I bought this DVD for my 2 year old who currently has a pretty big thing happening with Big Bird. There are not too many videos out there that have just Big Bird in them so I grabbed this one when I saw it in a local store and it has become a family favorite.

THE PLOT

Big Bird has been spending time in New York's China Town and becomes fascinated with a phoenix bird that is part of a legend in China. He decides to go to China to find the phoenix bird. Next comes a peppy song featuring some of Sesame Street's characters including Telly and Oscar the Grouch. It has lots of puns and cute lyrics and, like many Sesame Street songs, is meant to entertain both adults and kids.

Big Bird then, sort of magically, appears in China. From this point forward, the video focuses on the characters of Big Bird and Barkely, the gigantic dog. Elmo-lovers and those used to seeing multiple characters in Sesame Street movies will be disappointed. While this video has some cute songs and a non-violent plot, it isn't set up in the typical Sesame Street format that includes lots of little cartoons and skits interjected with the main plot. My daughter loves Big Bird so she was pleased that he was the star. She didn't really mind that it didn't follow the regular format. However, this movie is designed to appeal to prescholers and elementary kids rather than Elmo-loving toddlers.

After arriving in China, Big Bird goes off to find the phoenix bird. Along the way, he learns of the legend of the Monkey King. Big Bird is told that the Monkey King will give him clues about the location of the phoenix bird. The Monkey King is another legend in China and is played by a man in costume that looks somewhat like a monkey. The Monkey King does some impressive gymnastics and charades but doesn't speak English. He also appears and disappears in some mediocre special effects that impress my 2 year old nonetheless.

Big Bird enlists the friendship of a young chinese child. Together they visit a chinese school and see how children play and learn in China. They also see several landscapes and tourist sites in China.

The scenery in this movie is absolutely beautiful. We see the Great Wall of China, Ming's tomb and various other sights my kids had heard of. We also see lots of scenes in the countryside of China. My favorite part of this movie is the insights we get into every day Chinese life. We see a Chinese market stand and spend some time in a Chinese elementary school. One thing to note though is that this movie is a bit dated. I am not sure this movie accurately represents life in China now.

OUR EXPERIENCE

My kids, who are 2, 7 and 10 all enjoy this video. My 2 year old loves Big Bird so it is enough for her to see her hero in a video. My 7 and 10 year old kids also like this movie and they get some more cultural things out of it. I also like this movie. The scenery is this movie is beautiful and I find it interesting to see the scenery in China, particularly because I have never been there.

FINAL RECOMMENDATION

I like this video particularly because it appeals to all of my children and they can watch it together. It is also educational and non-violent which isn't something I can say about a lot of entertainment for children available now. I highly recommend this video.




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8