Backyardigans: The Snow Fort [DVD] [2005] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

This DVD contains four more wonderful adventures of Pablo (the blue penguin), Tyrone (the brown moose), Uniqua (the pink spotted female of indeterminate species), Tasha (the yellow hippo, and Austin (the purple kangaroo)

Each adventure takes place in the imaginations of the five friends who turn their shared backyard into different fantasy worlds, each episode full of song and dance numbers of various music genres.

This DVD has four episodes:

1. The Snow Fort: Pablo and Tyrone are brave and fearless Mounties, defending their snow fort and the treasure within. Tasha and Uniqua are Ski Patrollers with a thermos full of hot chocolate, just looking for someone to rescue. Mounties on duty! Ski Patrol to the rescue! An action packed adventure set to a Country music theme.

2. The Yeti: Four funky songs and a catchy cry of "Yeti yeti yeti yeti!" as the friends hunt the elusive hairy, smelly, raisin-eating Yeti.

3. Knights Are Brave and Strong: Uniqua the Pink battles the Moose of the Mist and the Guardian of the Gate to deliver an important message from Queen Tasha to King Austin. Big band swing and four new songs.

4. Secret Mission: Saving the best for last, secret agents Pablo, Tyrone and Uniqua negotiate the booby traps in a treasure museum to the beat of the tango and limbo.

Four more examples of why the Backyardigans belong in any kid's collection.

Amanda Richards, January 15, 2006

Nickelodeon's new smash hit the Backyardigans seems to appeal to all ages, from 2-year-olds to 11-year-olds, and even to adults. The colorful animation, catchy songs, and exciting adventures, make up one of the best animated shows currently on television. These 5 "kids" venture out into the backyard, only to end up on some incredible adventure, but they always manage to be back in the house for snacktime.

You get 4 backyard adventures on this DVD, and the first two, are snow themed. They managed to conveniently release the first 2 Backyardigans DVD's of this show around Halloween and Christmas, but without having any one show set in the Halloween or Xmas theme. That's fine, as they will get some serious play, long after the holidays are over.

The colorful characters look great against the snow backgrounds and just on visuals alone, should keep any kid glued to the set. Never mind the catchy tunes, including the Yeti stomp, which is my kids' favorite. There is only one thing on this DVD that might upset someone, and that is if your kid is an Austin fan. He seems to be MIA for 3 out of the 4 episodes. You are much better getting the first DVD of the Backyardigans if your child's favorite is Austin, as they won't see much of him here.

Overall, a must have for the Backyardigans fan. If your child has never seen them, they will surely be hooked after one episode. If you are looking for the best DVD Xmas gift to get someone, this is it!

This morning my 20-month-old woke up and said, "Tomp, tomp!" She was referring to "The Yeti Stomp," one of the many fine songs available on the new Backyardigans collection "The Snow Fort." So clearly she likes it, which is a relief because I was worrying that I was enjoying the show more than she was.

But why is it surprising that they've made a show that's as appealing to adults as to children? Adults--parents, anyway--think kids are interesting. Kids think other kids are interesting. Why shouldn't a show that presents kids in a fairly realistic way be interesting to both parents and kids?

Of course, by "fairly realistic," I mean that they're portrayed as computer-animated anthropomorphic animals--a moose, a hippo, a penguin, a kangaroo and I guess a bug of some sort. And I guess it's not particularly realistic that they break in to choreographed song and dance numbers at regular intervals, though it is fun. I particularly like that the music from each episode is in a particular genre (i.e. Western swing, Big Band jazz), which may or may not have anything to do with the episode.

I also like how The Backyardigans are mapping out our collective fantasy world--all the things that are fun to imagine, suitable for the pre-K set anyway. This collection includes Mounties, secret agents, knights and a Yeti. I have to agree with my daughter that the Yeti is the best, but they're all pretty good.

By giving this five stars, I mean to say, "Yes, you should buy this. Definitely. Yeah, go ahead."