"SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK: EARTH"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Disney Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Made in the style of the classic “Schoolhouse Rock” segments on Saturday mornings on ABC in the 70s and 80s, “Schoolhouse Rock: Earth” is a collection of eleven all-new songs that teach kids about environmentalism and the Earth. This 50-minute video includes songs about recycling, saving the ocean and the rainforest, making your own garden and carbon footprints.
Songs include:
Report from the North Pole
The Little Things We Do
The Trash Can Band
You Oughta Be Savin’ Water
The Rainforest
Save the Ocean
FatCat Blue: The Clean Rivers Song
A Tiny Urban Zoo
Solar Power to the People
Windy and the Windmills
Don’t Be a Carbon Sasquatch
WHAT I LIKED
Being a child of the 70s and 80s, I remember watching “Schoolhouse Rock” on Saturday mornings in the middle of the cartoon line-up. Even though the animation was done on the cheap, there was a certain charm about the style of that day. This new incarnation of “Schoolhouse Rock” manages to recapture that freshness and style with more modern animation methods.
The music is pretty catchy, for the most part. Some songs, like “Report from the North Pole” aren’t as good as ones like “Solar Power to the People” and “The Three Rs,” but like a CD release, you can’t expect all the song selections to be good.
I couldn’t say that I’d sit and watch this DVD multiple times, but I have tested it out on my own kids, and they absolutely love it. They watched it many times on a long family car ride, and they never got tired of hearing the songs. So, whether the parents are going to groove out to it or not, it is something that definitely touches a younger audience... even though they’re not seeing it on Saturday mornings during the cartoon block.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
While I have nothing against teaching wise lessons to my kids about reducing pollution and recycling our materials as needed, some of these songs borderline on indoctrination rather than education. I’m all for teaching good habits for people, but some advice found in these songs – like not turning up the heat when you’re cold – are just plain silly and can be taken too far.
Overall, I’ve become pretty annoyed with Hollywood’s “Going Green” approach over the past few years, especially considering that the energy needed to run a studio lot for a day is about what I use in my home in a year. So, if you’re like me and agitated at Hollywood’s holier than thou approach to the environment, you’ll want to leave the room before your kids watch this video.
DVD FEATURES
In addition to the eleven new songs, the DVD comes with the classic 70s-era “Schoolhouse Rock” song “Energy Blues.” Also included in the mix is a music video with Mitchel Musso from “Hannah Montana.” If you can get past the fact that Musso needs a hair cut more than Rapunzel does, you might enjoy his cover of “The Three Rs,” which was originally made famous by “Schoolhouse Rock” in the 70s.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Environmentalists, kids and Mitchel Musso’s barber.
