
DVD Box Set Release Date: September 16, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $44.99
Episodes:

It’s with a heavy heart that I write this review. I’ve been reviewing Avatar - The Last Airbender since Book 2. I’ve been watching the show just as long. As a lover of great cartoons, Avatar - The Last Airbender was one of my favorite shows. A casualty of the writer’s strike and Nickelodeon fooling around, the third season of Avatar, Book Three, was also the last season of this Emmy-winning series. With the way Nickelodeon pushed the remaining episodes of Avatar - The Last Airbender Book Three under the rug for so long, smushing them together in  a one week long event in July, it’s no surprise the series, which was originally slated for two more seasons, ended.

I can’t say this enough. I love Avatar - The Last Airbender. It’s one of those shows I can enjoy with my kid. Our entire family watched this show together. We had a marathon during that July week in which the last episodes aired. It was sad to see this show go, but there is hope. There is a rumor going around that an animated movie will be made about the series. Hopefully it’s being made to tie up the loose ends. M. Night Shyamalan is also making a live action trilogy of the show. That should prove to be rather interesting based on his past movies.

While this season, especially the end, felt a bit rushed, the overall quality of Avatar - The Last Airbender is on par with the quality of the first two seasons. There are some corny moments, but the humor is part of the show’s charm. While Avatar - The Last Airbender has some violence (the fighting scenes), it’s definitely geared towards a younger audience, so it can be enjoyed by anyone from around the age of 6 or 7 upward until adulthood. I know I’m not the only adult who enjoys this show, so the whole family can really get into this show together.

Avatar - The Last Airbender may have been somewhat predictable at the end, but kids can learn some good moral lessons here. What’s interesting about this season is that it becomes very clear that the main character, Aang, will not compromise his values for anyone or anything. In the eternal battle of good vs. evil, good always prevails, even if it looks like evil is going to win or evil appears to be more powerful. Finally, and most importantly, any person regardless of whether they are good or evil, can change for the better. These are all of the things I’ve learned (and your kids can learn) from Avatar - The Last Airbender.

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TV Show Info:
Writers: Greg Weisman, Kevin Hopps, Matt Wayne
Directors: Victor Cook, Troy Adomitis, Dave Bullock
Cast: Josh Keaton, Dee Bradley Baker, Irene Bedard, Jeff Bennett, Clancy Brown, Lacey Chabert, Keith David, Grey DeLisle, John Di Maggio, Ben Diskin, Robert Englund, Brian George, James Arnold Taylor, Deborah Strang, Kath Soucie
Rating: N/a
Studio: Sony Pictures

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: March 1, 2008-March 15, 2008
Season Air Dates: March 1, 2008-June 14, 2008
DVD Box Set Release Date: September 9, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $14.99
Episodes: Season One - Episodes #1, #2, and #3

I’m a huge fan of comic based television shows. I’m into all the Batman, Justice League, X-Men, and Superman cartoons. I just have never been a fan of Spiderman. So, when The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard fell into my lap for review, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. Spidey just isn’t my guy. Give me a good old Dark Knight cartoon and I’ll be entertained thoroughly (as long as the story is good, of course!). I just don’t get the thrill of a guy who looks and acts like a spider. What’s so cool about spiders, anyway?

When The Spectacular Spider-Man started airing on the CW4Kids network, I didn’t watch it. My son is more into the 4KidsTV lineup, so he never saw this show either. Our family’s first exposure to this series was in the form of The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard. Ok, now I know that cartoons are a bit fast paced these days, but they were fast paced back in the 80s when I was a kid. If you can’t keep up with a cartoon you shouldn’t be trying to review it!

I really liked The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard. I recommended it to Ashtyn. I recommended it to my son, who isn’t a huge Spidey fan either. I recommended it to my nephew and all the other kids in my neighborhood. I don’t get why some reviewers think The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard was choppy. Had I not known this was the first three episodes of the series, which started airing on television in March of 2008, I’d have thought this was meant to be a full length feature.

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