Customer Reviews

Road To Avonlea - The Complete Second Season (Boxset) (Region 1 DVD)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This great family-friendly series brings back great memories from my childhood; I would definitely consider this my favorite TV show of all time! Each episode is full of sweet moments, family life, exciting adventures, beautiful scenery, and much more. The content of these is minimal: it's a very family-friendly series, with only a few episodes with some objectionable content (like the Witches of Avonlea episode in this season).

The storyline centers around Sarah Stanley, who comes to Prince Edward Island when her father is accused of embezzlement to live with relatives in a little town called Avonlea. As she struggles to accept her new life and get along with her strict Aunt Hettie, her stuck-up cousin Felcity King, & tormenting cousin Felix King, Sarah must accept the changes in her young life. But not everything is bad: small town life can be loads of fun, and her new Aunt Olivia is wondeful!

Check out this amazing series produced by Sullivan in Canada, the same company who brought up "Anne of Green Gables" and "Anne of Avonlea" in the 90's with Megan Follows. Aired in the U.S. under the title "Avonlea" on the Disney Channel, you will enjoy watching these fantastic episodes again and again! My favorite episodes from this season include: "How Kissing Was Discovered," "May the Best Man Win," and "It's Just a Stage"...

Season Two contains the following episodes:

1. Sara's Homecoming
2. How Kissing Was Discovered
3. Aunt Hetty's Ordeal
4. Of Corsets and Secrets and True True Love
5. Old Quarrels, Old Love
6. May the Best Man Win
7. Family Rivalry
8. Sea Ghost
9. All That Glitters
10. Dreamer of Dreams
11. It's Just a Stage
12. A Mother's Love
13. Misfits and Miracles

All 3 seasons and movies of Road to Avonlea are available at amazon.ca (Canada). Also available at the Sullivan Entertainment boutique (www.sullivanboutique) but be aware that you will pay A LOT MORE with them than here at Amazon. Just a friendly message, free of charge...:o)

Looking through the Amazon listings for the "Road to Avonlea" series can be a little confusing, if you're trying to figure out exactly which edition of the series you're getting.

The programme is slowly being re-released on DVD by the Sullivan company in a new edition described as a "widescreen hi-def digital restoration." Well, that's all to the good, but please keep in mind that these are NOT high-definition Blu-ray releases. They are standard DVDs which will play on any DVD machine. I think it's extremely misleading to use the term "HI-DEF" in the promotional material.

That said, these new releases are vastly superior to the old DVD sets, which had terrible quality-control issues and generally looked dreadful, with picture quality so grainy that the episodes looked like they were shot through a screen door. The new transfers are very clean and sharp, and presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio---fitting the screen width of modern widescreen televisions. Now, the series was shot on 35 mm film stock, which has an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. So, these new releases do re-frame the picture slightly, cropping a bit off the top and bottom of the film frame. However, I've done frame-to-frame comparisons of the old and new transfers, and I see that while there is a little cropping at the top and bottom, at the same time on the new version there is a little more picture visible on each side of the frame (which had been cropped off in the original release). So, it's a bit of a trade-off in terms of how much of the picture you're getting, when comparing the old and new versions. But the quality of the new transfers is so extremely superior to the old, I can't say I mind missing that tiny bit of picture from the upper and lower portions of the screen at all.

A quick way to tell which edition of the series you're buying, is to look at the covers. The new transfers have a wide bar of solid colour running across the top of the DVD case, with "Road to Avonlea" printed in large capital letters. As of this writing (December 2010), the first three seasons have been re-released in this new format, and I do hope the remaining seasons will follow, as this is an EXCELLENT series!

I just received my purchase of Road to Avonlea: Season 2. I grew up watching this show on the Disney channel. Every Monday at eight I was there. I forgot just how touching these episodes really were. I truly appreciate them far better than I used to. My favorite episode of this season will always be "Sara's Homecoming." In this episode, Sara is kidnapped by Isis the fortune teller's husband. Now, I remember watching this episode as a kid, and I waited impatiently all week from viewing "Next time on Avonlea" commercials. It did not let me down when viewed. Not all sites mention this episode as a favorite, I find that odd, but then again, it is my favorite. It is full of drama, comedy, and a little suspense. I don't think you could ask for more from a show. Another great episode is "A mother's love." I'm sorry, but nobody could not shed at least one heartwarming tear during that episode. Good season altogether, and highly recommended by this viewer.

I love this series!! But do not buy the new version of season 2 of Road to Avonlea unless you want to run the risk of getting disk two from first season on disk 3 of season 2. I love season 2 and all the seasons I own of Road to Avonlea, but I happened to buy the new version of season two and am now missing all of disk 3 on it.

Charming children and adults get into fun predicaments.

If you liked "Little House on the Prairie" or "Anne of Green Gables"; you should like this. Seasons 1-6 are excellent.

Beautiful scenery, period costumes and sets, pretty dresses, farm, horses, a little humor, realistic characters, likeable characters, lively pace, and inviting activities, carry you to a nicer place.

Michael York guest-stars in one episode as a mysterious, former sea captain in search of buried treasure. The episode, "Old Quarrels, Old Love", about the rivalry and friendship of Rachel Lynde and Hetty King has an excellent ending that is subtle and touching; without words, yet moving. The episode when Sarah's cousin comes to visit; famous stage actress, Miss Pigeon Plumtree, has subtle melodramatic humor. There is lots of humor in another episode where Sarah leads Felicity to believe she was switched at birth with a girl of a poor family.

Mr. Sullivan spared no expense to create warm and humorous escapades.

This series has been my best money value; dividing the 13-episodes by the cost: $51÷13 episodes = $3.92 per 46-minute episode. Sells new in Canada for $80.

I loved watching this show on Canadian TV when I was younger and was thrilled to find out it was on DVD. A word of advice to anyone thinking of buying it - don't buy it here. The price is great but only if you actually receive the DVD. It's been 20 days since my credit card was charged and I'm still waiting for a response from the seller as to where the DVD is. I plan on buying the other seasons but will gladly pay extra and get them directly from sullivanboutique.com (where I got the first complete season in 5 days).

I eagerly await the others to be released! I only have the first 4 Seasons. But, they are good and I can't wait to see what happens in the other season. As always, it is very quiet and relaxing to watch these shows ~ love them to death!

I just realized today that disc three of the new set of discs for Season 2 has 4 episodes from season 1 on it. I contacted both the seller and Sullivan Boutique. Both were willing to send the corrected disc immediately. So for those of you with this issue, contact the seller and if that doesn't work go to Sullivan directly for the replacement disc!

Watching this series truly brings to mind my own childhood where I used to have many happy adventures with my friends in our small town. In this second season, young Sarah Stanley & her friends find more adventures, with the introduction of some new characters.

The episodes in this season are:
Sarah's Homecoming : Sarah returns to Avonlea after a family tragedy. A sad episode.
How Kissing was Discovered : the blossoming Felicity King pines for love, and suffers a crush... also we are introduced to a new character, a young man who has a sad past.
Aunt Hetty's ordeal : Hetty King is visited by her old rival, Ms Stacey [the very same Ms Stacey, Anne's mentor in Anne of Green Gables]
Of Corsets, and Secrets, and True, True Love: Rachel Lynde, and an old flame? Marilla takes in two orphaned relatives, much to Rachel's chagrin, and the ensuing pandemonium is hilarious.
Old Quarrels, Old Love: Hetty King and her old beau are reunited. A sad episode.
May the Best Man win: Olivia King is wooed by two men, the reliable Jasper Dale, and the pompous ex-beau who abandoned her once before.
Family Rivalry: The other King sibling returns for a brief visit,but things are not all rosy with the King clan.
The Sea Ghost : Michael York plays an old seaman here.Gus Pike's past returns to haunt him.
All that Glitters : the possibility of hidden treasure on the island proves too hard to resist for Sarah, Gus and friends.
Dreamer of Dreams : focuses on Jasper Dale
It's Just a Stage: Sarah's aunt, a famous stage actress comes to visit, with unsettling consequences.
A Mother's Love: does one have to have experienced childbirth to be a 'real' mother? Avonlea is abuzz with the essay competition for Mother's Day.
Misfits & Miracles: Ms Stacey brings a directive that the Avonlea school is to field a hockey team, and Sarah tries to learn how to skate. Also, the theme of development in the town is highlighted here.

The second season is as good or even better than the first. The storylines flow smoothly, and the acting is excellent. We also notice the development of some of the characters, such as Gus Pike, whose story is developed this season. Olivia and Jasper are edging closer to being more than friends, and Sarah is truly at home in Avonlea. This is one of my favorite television series, and reminds me of a much more innocent time, when children truly lived their childhoods, and where good values were treasured and honored.