Let's
Learn S.T.E.M.
(2015/Nickelodeon DVD)/Scooby-Doo!
And Scrappy-Doo!: The Complete Season 1
(1979/Hanna-Barbera/Warner DVD Set)/Wallykazam!
(2015/Nickelodeon)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+/C/C+ Extras: D/D/C- Main Programs: C+/C+/B-
Our
newest children's titles are trying to set a record for the use of
exclamation points...
Let's
Learn S.T.E.M.
(2015) is another Nickelodeon DVD disc where S.T.E.M. Stands for
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, but also an excuse for
another compilation single from the company, this time bringing
together episodes of Blaze
& The Machine Monster,
PAW
Patrol,
Bubble
Guppies,
Team
Umizoomi,
Dora
and Blue's
Clues.
I like the theme and tie-together works well enough, but this still
only runs 138 minutes-long and more should have been on this disc if
it was interested in pushing science. Still, it is not bad, so it is
worth it if your children need a change of pace.
Scooby-Doo!
And Scrappy-Doo!: The Complete Season 1
(1979) was launched when Hanna-Barbera was doing well commercially,
but their animation quality was in decline. The show did well and
introduced Scrappy-Doo, who was amusing at first, but wore thin
quickly. I suspect the fearless (unwise) nephew of Scooby might have
fared better had he arrived by the early 1970s, but even in the 16
half-hours here, he only goes so far as the Scooby Formula had worn
thin very quickly. For fans or the curious only, especially as
Scrappy only got more boring from here.
Finally
we have Wallykazam!
(2015), a best entry on the list is a nice new educational show with
energy and fun in four long episodes (running 92 minutes) that is
colorful, amusing and decent as the magic title work takes on the
various ways you can pronounce and use letters of the alphabet. We
have not had enough such shows, but this is a welcome entry and worth
going out of your way for. Nice.
Learn
has a combination of 1.33 and 1.78 X 1 images that average out well
enough, while Scrappy has decent 1.33 X 1 with limited wear or
film flaws and Wallykazam! is here in anamorphically enhanced
1.78 X 1 image shows, which should make it the best, but the video
presentation are equal across the three releases.
The
lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is good across the episodes on Learn,
but the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono on the Scrappy episodes
tend to be lite and lower in volumes than they should be, so be
careful if high volumes and volume switching. Wallykazam! has
its episodes in lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 that should make it the best
here, but they are limited in soundfield.
There
are no extras on any of these sets, save previews, though Wallykazam!
has stickers kids can put their names on, while a small worksheet is
on the inside of the Learn
cover.
-
Nicholas Sheffo