1 comments about Baby Einstein - Mozart 2.

1. Baby Mozart 2 is a great addition to my collection of classical music CDs for my baby. We love it! I highly recommend it.

5 comments about Disney's On the Record - A New Musical Revue (2004 Original Cast).

1. I listen to this all the time.
   I love it. It in my opinion is worth the money.It's great to hear the Disney's songs all jazzed up.



2. I fell in love with this CD when the second song, "Give a Little Whistle" started playing. I ADORE classic Disney songs, and I thought that this was a brilliant way to combine them in an enjoyable way. However, some people will not like this CD. My sister, who isn't such a Disney freak, didn't like it because the songs were different from the oringinals. So trust your gut, but I think you'll enjoy it!



3. This review is totally based on what I heard from the CD for I have never seen the show or learned about its synopsis before. This might be kinda long so bear with me here.
   
   First of all, I have to say that I own most of Disney's soundtrack albums. I also own many Disney's compilation albums so sometimes I got a bit tired that they still released those same old songs again and again. I don't buy them anymore since I had most of those songs already. But this album is something different!!!
   
   BASIC FACT:
   The album is an original cast recording of a Disney's musical revue in 2005. (It never made it to Broadway due to a bad plot and storyline.) The album consists of 45 tracks on 2 CDs with over 70 Disney songs mentioned. Some of them are included as part of a medley and some are just snippet of songs to link to others. Some people tend to hate this idea of cutting down their favourite songs to a short piece but what I feel from this CDs is it makes the whole thing seems so fresh and new. It's kinda fun to listen to how they connect and merge the songs together. The orchestration, to me, was fresh and really nice. It gives you a jolly feeling and lifts you up every time you put it on.
   
   THE SONGS:
   The song list spans over 70 years of Disney. The Oldest song is "Minnie's Yoo-Hoo" from The Shindig (1930) and the newest is "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again" from Home on the Range (2004). And in between are familiar songs from famous Disney's classics such as Snow White, Dumbo, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story and so on... All the songs are separated into 15 recording sessions with separated prologue, entr'acte, finale and exit music. Stand outs are Session 8 (A.K.A. Silly Symphony) which is a medley of "no-meaning" songs such as "Supercalifragilisticexpialidotious", "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and more. Session 4 about flying is quite beautifully arranged. There are 2 special sessions dedicated to The Little Mermaid and Dumbo. The unmentioned sessions are also nice in their own style as well.
   
   THE CAST:
   There are 4 main performers, 2 guys and 2 girls, starting with Ashley Brown, she rocks!!! I saw her as Belle on Broadway and that is the reason why I bought this album. For those who don't know, she is the original Mary Poppins on Broadway. In this album, she plays a younger girl. Her songs are pretty much the princess classics from the opening "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" to Ariel's "Part of Your World" and from Mulan's "Reflections" to Cinderella's "So This Is Love". All her songs are delivered wonderfully. But the most impressive song is "A Change in Me" which is a new song added to the stage version of Beauty and the Beast. I think her version is the best (better than Susan Egan's, in my opinion) and the song is worth buying the album for.
   
   Moving on to the younger guy, he is Andrew Samonsky. His voice comes out as a young teen kind of sound which sounds really nice. His outstanding performance is in the newly arranged jazzy version of "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat". This song is really cool and is a true showstopper!
   
   The older lady of the recording is sung by Kaitlin Hopkins. She has more of mature sound which is very contrast to Ashley's clear soprano. She gets most of the "less-famous" songs but she handed them fairly. Her big solos are "Poor Unfortunate Souls", "Colors of the Wind" and "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again". She has a few duet with Ashley. "I'm Wishing/One Song" is stunning while "He's a Tramp" can be a bit boring.
   
   The last performer of the album is Brian Sutherland who portrays the older man. He has a nice warm baritone which suits his songs well. Check out his "When You Wish Upon a Star".
   
   The four performers get to sing some duets and quartets with each other. Standout quartet numbers are the opening medley of "Whistle While You Work/Give a Little Whistle" and the "Silly Symphony".
   
   As for the ensemble, I think they help add a nice touch to the album especially in the Dumbo medley and the multi-language version of "Be Our Guest".
   
   THE BOOKLET:
   The album comes with a nice colorful booklet with information about all the songs, a note from the director, cast list and plenty of nice pictures on and off stage. But no lyrics.
   
   BOTTOM LINE:
   If you love Disney, this is the album to get. Whatever people say about the show, don't listen to them. You are not buying the DVD of the show. You are buying a recording and the music on this album will surely make you smile with joy. Buy it and enjoy!!!



4. This was a very good product. It contained many memorable songs over a set of two discs. I recommend this to anyone who has ever heard a disney song (that'd be everyone).



5. This CD is a delightful mix of Disney selections with a twist. I believe I am singing the new versions from this CD more than the originals! If you love Disney music, you will love this!

3 comments about Disney's Karaoke Series: Lion King.

1. At first, I was excited to see it has been publish. But when I listened to it, I found that it was so different from my anticipation.
   Before I listened to this, I thought all the songs with vocals would be the original versions in the movie. And I thought the instrumental versions are just like the background music in the original songs. But the songs with vocal in this album were not sung by the initial performers, then it made all these songs strange, and all the initial comical, romantic and wonderful feelings lost. The instrumental versions are not good either. Some vocals haven't been removed. What has been removed was only the principal vocal. I just couldn't figure out why some vocals were retain in the instrumental version. Can they be called instrumental?
   I think this album is not good, even I can say that it is the worst of Disney Karaoke Series.



2. When I first got this Karaoke CD I was extremely excited. FINALLY, some Lion King music without vocals , I thought, and I was thoroughly impressed with everything. That is, until I got to my two favorite songs from The Lion King soundtracks: Hakuna Matata and Warthog Rhapsody. Some idiot took a cheap keyboard and did horrible renditions of the songs, rendering them to ghastly interpretations. The Hakuna Matata on this CD is the Broadway version-- which is an amazing version originally-- but it was menacingly torn asunder and put together again with some sort of synthesizer that basically destroyed the instruments, forming them into a song like something you'd hear from a "My First Piano Lesson" songbook. The rest of the songs such as Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Circle of Life and I just Can't Wait to Be King are the movie renditions simply taken from the actual MOVIE with the vocals removed, not redone. It makes you wonder why those morons in the recording studio redid Hakuna Matata and Warthog Rhapsody in the first place, when they could've just taken the original tracks from the soundtracks and removed the lyrics. And why the heck was the song Queen of the Jungle on there? That's not even a Lion King song!
   
   Besides that, the disc is not a complete waste. Enjoy singing all the other tracks, but stray away from Hakuna Matata and Warthog Rhapsody. I recommend looking up Priddis and getting their Lion King Karaoke CDs instead, they're actually good.
   
   This just shows how much Disney has evolved into a corporation based on quick money instead of enjoyment.



3. I am a musical theater performer and who has a niece who is really into what I do. I realized this when she would try to join me on my vocal warm ups I do regularly with these great singing lesson CDs called "Voice Lessons To Go" by Vaccarino. So, for her 10th birthday I bought her a Karaoke machine with some CDs including Disneys- Princess, Lion King and Cheetah girls. She loves them!!! She is so proud to sing for everyone now when they come over and tells everyone that she is going to be a singer just like her cool aunt!

5 comments about The Rescuers (A Walt Disney Classic) (The Classics).

1. we needed to replace this move. Our grand daughthers watched the one we had until it broke



2. I loved this film since I was ten (1977). Good memories!
   
   Good service. Thanks!



3. This DVD is very heartwarming and great for the whole family to watch together, or even by yourself. I love the scenery, characters, shoot I just love the whole thing. I highly reccommend this DVD for anyone that loves Disney and Animation.
   Leslie



4. I definitely didn't remember this movie being as dark and depressing but still a great cartoon for the collection.



5. This is a Disney classic. Just like watching it for the very 1st time.

5 comments about Disney Sing Along Songs: Heigh-Ho.

1. Young kids will like this most, or people my age who had seen as a youngster. Singing and learning seem to work well with kids.
   Children who have been, or are going to Disney may also take an interest in this delightful VHS.



2. I remember enjoying this video when I was young, and I'm thrilled that I now get to share it with MY child. I feel like a kid again. Totally worth the purchase!



3. So, what's the catch? I have seen Disney Sing-Along-Songs videos for a long time. Some of them are Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, The Bare Necessities, Friend Like Me, Circle of Life, etc., etc. So now to the basics of the songs.
   
   "Heigh Ho"-Snow White
   "Up, Down and Touch the Ground"-Winnie the Pooh & the Honey Tree
   "Hi Diddle Dee Dee"-Pinocchio
   "The Dwarfs' Yodel Song"-?
   "A Cowboy Needs a Horse"-A Cowboy Needs a Horse
   "The Three Caballeros"-The Three Caballeros
   "Theme From Zorro"-Zorro movies
   "Let's Go Fly a Kite"-Snow White
   "Yo Ho"-?
   "Siamese Cat Song"-Lady and the Tramp
   
   Just buy it. Nothing good may come of it anyway.



4. When this video was released it had high value because it had scenes from Snow White which had never been released on video before. Now though Snow White has been released on video and DVD, so it isn't so highly praised. Still, it is nice sing along fun for the kids featuring many of the old time Disney classics for the adults.



5. I have many Disney and other animated videos that are beloved childhood classics, and one of the outstanding series is the Disney Sing Along Songs set. I'd like to write a review for each of the fabulous tapes I own, but I'll just extend my praise to all of them in this one because it is the "#1" in the series. Other excellent editions include the 2 Christmas cassettes & You Can Fly, Fun with Music, Disneyland Fun, I Love to Laugh, A Friend like Me, Be Our Guest, Colors of the Wind, and several others.
   
   The songs on these thoroughly delightful little videos come straight from the various Disney films, cartoons, and other sources that we know and love. The words helpfully appear onscreen for those who don't have it all memorized. And adorable extra animation is included between the songs; in these first tapes, a blue owl "Professor" teaches music to young birds in a birdhouse school. In later videos, Professor Ludwig Von Drake is the guide through the musical Disney world. Each one of these is a cherished set of memories. Along with my old Winnie the Pooh and Disney Cartoon Classics series & Looney Toons-type shows, they are some of my favorite short videos that have been very special to me. I highly recommend them, since their magic will never die.

5 comments about High School Musical.

1. It seems like every kid begs for the HSM CD some point in their life. I wouldn't waste your hard earned money on it. It is nothing but a group of Disney stars singing about what America has stereotyped highschool to be like. Zac Efron doesn't even sing all of the songs, a huge disappointment to any music lover. So, for those parents who's children are begging them, wait a few monthes, get you kid some real music and it will all blow over.



2. This is so much fun! My daughter and I have girl time singing off key to this. As a special treat a few times a year, I plan to take my karaoke machine and several of the kid favorites to my classroom for my students to enjoy. They'll know every word of this new classic!



3. I love this CD. I enjoy listening to the music that is on here. I have freaked some kids out because I bought this & listen to it. But they have catchy tunes on this CD. I am just a big kid at heart still & probably always will be. If you get this you won't be sorry for any age. I have watched both of the movies but I liked the 1st one better.



4. I recieved the cd in a short time and my grandson is just going to love it. Thank You



5. High School Musical. Even before the movie came out, I had a feeling I was not going to like this. Let me say first that I am an avid fan of musicals. I absolutely love Wicked, Rent, Hairspray, Mama Mia, Les Miserables. I practically live on Broadway music. Musicals is meant to mean something, to teach something, to tell a story, or at least make you laugh. High School Musical possess none of these attributes. This is a story that reflects American youth today; shallow, one-dimensional, material. High School Musical is the story of a bunch of popular, beautiful, and perfect rich kids and their selfish problems that we are suppossed to care about and sing to. Sorry, but I don't think so. This movie is promoting the fact that in order to be happy and achieve anything in the world, you must be gorgeous and talented. That is not a message that should be sent to young children. And the what-you-can-barely-call music is utterly terrible. There is nothing whatsoever good about any of it. The lyrics are akward and don't flow at all, the melodies are mediocre at the most and are easily forgotten, and the singers themselves sound so fake you can hardly stand to listen to the music. High School Musical deserves none of the hype it is receiving. It is so sad that the true musicals in our lifetime are being ignored and forgotten because of this genuinely horrible musical.

5 comments about CINDERELLA'S DOLLHOUSE LG.

1. Really neat graphics and my daughter has a lot of fun with it but I had to load it at her grandmothers house because it does not work if you have more than 1G of memory - the company sent us one that would work on our system but it's not the same and not as good.



2. This is a very cute game. The only draw back is its difficult to get back to the beginning. My 4 yr old likes this. Some of the characters say really funny things. It has a uniqueness to it.



3. The game lives up to its name, its a dollshouse. You pick the furniture and put it where you like almost as a number of things refuse to allow you to place them where you want even when there is plenty of room. You cannot place an object or person behind another item unless you put the back item in first.
   The fun part is decorating the rooms and seeing the characters you place in the rooms interact. It would have been nice to have had more variety in the characters as you only get two cinderellas, anastasia drusella and the stepmother, the prince, three mice, a dog, aa cat and a couple of birds.
   You can change the wallpaper, floor, ceiling, curtains etc (three choices of each) Also the furniture has three choices.
   Disappointing is the promised downloadable decorations, they downloaded but wont run.
   Overall the game is click and point, so the kids are not amused long and seldom return. It came in a package with three other games otherwise I probably would not have purchased it but games geared towards girls a few and far between with disney and barbie being almost the only ones.



4. My 5 year old enjoys this very much. She got it last year from Santa, so she was able to navigate it at age 4. This is her favorite of the Princess Games. However, she gets very frustrated with the Fairy Godmother telling her "No Room There", because while you can drag and drop the furniture, you cannot overlap it. When the room is full, nothing else will go in.

   However, she has spent countless hours with this program, and overall enjoys it quite a bit.




5. We bought this game two months ago, along with two other kids games, and this one is by far our favorite kids game! When I say we, I mean my 7 year old who bought it with birthday money, her two sisters who are old enough to play computer games, me, my friend who lives with us (age 21), even my husband has sat down and messed around with it. It is just addictive, and fun.

   Not only do you get to decorate 6 rooms (Step-mother's parlor and kitchen, the mice room, and the bedroom, ballroom, and garden in the castle) then you can place people in the room and they will talk to each other. You can place items in their hands (such as flowers, food, a brush, a flute, much more) and hear them talk about what they are holding. Talk, and sometimes more! I love to have the flute out and people sitting at the piano in the step-mothers parlor. Hand something to Anastasia, and she'll say something (or sometimes say and do something), sometimes Cinderella will answer her, sometimes it will be Drizzella, the step-mother, or the Prince. It is totally fun and sometimes very funny to hear what they say to each other and see what they do with the items you give them. The game is also very easy to play and navigate, my five year old has no trouble playing all by herself.

   I do have three complaints against the game, one that was resolved by another persons review (thanks!). First off, we have been frustrated by the Fairy Godmothers long introduction to the game, which we did not know we could skip by hitting the space bar. They never told us that, we would sit through the whole long poem, which isn't bad, but if you have heard it 20 times already you would rather just get to the game. Problem solved now, though. The next thing that frustrates us is that occasionally one of the characters decides to look around (they don't say anything, they just look around) and you can't do anything while they look. It is a minor annoyance, just as you go to place an item into the scene, the Prince just has to look around a couple times, and you have to wait about 30 seconds or so until he is done. The third thing that frustrates us is that we are supposed to be able to download new decorative items from online, but we try and try and can not make it work. Even with these annoyances, it is still a great game that we love and play a lot.

5 comments about Disney Records Children's Favorite Songs (Vol. 1).

1. I grew up in the 80s and remember all the songs on this disney cd. It is so neat to see my son enjoy the same songs I did at his age.



2. I have been listening to Disney Children's Favorites since I was four years old. Mr. Groce is a wonderful singer, and his voice is very soothing and sedating. I recently bought his second album last month and it is a hit!!!



3. There is nothing Disney on this CD. It is deceiving to put a picture of one of the Disney characters on the cover of these CDs. So if you are looking for a Disney character CD, you should look elsewhere.
   
   Aside from that, though, the music is great and my children enjoy it thoroughly.



4. This is a great cd to own. My daughter and I listen and sing along on all car rides...she loves it! I am back to buy version 2&3 today. The songs are fun and upbeat...the voice is pleasant to listen to. Very highly reccommended



5. I drive my two kids (ages 2 and 4) to daycare back and forth every day - about a 20 min. drive each way. They are fully entertained with this CD. They really enjoy it. I also have volumes 2-4, and they're all good. Mr. Croce sings most of the songs so that does get a little old, but his voice is pleasing enough that I enjoy listening to these songs too. I recommend these CD's to anyone who has long (or short) trips in the car with small children.

5 comments about Baby Einstein Gift Pack Volume 3 (Baby Galileo/Baby Neptune/Baby Beethoven/Numbers Nursery).

1. I got the 18-pack for my latest kid, Floyd, and no matter how long I kept him tied to his TV chair, he still was as dumb as a rock after watching these things.



2. The name "Baby Einstein" can lull you into thinking it's okay or even good for babies to watch t.v., but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no television at all to children under 2 because so many studies have proven its harmful effects on children. Studies have shown that:
   
   - for every hour of television a baby watches a day, their chances of acquiring an attention deficit disorder increases by 10%.
   - among babies ages 8 months to 16 months, every hour spent daily watching programs such as 'Brainy Baby' or 'Baby Einstein' translated into six to eight fewer words in their vocabularies as compared with other children their age."
   - brain wave activity in babies is slower when watching television than when sleeping.
   
   I believe television should be used SPARINGLY and with caution, and without any delusions of it increasing baby's intelligence. As for making them more intelligent, Dr. William Sears says, "relationships, not things, make babies smarter." The easiest way to make babies smarter and calmer is to carry them a lot. Slings, pouches and carriers help make this more manageable. Studies have shown that:
   
   - carrying babies an extra 3 hours a day resulted in 40% less crying.
   
   Babies who are frequently carried are proven to pick up verbal skills faster, and develop better core muscle strength and balance. My Listmania list "Natural Parenting for Baby's First Year" has more information on babywearing, or you can google "babywearing" or "television and baby studies" for your own research.
   
   Crown Crafts The Original NoJo BabySling by Dr. Sears - Black Chambray is a great starter sling.
   
   Finally, I'd suggest "SIGNING TIME" videos - not to be confused with "Baby Signing Time" - as a last resort instead of other baby videos because at least baby can learn sign language. Sign language is proven to:
   
   - reduce frustration and tantrums
   - accelerate language development
   - promote parent-child bonding
   
   I found the entire series at my local library. I especially liked Signing Time! Volume 4: Family, Feelings & Fun DVD and 'naming' feelings also increases emotional intelligence in babies.



3. My son has been watching the Baby Einstein video series since birth and at the age of two and a half, he is speech delayed and is actively in speech therapy. I think there is a correlation between the Baby Einstein videos and speech delay and sensory development. My son is intelligent, but is not expressive in speech. He understands but cannot express himself with words. The speech therapy is working but we will be in therapy until he is at the level he should be for his age. I also think there is a issue with sensory development. He is my second son and I never had issues with my first son who is now nine and back then Baby Einstein videos were not around. He watched Barney, Sesame Street, and other cartoons that used actual words and communicate dialog between two or more people and not so much sensory fluff. Take caution because I read one review that talked about autism and speech delay being an epidemic in the last five years. I think research needs to be conducted about the effects of Baby Einstein videos on baby and toddler development. If anyone else recognizes this problem or would like to write back, please email me directly at falina@sbcglobal.net



4. I have a 14 month old daughter who loves all the Baby Einstein DVDs. She watches them while she's playing with her toys and it seems to calm her down. Babies just love these DVDs, for whatever reason!



5. we (me, my husband and my daughter) all love them. She is 7 mos. old now, has been watching about 1 per day for 3 mos. It gives me time to make myself some toast and a cup of tea in the morning or me and my husband 20 min. to eat our dinner together and discuss our day. I know the instructions say to interact with your little one while they're watching so occasionally I'll verbalize the object, the color or describe what the children on the video are doing. I find that she is enthralled with the puppet shows on the bonus feature on the main menu...also like the multi-lingual option as they say its good for little ears to hear different languages, sounds etc. One suggestion I have is to first preview them from the local library. There are a few that I've gotten from there that she's just not that into! Now I know and it saved me a few bucks too! Overall, I would recommend these but would hesitate in giving them to someone who may use the "Repeat Play" option-if you catch my drift!

1 comments about Bear in the Big Blue House: Sleepy Time With Bear and Friends.

1. "Bear in the Big Blue House" is one of the best currently-running shows for kids. I have seen several Bear DVDs (which are now in the possession of my friends who have preschool kids) and I believe that they are not only entertaining and educational, but reinforce such important concepts as fairness and good sportsmanship.
   
   In this volume, Bear and friends concentrate on getting a good night's sleep, and also learn about good dental hygiene and the importance of making new friends while not abandoning existing friends. My favorite character, Tutter, has logistical problems dealing with several varieties of cheese.
   
   Although these DVDs are for the young children of one of my best friends, they actually aren't painful to watch like so many shows made for kids ("Teletubbies," anyone?), and are, in fact sometimes amusing in ways the kids don't even get, much like Dr. Seuss.
   
   For young kids, the Bear in the Big Blue House series can't be beat.