Customer Reviews

Jim Henson's The Song of the Cloud Forest and Other Earth Stories

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As a child the story Song of the Cloud Forest had a particular resonance because I was worried about everything that was happening in the world at that time and the destruction of the rain forests struck me as a tragic lose. Jim Henson and his team of artists always knew which stories needed to be told to help children see the bigger picture and offered possibilities as to how we could make it a little better. I respect greatly that belief Henson's showed back then, they said what needed to be said, it was truthful and it was always empowering. Their artistry was always of the highest standard and their artistic innovation was at the works heart as well as it's artistic message to make a better world. Their work was always highly individual and it conveyed the beauty of life because they understood life and at the centre of it all was Jim Henson who really did carry the whole world on his shoulders at one point - this work is fine example of his love of television storytelling and it is carried forward by his children who believe still in their fathers vision, which is inspiring to see even now. I am delighted Song of the Cloud Forest has found it's way onto DVD - it is a special piece of work. There is the bonus of a Fraggle Rock episode titled River of Life which again shows Henson's awareness and willingness to tackle stories about how we should live in harmony with nature.

I include this quote from Lisa Henson which seems fitting for such a release as this and as children, we all picked up on this ....

"I believe that my father had some kind of direct experience of the spiritual nature of reality, maybe a vision, that he tried to convey perhaps unconsciously in his work - that this world we experience is illusory and that there is a different, more loving and transcendent reality beyond this world of imagined conflicts" - Lisa Henson

This is a very educational DVD, especially because it teaches children about what happens when our rainforests are destroyed and what happens to the creatures that reside in it. This is an ideal DVD for teachers to show in the classroom on or around Earth Day too.

In The Song of the Cloud Forest the puppets are enjoyable, except the funky monkey looking things. I was surprised that it was very unrealistic compared to other Jim Henson shows. The background was incredibly fake and the people were clearly blue screened on the background. The story was great - the quality of the presentation was poor.

Also included on the DVD is an episode of Animal Show. I LOVE THIS! The Animal Show features amazing puppets that are very true to life and more realistic. The characters are funny and the whole show is entertaining. You can really learn a lot from the Animal Show, even if you are adult and think you know it all.

There is also a Fraggle Rock episode (I loved them as a child) which a very important message about how our choices as people really have a strong inpact on the creatures around us. I thought it was great.

Aside from the poor quality of the Cloud Forest episode I think this is a fantastic DVD over all and well worth adding to your family collection.

This video isn't quite what we were expecting from a box aimed at kids and featuring Muppets. The stories are all very heavy-handed and quite depressing. Yes, I know that the subject mattter (deforestation, endangered animals, pollution, etc.)is nothing to laugh at, but I guess I wasn't expecting to see little Fraggles choking to death.