Curious George: Sweet Dreams [DVD]

Big Idea's Biblically-themed, computer-generated Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie tapped out at about 26 million dollars in domestic box office, but the producers nonetheless were ready for an all-out home video assault. The double-disc DVD contains hours of appealing original material, from the whimsical interactive menus to the bright behind-the-scenes featurettes, much of it with a fresh twist. Nothing is static. For instance, on disc two, the "Concept Art" galleries page through the pre-production renderings with detailed, separate audio commentaries by vice president of visual development Michael Spooner (nine minutes) and art director Joe Sapulich (21 minutes); three scenes are detailed in "Progression Reels," quartering the screen to show the CG film craft from storyboard to finished product. Under the "Games" heading are "Blind Puzzle," in which blindfolded players (human actors) assemble a puzzle by following vocal directions (it's said to teach compassion), and "Second Chance Card," which shows a family issuing homemade cards when they've been wronged by a family member (it teaches forgiveness). There are live-action music videos (Chris Rice, the Newsboys, Relient K), trivia games, a "karaoke" function, a read-along storybook, and a plethora of how-they-did-it featurettes. "Outtakes" (with a Spanish-language option) are plain goofy, and the humor of this gimcrack, pioneered by Pixar, may have played itself out. But "Digital Dailies" goes a step above the outtakes by providing character commentary ~ la Mystery Science Theater. Disc one includes the feature film (in Dolby 2.0 or 5.1) and commentaries.

This animated adventure for kids from the popular How to Train Your Dragon series includes episodes 1-11 of the show, following the high flying story of Hiccup, Toothless, and the rest of the gang as they dip and dive through four episodes worth of fantastical fun.