Playhouse Disney - Mesmerizing, Entertaining & Educational Family Television
Jun 21 '02 (Updated Jun 24 '02)
The Bottom Line As with the rest of the programming on the Disney Channel, the segment of shows falling under the "Playhouse Disney" theme are entertaining, educational and just plain fun :)
Allow me to paint a picture for you. It's a quiet Saturday morning. My wife and I are lying in bed, on the verge of waking up, but enjoying the calm serenity of the moment nonetheless.
In the distance, through our opened bedroom window, we hear the sounds of birds announcing the dawn. Elsewhere, a squirrel digs up a small patch of my lawn to store some of his food for future consumption.
It's a tranquil, calm scene. But it doesn't last.
From down the hall, a gentle rustling sound emerges. We both try to ignore it for we know what will soon follow.
A brief eclipse of silence is followed by a call out for attention and urgency.
"Mommy, Daddy. Olie!"
And so the tranquil moment ends as our daughter, approaching 2 years of age, announces that she would like to view one of her favorite programs, Rolie Polie Olie.
I kid you not. This has happened multiple times already. Honestly. I have the video to prove it too.
With a grunt and a scratch, I get up, retrieve my daughter, bring her back to bed with me and turn on the TV (which is already stationed at the Disney Channel).
Who needs an alarm clock? At 2 years of age, this kid knows exactly when Rolie Polie Olie is playing.
But then again, she knows when Star Trek is playing too, so I can't fault her...
Fortunately, my wife and I don't mind because we know that what our daughter watches, which actually encompasses the entire spectrum of the Disney Channel's pre-school segment called Playhouse Disney is not only entertaining, but educational in many ways as well.
Playhouse Disney, which typically occupies the first 6 hours of programming each day on the Disney Channel, is geared towards pre-schoolers to kindergarten-aged children. And, just as importantly, it also relates to the parents who are doubtless imprisoned into watching these episodes for hours on end.
The premise of this block of limited to zero commercial-interrupted programming is centered around a handful of shows, with fun-filled activities, features and segments in between each. Each of the shows have their own appeal and characteristics, which helps set them apart from the other shows. This is part of the genius behind Playhouse Disney. You can watch it for hours without getting truly bored of it.
Looking at these programs individually will help you realize why.
Out of the Box
This 'live action' show features two stars - Tony and Vivian. The premise of the show is that they've built, in essence, a fort out of cardboard boxes. This becomes their fantasy world and they interact with children throughout the show, singing, dancing, solving problems and discussing some real-world, kid-related issues. It's fun, interesting and often very educational. It's classic Disney television.
Bear in the Big Blue House
Now come on, who doesn't love Bear? This show, created by the Jim Henson studios (of Muppets fame) uses Muppet-like characters who all interact inside of, well, Bear's Big Blue House. This is a fun show to watch as well as it attempt to teach various lessons without coming off as overly preachy. More singing, dancing and general amusement is a key to this show's on-going appeal and success.
Rolie Polie Olie
My daughter's favorite, hands down. If you're not familiar with the antics of Olie and his family, you should be. Here, in an impressive computer-generated animated world, we watch Olie, from the planet Rolie Polie (a planet of robots) interact with his family, friends, dog and every other object in the world. The interesting and captivating premise behind Rolie Polie Olie is that every object is animated and has a personality. I mean everything. Every appliance, every plant, every toy. They all are 'alive' and they really add to the overall appeal of this show. Add to that some truly interesting characters, like the Elvis-impersonating Uncle Gizmo or the always tinkering Mr. Polie (Olie's Dad) or the adorable Zowie (Olie's younger sister) and you can see why this show will not only appeal to the kids, but to the adults as well. This one is a gem (and I'm not just saying that in fear that my daughter may read this review one day and smack me upside the head for saying anything less of Olie) :)
The Book of Pooh
For years, Winnie the Pooh has been delighting children of all ages. Take a walk inside my daughter's bedroom, and you'll see that she too is a fan of Pooh. Now, through the magic of computer animation coupled with imaginative puppet work, Pooh and his Hundred-Acre Wood pals come to life - literally - in this new adaptation of the classic. This is Pooh at his best, full of laughing, dancing and singing. Impressive in every way. You'll get hooked on Pooh again once you witness this new version of an all-time classic.
PB&J Otter
PB&J, as you may have ascertained, refers to Peanut, Butter and Jelly. But it's not what you're thinking. In this case, PB&J are three 'otters' that live on a house boat with their parents. This animated cartoon establishes family and community unity and stresses the importance of thinking your way through a problem. "Use Your Noodle" is the slogan of the show, and it works on all levels.
Stanley
Another animated cartoon, this one is destined for greatness. Stanley, a young boy, loves, and I mean Loves animals. Anything and everything about them. Along with his three pets, a goldfish named Dennis, a cat names Elsie and a dog named Harry, he solves his daily problems by determining how an animal might react. Along with his "Great Big Book of Everything" he imagines becoming the animal in question which gives him (and the viewer) a better understanding of how that animal copes with his world. This is a great, entertaining way to introduce your little one to the wonderful world of animals. Rebecca, our daughter, is captivated by this show as well.
While the five shows listed above are the primary ones being shown during Playhouse Disney, there are others are well that should be noted. The Wiggles, an Australian 4-member band that sings and dances during many of the 'commercial' breaks on PHD, now have their own 30-minute show. If you can't get enough of the Wiggles (and believe me, I have...) then you should be thrilled with this show.
Also showing later in the programming block are the animated Madeline and Ariel / Little Mermaid.
But as I alluded to, the action that occurs in between the shows is also worthy of mentioning. Segments, like Sharing Time, where viewers send in tapes to Disney, showing some things that they can do (so as to share their experiences), Circle Time where a story is told to a group of children, Joke Time where you can hear kids visiting Disney tell some of the worst jokes imaginable (so bad, they're good) and Mini Movies, a collection of animated shorts.
All of these shows create a seamless string of programming that can easily occupy most of your early morning to noontime. And since it's on 7 days a week, you'll always have a chance to watch it.
While my wife and I have no choice in the matter, we still enjoy sitting down and watching the antics of Olie, or seeing what animal Stanley is pretending to be or cringing at the endless joke telling. But regardless of what we and Rebecca are watching on PHD, we know that we're all learning a little bit more about life.
When TV can accomplish that, then you know it's something special.
Thanks, as always, for reading...
-John
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Member: John
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