Viva Piñata – The Piñata’s Must Be Crazy &
Other Stories (Shout! Factory DVD/Computer
Animated TV)
Picture: C Sound:
C+ Extras: D Episodes: C+
An
amusing TV show for a child audience, Viva
Piñata has a world of characters who are all in piñata versions and is a
good idea delivered with some fun and energy.
Ten stories (that would make up about four half-hours on TV with the
endless commercials and the like) are now on DVD with the subtitle The Piñata’s Must Be Crazy & Other
Stories. And yes, they live in
piñata land.
The case
boasts that they are the “ultimate party animals” though how they are beaten
until they open up and give candy to everyone is amusingly sidetracked. The stories are simple and I can see the
appeal, but to talk of storylines that are faint is a bit of a stretch, but the
show is not bad and uses its CG animation to the best of its ability. However, with CG getting better quickly, it
is not aging as well.
The 1.33
X 1 full frame is softer than I would have liked and though aliasing is rare, I
just did not like the softness, especially since the color choices are not
bad. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
fares better with good recording quality throughout. There are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo