Ages 4-6

In its Veggie Tales stories, Big Idea Productions uses the unique innovation of computer animation to create stories that teach children values such as forgiveness, honesty, and kindness. In the first of its video series, Where's God When I'm S-Scared, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber teach lessons in handling fear. They help Junior Asparagus get to sleep after watching a scary movie by reminding him that "God is always watching out for us!" and in a zany rendition of the well-known Bible tale of Daniel in the lions' den, viewers learn how Larry the Cucumber makes it through a night spent with some scary lions. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide

The Bible story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho is cleverly told by the computer-animated Veggie Tales. Best for ages five to eight. ~ Heather M. Fierst, All Movie Guide

The popular animated duo of cat and mouse team up again to appear this time on the big screen. Homeless, the 'toons end up helping out a young girl who stays with a nasty auntie while she is separated from her father. Will the young Robyn be reunited with her loving father? Will the odd pair make it on the streets? Will they find a home? Those are some of the burning questions that may plague the minds of young viewers of this fun adventure. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Dr. Elena Kinder (Kathleen Turner) is the highly visible chief executive of BABYCO, the world's largest manufacturer of baby products. The company funds orphanages across the world and just opened an indoor theme park for children adjacent to its corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. Unbeknownst to the public, Kinder, with the help of Dr. Heep (Christopher Lloyd), has been conducting a vast research program devoted to decrypting in secret labs deep beneath BABYCO's corporate campus the language that babies speak. It's said that Tibetans believe all babies are born with complete knowledge of the universe and the ability to speak to each other in an ancient language. However, once infants turn two years old, they lose this knowledge as they bond more closely with adults. To study this theory, Dr. Kinder has culled the smartest babies from her orphanages to be raised in a special development program in her private lab. As a test of developmental progress, she has separated a pair of twins, Sly and Witt. While Sly is raised within the lab, Witt has been adopted by Kinder's niece, Robin Bobbins (Kim Cattrall) and her husband Dan (Peter MacNicol), who run an old-fashioned day care and child research center. Sly manages to escape the center and finds his way to a shopping mall during Christmas. While eluding Kinder's henchmen, Sly stumbles across Witt; Witt is promptly mistaken for Sly and taken away, while Sly goes to the day care center with his new mother. The two boys, who develop an empathic link, must find each other and free the children from the research center before Dr. Kinder can smuggle them out of the country. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide

In a lesson about self-esteem and learning that God can help little creatures do big things, Bob the Tomato tells the story of David and Goliath from the Old Testament, except that in Bob's story, Goliath is a giant pickle. Jr. Asparagus plays Dave, a shepard boy left at home while his big brothers go off to fight and protect their people. But in the end, who must take on the monstrous pickle and overcome adversity? Who succeeds? Can you guess? This "Veggie Tales" story has an intermission you won't want to miss, one of Larry's better "Silly Songs." ~ Leslie Birdwell, All Movie Guide

Another installment of the popular Christian-oriented animated series, this time with two lessons focusing on the importance of forgiveness. In the first story, Junior Asparagus learns that it's not always easy to forgive someone -- especially when those someones are as mean as the Grapes of Wrath family. In the second story, Larry, Bob, and some passengers wind up stranded on a desert isle when Larry crashes their boat. Will Larry ever be forgiven for his mistake? These stories are geared for children ages three and up. ~ Karla Baker, All Movie Guide

Produced by Gullane Entertainment and distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment, this collection features six episodes and one music video from the acclaimed Thomas the Tank Engine series. Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends: Spills & Chills & Other Thomas Thrills features characters such as Rusty, Toby, Duncan, Stepney, Henry, and of course, Thomas in several adventures aimed at children, preschool age and up. Directed by David Mitton, the programs are narrated by Alec Baldwin with music by Junior Campbell and Mike O'Donnell. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Anchor Bay Entertainment presents another episode in the long-running series of children's programs based on the Thomas the Tank Engine books. Narrated by actor Alec Baldwin, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends: Cranky Bugs features Thomas, Gordon, and Sir Topham Hatt in several adventures. The stories are "Cranky Bugs," "Lady Hatt's Birthday Party," "Double Teething Troubles," "Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach," "Busy Going Backwards," and "A Better View for Gordon." Also included is a music video for "Night Train." ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

A fast-paced and funny twist on the Homeward Bound saga in which devoted pets traverse the wilderness in search of their owners, Brave Little Toaster is an animated family treat that tells the delightful story of a gang of household appliances who set off for the big city to find their young master after he thoughtlessly leaves them in his summer cabin. Along the way they must face many dangers and obstacles, including figuring out how to get juice in a wilderness containing no electrical outlets. The film is based on a children's tale by science-fiction author Thomas M. Disch and won a Parent's Choice Award. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV animated feature stars only two regular members of the Mystery Machine gang: Scooby Doo and Shaggy (although Scrappy, a late addition to the series, is also present). In place of Freddy, Velma, and Daphne, we have Googie, Shaggy's girl friend. It seems that Shaggy and company are now involved in race car driving. By coincidence, in far-off Transylvania, Count Dracula is getting ready for the annual Monster Car Race -- a race that features such familiar faces as Frankenstein's Monster and his bride, the Mummy, Genghis Kong, and a pair of witches. Normally, the Werewolf is a part of the race, but he has fled this year and nothing Dracula can do will bring him back. As he desperately needs a werewolf for the race, Dracula sends the Hunch Bunch -- a pair of deformed brothers -- to America, where they transform Shaggy into a werewolf. Dracula tells Shaggy that he will take the spell off of him and return him to normal -- but only if he wins the Monster Car Race. That turns out to be easier said than done, especially since Dracula does everything in his power to see that Shaggy will lose and remain a werewolf forever. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Jill Murphy's children's story The Worst Witch is given satisfactory treatment in this amiable film fantasy. The scene is a school for witches, where the head sorceresses offer a liberal black-arts curriculum. Problems occur when one of the students turns out to be too good for her own good. And, as everybody knows, the best people make the worst witches. Veterans Diana Rigg and Charlotte Rae generously share screen time with such engaging comparative newcomers as Fairuza Balk. The 70-minute Worst Witch is ideal TV fare for the Halloween season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this third installment of the animated saga of a young brontosaurus and his pals, trouble has come to the Great Valley in the form of a meteorite. It fell just beyond the valley and now blocks the main water supply. As the land dries and thirst increases, the different species of dinosaurs who once coexisted peacefully become fractious. Suddenly Littlefoot and his friends are no longer allowed to play together. As bigotry and bickering increase, Littlefoot's gang decides that it's up to them to save the day. Since they went outside the valley in the last sequel, they know where water can be found, and though the Great Beyond is populated by tyrannosauruses and other carnivores, the youngsters know that they and their parents must take that risk in order to survive. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

While most cats sleep soundly by the fireplace hoping to partake in some of the milk left for Santa Clause on Christmas Eve, all is certainly not sound in the abode of enduring cartoon rivals Tom and Jerry! Presented in 1.33:1 full-frame and offering audio rendered in closed-captioned English Dolby Digital Mono, this release offers an abundance of subtitle selections including English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Bahasa, and Thai. When you've finished watching the seven episodes contained in this set, be sure to check out such bonus materials as "Jerry's Winter Wonder to Run challenge," "learn how to draw Tom and Jerry," an all-new music video, and a biography for the arch-rivals. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide