DVD Review: “Muppet Babies: Time to Play!”
Hi everyone!
Muppet Babies: Time to Play! is now out on DVD, and we received a copy to review. This DVD gives an hour and a half of TV time (plus bonus features), with a collection of 6 episodes and then some shorts and more. I will say, I have never seen any Muppet Babies before, not 30 years ago and not the new version – so this show is completely new for me. I was a huge fan of the original The Muppet Show in the 70s, of all the Muppet movies and I just overall like the Muppets.
The show itself is cute, sometimes funny and the characters truly feel like smaller versions of the original characters (thanks in part to great voice talent). For myself, it seems almost unnecessary to have a babies version of characters that are already enjoyable for all ages, but the animation is decent and Disney Junior shows often have lessons to learn. I did think the music videos were adorable, in particular “What’s So Scary About the Dark”. The videos are short, about a minute or so, some less.
As far as the shorts, it was fun seeing baby Kermit singing “Rainbow Connection” in Kermit’s Show and Tell. “Rainbow Connection” is my favorite song from any Muppet movie, I still remember seeing it in the theater in 1979 when I was a kid. And of course, Fozzie Bear’s Show and Tell is about him telling jokes, and Animal plays drums in his short. The shorts are about 2 minutes each, and I almost like those better than the shows themselves in that each showcases a character.
For young children, Muppet Babies: Time to Play will be a cute introduction to the Muppets or a way to just have a lot of Muppet Babies content in one DVD. For children just a little older, I personally would stick with the classic show.
Here is information on the DVD:
Synopsis: Almost 30 years after the Muppet Babies first won the hearts of kids and families around the world, Disney Junior’s reimagined “Muppet Babies” chronicles the hilarious playroom antics of a young Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and Animal – plus a brand-new Muppet Baby, Summer Penguin. Under the watchful eye of Miss Nanny, the Muppet Babies use their imaginations to embark on countless adventures that take them to the farthest corners of the universe and demonstrate to young viewers the power and potential of imaginative play.
Voice Cast: Matt Danner as Kermit the Frog; Melanie Harrison as Piggy; Dee Bradley Baker as Animal; Ben Diskin as Gonzo; Eric Bauza as Fozzie Bear; Jessica DiCicco as Summer Penguin; and Jenny Slate as Miss Nancy
Executive Producer: Tom Warburton
Supervising Director: Matt Danner
Songwriter:: Andy Bean
Composer: Keith Horn
Episodes:
Sir Kermit the Brave/Animal Fly Airplane
Super Fabulous vs. Captain Icecube/Piggy’s Time Machine
The Great Muppet Sport-A-thon/You Say Potato, I Say Best Friend
Hatastrophe/Fly South
Bonus Features: 2 Bonus Episodes-
How Kermit Got His Groove/One Small Problem
Playground Pirates/The Blanket Fort
10 “Muppet Babies: Show & Tell” Shorts –
Kermit’s Show and Tell
Piggy’s Show and Tell
Fozzie’s Show and Tell
Gonzo’s Show and Tell
Summer’s Show and Tell
Animal’s Show and Tell
Kermit and Piggy’s Show and Tell
Kermit and Fozzie’s Show and Tell
Piggy and Gonzo’s Show and Tell
The Great Muppet (Short) Musical
6 Music Videos-
“What’s So Scary About The Dark?”
“Never Have To Say Goodbye (To The Summer)”
“Get Back In The Game”
“Good Things Come To Those Who Wait”
“You Can Be A Dancer”
“Muppet Pirate Shanty”
Release Date: August 14, 2018
Ratings: TV-Y (US)
Run Time: Approx. 92 minutes (not including bonus)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen (Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions)
Audio: English 2.0 Dolby, Latin Spanish 2.0 Dolby
Subtitles: English Line 21, English SDH, French S & Latin Spanish
Closed Captions: English
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