Customer Reviews

The Littles: The Complete Unedited Series

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the endless mucking about through hundreds of cutesy kids shows a few do come out on top as being innovative, educational, and above all entertaining. The Littles was one of those kinds of shows. While the episodes had a moral to them that moral tends to be shown in a more practical way than your standard "always brush your teeth after each meal... and knowing is half the battle" kind of prachy message. In other words it entertains. As a youngin' myself I found this show wasn't condescending to little kids while at the same time engaging them.

The Littles is based on a widely popular book series and is about a family of little people (very, very little people... think Tom Thumb little) going about their daily adventures in a world of giants (that would mean us regular folk). The animation is surprisingly good with some nice art and nice frame rate compared to other Saturday morning cartoons. Considering this is a show for kids between around 8 and 13 it does get goofy and you do get those silly sound effects every time somebody (or rather Dinky) falls over and the like. Part of the fun is seeing how they use our common small household items as creative inventions for their own environment. That includes anything from basic tools and furniture to airplanes and other vehicles. The cast is a good blend of characters and include:

Tom Little - A 13 yr old with an adventurous streak to him.

Lucy Little - The ten year old sister to Tom who tends to be the sensible one.

Dinky Little - A 21 year old little who pilots the airplane and tends to be the clumsy Gilligan of the group.

Grandpa Little - The brave and somewhat wise one of the bunch that, with the help of Dinky, keeps the kids from getting in over their heads.

William and Lucy Little - They are Tom and Lucy's parents and don't really adventure much, but they are there for the kids.

Henry Bigg - If you haven't guessed by his name this is the normal sized boy that befriends the littles and helps them along.

With this DVD set you get the entire series of half hour 28 episodes (well less than a half hour if you count commercials). Not only do you get all of the episodes but you also get the Weekend Special Feature "Liberty and the Littles", which is a made for TV special that's over an hour long. Unlike many cartoon DVDs (or television DVDs for that matter) you also get a host of extras as well. Here is the breakdown:

- Featurette " Little Ideas for Big People"
- Interview with show writer Marc Scott Zicree
- Storyboard comparisons
- A little snippet on the history of the DIC logo (the show's production company)
- A host of printable material including series bible, episode storyboards and episode outines.

If you have kids in this age range that have any imaginative flair to them and you want them to learn some good moral and practical lessons without being preached to them this would be a good set for them. Obviously since the show is from the 80's it won't have the kind of "newness" you would get from more recent shows, but at the same time these characters are timeless and the show tends to follow that trend.

The Littles Compete series was a ABC series based on the children books. Some of the episodes include the original ABC commercial bumpers and all the episodes include LITTLE IDEAS FOR BIG PEOPLE where kids are show how to make the type of stuff The Littles characters use in that episode. The DVDs are separate containers instead the box so one doesn't have to worry much about the disks getting loose or scratched during shipping like sometimes happen with the fold out series boxes. Dinky Little is the one who personality changes most between books and show as he is used for comic relief in the TV series with the way he always messes up and get in trouble. The set also include all three versions of the opening theme.

This 80's cartoon is good clean entertainment. There is always a lesson to be learned. I use to watch this show when I was a kid and now my kids are watching it. They walk around the house singing..."We are the Littles..." and looking in vents for signs of them. Ha-ha, that is the most entertaining part.

I was a child of the 80s, the era of wonderful children's programming (nothing like the drivel passing off as children's entertainment these days, well, except for some quality PBS shows). Anyway, when I found this series available on DVD, I quickly ordered a set as I enjoyed it as a child and wanted to share it with my 5-year-old. "The Littles" centers around 10 inches tall siblings Tom and Lucy, cousin Dinky, Grandpa Little and parents, Frank and Helen. Their human friend is 12-year-old Henry Bigg and his pet turtle, Slick. There's also a villain in the form of Dr. Hunter. For the most part, the show is well-written, with positive messages imbued in each episode.

Here's a breakdown of the episodes:
Season One
Beware of Hunter!
Lost City of the Littles
The Big Scare
Lights, Camera, Littles!
The Spirits of the Night
The Little Winner
A Big Cure for a Little Illness
The Rats Are Coming, The Rats Are Coming
The Little Fairy Tale
Prescription for Disaster
The Little Scouts
A Little Gold, A Lot of Trouble
Dinky's Doomsday Pizza

Season Two
Looking For Grandma Little
Every Little Vote Counts
The Forest Littles
The Littles' Halloween
The Little Babysitters
A Little Rock and Roll
The Little Amazon Queen
The Little Girl Who Could

Season Three
Deadly Jewels
The Wrong Stuff
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
Ben Dinky
For the Birds
The Twins
Tut the Second
Just a Little Drunk

Season Three marks a departure in the Littles' storyline as they embark on international adventures - to India, outer space(!), Ireland, Rome, and Egypt. There are some bonus features included such as:
Disc One
"Storyboard to Episode Comparison" featurette
Disc Two
"How Would the Littles Use?" Trivia Game
Disc Three
Compilation of "Little Ideas for Big People" shorts - provides tips on how to make Littles' like objects using items found in the home.
Interview with Marc Scott Zicree
Disc Four
"Liberty and the Littles" - an hour-long movie on Disc 4. This is indeed a bonus - the story centers around the Littles finding a whole colony of Littles (French ones at that) living within the Statue of Liberty (how fun!).
"Show Bumpers"
Disc Five
Brief collage of animated DIC logos (nothing much here)

All in all - this DVD set contain 29 episodes of The Littles on 5 discs. The quality is not crystal clear, it shows its age and I wish more effort had been taken in restoring the picture quality. The aspect ratio is 1.33:1. Another thing to note: In order to truly have the complete set, one would have to order "Here Come the Littles" which is sold as a separate movie, but other than that - this is worth the purchase for those keen to walk down memory lane, experience a sense of nostalgia, and share a wonderful children's series with their own kids.

I am extremely pleased with this set. I had never heard of "The Littles" before I came across it as I was searching for something for my almost 8 year old daughter. I took a chance and hit the jackpot! She loves it! I gave it to her on a long vacation trip and it kept her busy so I didn't have to hear "Are we there yet?" The packaging is quality and I like the fact that it is a "teaching" cartoon and not just a silly time killer. She is still watching it now that we are back from vacation. She likes shows such as "Alvin & The Chipmunks", "Josie & The Pussycats", "The Flintstones" and "The Jetsons". If your child likes these kinds of cartoons, then you really should give this one a chance!

Grew up watching this cartoon and I'm now 37 and bought it for my step-daughter and son to watch and they love it. Great purchase.

The Littles - The Complete Series

If you enjoyed watching the Littles as a child you will love it for your own children, the quality is great considering it's from 1983; I love the old feel to it...I recommend it for everyone

I remembered this cartoon coming on, but usually I would be so sleepy or too busy to enjoy it. After all of these years, it feels great to have the complete series. I am a full grown man, but I feel like a child again watching this cartoon. This was a great buy at a gereat price.

i use to watch the littles when i was a child and was so excited to find them for my kids!! brings back memories watching them with my kids!

Glad I found it! Was a gift and they were glad to get it. It arrived quickly, packaged and in good shape.