dvds for kids

Rated G

This love letter to eating is as satisfying as a good meal itself. Kids will love the movie's basic premise of a rat becoming a gourmet chef. Even parents will enjoy the surprisingly sophisticated story if they can just get past the idea of rodents in the kitchen! The impeccable attention to detail makes this Pixar presentation the filet mignon of animated films!

Rated G

An innovative cautionary tale about the fate of our planet, this futuristic flick takes a giant creative leap into unknown animation territory, presenting a somber--yet ultimately hopeful--story in an apocalyptic setting. Young moviegoers will find comfort in the fact that, in a world where humanity can barely be sustained, the computer-generated WALL-E is truly a tin man with heart.

Rated G

Although the comparisons to Mary Poppins are inevitable, Nanny McPhee with her haglike appearance, is a whole different breed of baby-sitter. Instead of cheerfully singing that "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," she conjures up a thick and vile-looking potion that makes her young charges gag. Children will be fascinated by her methods and will realize that despite her disconcerting appearance, Nanny McPhee is compassionate and only wants to help.

Rated PG

Based on the popular children's picture book, the movie is a combination of Jumanji and Toy Story, setting free mannequins, dinosaurs, and stuffed animals and letting them run amuck. This may be as close as some kids get to visiting New York's famous museum, and they'll probably be fascinated by the dioramas, the Hall of African Mammals, and the 65-million-year-old fossilized bones of the Tyrannosaurus rex.

Rated G

Pixar transformed the animation industry with these 13 short films, available in one collection for the first time ever.

There's probably something for everyone in these groundbreaking short films, which redefined the category and made audiences look at animation in a new way. Kids are most likely to enjoy the ones featuring some of their favorite characters from Cars, Monsters, Inc. and The Incredibles.

Rated G

NASA scientists and engineers build and launch two state-of-the-art rovers to explore Mars.

In this fascinating documentary young viewers get a rare, up-close look at the mysterious Red Planet. They'll find it amazing that these "robot geologists" travel seven months at 60,000 miles per hour to reach their destination, and that one of them even nails what one expert describes as "a 300-million-mile interplanetary hole in one!"

Not Rated

Fifteen government, history, and election-themed songs are featured in this collection from the animated Emmy award-winning TV series.

Schoolhouse Rock! rocked Saturday mornings with a series of animated shorts that proved learning could be fun. A couple of generations of kids still remember basic principles of grammar, math, and history through the catchy tunes and sassy lyrics. This new collection teaches concepts like the Electoral College, making them simple to understand for viewers of all ages.

Not Rated

Beloved fan favorites--all of which are new to DVD, except the title episode--abound in this kooky collection. The title episode, in which SpongeBob falls in love with one of his delicious creations and refuses to part with it, is a classic that will have viewers laughing till they cry! In his own wacky way, SpongeBob is like a little kid himself--he becomes obsessed with the things he likes, wants to look like a hero, and takes good care of his friends.

Rated PG

The Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, find their lives dramatically changed when their parents die in a mysterious fire. They are sent to live with Count Olaf, an evil actor obsessed with killing the children to get his hands on their inheritance. As the title suggests, a series of unfortunate events follows, with the children being moved from guardian to guardian, always with Count Olaf in hot pursuit. Read the Age-by-Age Guide for Lemony Snicket.

Rated G

Every year, thousands of emperor penguins make an astonishing journey to breed their young. They are birds, but they do not fly. They are aquatic animals, but this time they will not swim. Instead, they walk--marching day and night in single file 70 miles into the darkest, driest, and coldest continent on Earth. There are so many valuable lessons for tweens to learn from these unlikely heroes, including the many ways they work together.