I recently received Adventures in BoogaBooga Land from Thomas Nelson Publishing (through Booksneeze) for review. Marty the monkey and Gerard the giraffe take adventure after adventure together, encountering challenges and mishaps of all kinds along the way. Their adventures are based on 3 parables taught by Jesus, the workers in the vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16), the wise and foolish builders (Matt. 7:24-27), and the lamp under the bowl (Matt 5:14-16). After watching this DVD with my children, ages 3 (almost 4) and 2, I have mixed thoughts to share regarding the movie.
If you were to ask my children their opinion, I think they would give it great positive reviews. My children immediately sat down to watch the movie, and have since watched it frequently. It has fun, catchy music, lots of funny mishaps to laugh at, and silly-looking animals to enjoy. What’s not to like from a kid’s perspective?
If you were to ask me or my husband our opinions of the DVD, they would vary slightly from our kids. Having seen so many of the DVDs from the Tommy Nelson Publishing companies, our expectations were a big high. My immediate thought as the movie started, was that the graphics were similar to that of Cartoon Network’s shows, which we do not allow our family to watch. The storyline with Marty & Gerard were pictured as a skewed version of Wiley Coyote and Roadrunner, with Marty being the one always getting hurt. But, putting my graphic dislikes aside, most importantly, I was greatly disappointed with the content in the movie clips. Typically, my children come away from these type of DVDs with a lesson from the Bible that they can and often do repeat to whomever will listen. Even after watching this DVD 6+ times, when asked, my daughter (the oldest) still has no idea of any significant lessons that were taught with Marty & Gerard. To them, it’s entertaining, but that’s all…and to me, that’s not enough.
Obviously, you can see that this wasn’t my favorite children’s DVD. There are so many out there that offer a much clearer picture of God’s word, I would be hard for me to recommend this one above all others. However, as I said, they are enjoyed by the kids. So, if you are looking for a clean cartoon for the kids to enjoy, this may be for you. But if you are looking for them to walk away with Bible verses or lessons, you may want to keep looking. I give this DVD a 3-star (out of 5) rating.
I received this DVD free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
