Real Characters
By Cliff Annicelli -- Playthings, 1/1/2008
Sometimes all kids really want to see when they turn on the television is a familiar face. Whether it's an old favorite ready to find a new generation of fans, a bestselling storybook star come to life, or (if you're a Belgian preschooler) an animated bunny who's always ready to play, these recent DVDs offer up some easily recognizable friends for family time in front of the tube. —Cliff Annicelli
That famous purple dinosaur ushers to a close his 20th anniversary year with a new direct-to-DVD special, Celebrating Around the World.It stars Barney and the gang on an international adventure with stops in Brazil, Kenya, India, Japan and Ireland, where they and DVD viewers learn the countries' cultures, including their traditional music, dance and ways of celebrating milestones. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Los Angeles
Headlined by a video adaptation of Mo Willems' award-winning children's book about how one little girl's favorite toy is lost and then found while on a trip to the laundromat, Knuffle Bunny...And More Great Childhood Adventure Stories features the title tale plus five others in a release that recently relaunched Scholastic's video collection under its new Storybook Treasures nameplate. All of the series' stories feature a new read-along function, more content (at least an hour's worth on each DVD) and redesigned authoring for easier navigation. Scholastic Media, New York
Available to the U.S. mass market for the first time starting this month, Hello, Hopla! introduces a curious rabbit that inhabits a colorful world where Hopla and his friends encourage kids to play matching and guessing games while discovering shapes, colors and familiar objects. A second title in the 3-D, CGI animated series, Spend A Day With Hopla!, will also be released in the U.S. this month. NCircle Entertainment, Dallas
