"Disney Learning Adventures: Mikey's Seeing the World and Reading & Math Fun"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) NOT RATED Studio: Disney Back to DVD Review Home |
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Disney has continued to release a series of educational videos, featuring the classic characters of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. The “Disney Learning Adventures” series teaches basic concepts of geography, reading and math for kids ages 2 to 6.
Each disc is anchored around a Disney cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse. “Mickey’s Seeing the World” wraps itself around a version of “Around the World in 80 Days” with Mickey as the traveler going around the world. Throughout his journey, the story breaks into lessons in geography. Subjects include greetings, animals, houses and good-byes around the world.
“Mickey’s Reading & Math Fun” hinges on a classic cartoon from the Disney vaults. “Mickey and the Beanstalk” was a great favorite of mine when I was a kid. It features Pete, the roly-poly giant and his classic “Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum” song. Throughout this disc, the story breaks into lessons in logic, counting and sequencing.
For either DVD, there is also an option to watch the anchor cartoon itself without breaking for the individual lessons. This is nice for the “Around the World in 80 Days” cartoon, but essential for the classic “Mickey and the Beanstalk” short.
Both discs come with two types of playing options. The Guided Play option is the default, which will start in ten seconds of loading the disc. This will play the entire DVD through the story, taking breaks throughout to teach lessons on the subjects.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Play is a learning-enhanced mode that allows viewers to be more interactive with the content of the disc. The viewers can choose which game to go to next or to watch the story uninterupted.
“Mickey’s Seeing the World” has two games. The “Sorcerer’s World Challenge” teaches kids about the different aspects of geography, including telling time, map reading and the history of calendars. Also included on the disc is the “Mickey’s Mechanical House” animated short. The general concepts taught in the entire disc include language and geography skills, cultural awareness and problem solving.
“Mickey’s Reading & Math Fun” has a “Mickey’s Magical Beans Game” which teaches kids about counting and nubmers. The general concepts taught in the entire disc include math, reading, spelling and story comprehension.
Both discs also include an activity booklet to be used with the educational aspects of the discs.
These first discs in a hopefully larger series demonstrate an excellent and progressive use of DVD technology. By bringing some of the activities from the old CD-ROM storybooks into the living room, Disney has opened up a new page in home education technology.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Guided Play or Sorceror’s Apprentice Play. Fullscreen aspect ration (1.33:1). French language track. English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
