Customer Reviews

Wonder Pets - Save the Wonder Pets

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Not familiar with the Wonder Pets? You're in for a treat. Presented as operettas, these 12-minute Nick Jr. cartoons for infants and toddlers are produced with a live orchestra and feature characters who sing all of their dialogue opera-style. Toss in a surreal cut-and-paste animation style -- think "South Park" done with photos and realistic backgrounds -- and an occasional tinge of attitude and you've got a program that's appealing for parents as well as their kids. Before branching out on his own, creator Josh Selig was a long-time writer for "Sesame Street."

The stories are good, too. Focused on teaching the value of teamwork, they chronicle the adventures of three pets at a preschool -- Linny the Guinea Pig, Ming-Ming Duckling and Turtle Tuck. After the kids go home, these secret super heroes ditch their cages and soar off in a makeshift flying sailboat (the Fly Boat), traveling the globe to rescue baby animals. Along the way they learn interesting science facts. Besides the show's obvious educational value, each of the characters has his or her own intrinsic appeal. Like many toddlers, Tuck loves to give hugs and Ming-Ming pronounces the "R" sound as a "W." Linny, meanwhile, is the oldest (she's 5), the most educated and a food connoisseur. Her catch phrase? "This calls for some celery!"

Debuting in 2006, the show is now the top-rated program on Nick Jr., surpassing long-time ratings champ "Dora the Explorer."

This DVD contains seven "Wonder Pets" stories, about an hour and a half of material. Six are standard episodes of the television program, grouped in sets of two. There's "Save the Caterpillar" teamed with "Save the Crane," "Save the Crocodile" with "Save the Hedgehog," and "Save the Kangaroo" with "Save the Sea Lions." The best of these shorts is "Save the Crane," which takes the Pets into a Japanese Sumi-e painting (simple black strokes on white paper) that's hanging on the preschool wall.

The seventh story is "Save the Wonder Pets," a double-length episode that aired as a Nick special on April 23. This story, though presented gently, is especially dramatic. When our heros try to rescue a baby blowfish, they soon find themselves, "Finding Nemo" like, in the belly of a whale. As the blowfish, a sea horse and a squid pitch in, the Pets' attempts to get the whale to open its mouth include making it a seaweed salad, singing it a lullaby and tickling it. The last one works, and shoots our heroes out of the blowhole to freedom.

As for bonus features, there's not much. Just a four-screen slideshow that introduces each character and their Fly Boat. But it really doesn't matter. The shows themselves are easily worth the money.

I tell every parent I know about the Wonder Pets!! My husband and I even find ourselves quoting little Ming Ming. This show is absolutely adorable and educational!! It is fun for kids and parents....I would give it more than 5 stars if possible:)

In the midst of this emotional rollercoaster is a theme that sticks to the backbone of America: we all need companionship and need to remember those who have reached out to us in some way.

In the first epic, we have the jolly trio of heroic animals known worldwide as the Wonder Pets wondering whether the animals who they have assisted in the past ever reflect back on the time they were in need and were saved by the Wonder Pets. As they are reminiscing, they are called to help another animal in danger. As they respond to the call, they are swallowed by a whale (some would say accidentally - yet the intent was not ever fully investigated). The team of fearless animals have to conjur up creative ways to escape from the inside of the whale. They come up with several bright ideas, however most are unsuccessful ventures. I won't give the ending away, but I will admit that there is a fair amount of singing that may choke up even the hardest of hearts. You will laugh, you may cry, and you will never be the same.....

I almost didn't buy this because I read a review complaining that the DVD had episodes formerly shown on TV....well thank goodness I ordered it anyway, because the special double length "Save the Wonder Pets" whale episode was worth the price alone. My daughter had played the online game on the Nick Jr. site where the Wonder Pets are in the belly of the whale, and so was thrilled to actually watch the adventure on the "big screen" of the TV. The other episodes, which have all been on TV, are just an added bonus - now she can watch one whenever she likes, since the show isn't on as often as some of her other favorite programs.

If your toddler likes the Wonder Pets, this will be a favorite!

My daughter loves the Wonderpets and even sings their theme song without prompting. She just loves these little guys. For toddlers, I cant recommend this DVD enough. The Wonderpets teach sharing, caring for others, cultivating friendships despite differences, and other important simple relationship life lessons. Their attempts at helping their fellow furry critters are inventive and quite cute, and they always save the day. Since they travel all over the world to help animals in need, your youngster gets a nice lesson about different cultures, exotic places and a variety of animals. The Wonderpets teach ALOT in their episodes but never with a heavy handed, beat over the head approach. Its all done in fun entertaining adventures that do not feel like learning experiences, but are. Did I mention its like a toddler opera? Every action is done in sing song and the three mainc haracters are as cute as can be.

The DVD itself is well done, the picture being exceptionally good for DVD quality and looks nice on high end equipment.

I am a Mother of 6 who highly recommends this dvd to anyone who has young children.. It is bright and entertaining! Keeps my young ones interested and content!!!

Great DVD! If you have children or not, this is an adorable DVD. A great program that adults can watch with the kids without pulling their hair out - very entertaining!!!

All I can say is that since my 2-year old got this for his birthday he runs into the house after day-care and says "Pets? More pets???". I think that says it all. And yes, I agree with an earlier review - I cannot get that title song out of my head!!! LOL :) This is a MUST if you want your child to be kind to animals. Enjoy!

This is a great video It has the traditional wonderpet theme plus so much more. Now the 3 little helpers must dpend on others to help them. will they all remember what the Wonder Pets have done for them?

What a relief that this is finally on DVD!!! My son is only 9 months old but he loves the wonderpets and it is the only thing that stops him from crying. As soon as he hears the first few beats of the music he stops everything and crawls right to the tv, and then plays nicely. I never thought that someone so little would have a favorite TV show but we really love Linny, Tuck, and Ming-Ming at our house. I definetely recommend this show for all ages.