Disney and the Baby Einstein company have designed a new children’s program. The “Little Einsteins” are four kids in a computer generated world that travel around in a rocket ship to learn more about art, literature, culture, science and language.

The characters include Leo the conductor, June the dancer, Annie the singer and Quincy the musician. It’s a show aimed a little higher than the audiences normally found watching Baby Einstein videos. “Little Einsteins” seems a bit forced with the educational nature of the programming, but that’s hardly out of place for a video like this. In some ways, this program reminds me of earlier programs, such as the Magic School Bus and other educational pieces.

In their first DVD, “Our Huge Adventure,” the Little Einsteins meet a caterpillar who is trying to get to a special tree so it can develop a cocoon and get a new set of clothes. The Little Einsteins help the caterpillar get home and, after it hatches into a beautiful monarch butterfly, they help it find its way to a family reunion.

The controlling hand of the Baby Einstein company is clear in this show. One of the strongest focuses of this program is the musical element. Terms like “allegro” are learned to prepare kids for reading music. There’s also a lot of interactivity to this show. For example, whenever the rocket takes off, the audience is asked to pat their lap to give it more power.

Overall, the story is pretty simple and on the same level you’d find for other children’s programming. The only sticking point I had with this adventure was their visit to the United Nations. I understand that nowadays Disney is a politically correct company to a fault, but I don’t need my kids to watch a lecture on how wonderful the United Nations is. Even if you can get past the indoctrination politics forced on the audience at this stage, it ends with a cheesy “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” moment.

The bonus features are a little slim, only including extended introductions of the characters, a guided tour through the geography of the show and a maze game. The game itself was actually pretty good, offering a very uplifting opportunity for even the youngest of viewers to make decisions.

Also included in the DVD case is the “Little Einsteins” passport. This small booklet includes games, activities and stickers for kids to use with the show.

Although a bit heavy-handed at times, the new “Little Einstein” videos seem to be off to a good start.



Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Fullscreen aspect ration (1.33:1). French language track. English subtitles for the hearing impaired.