Barney's Great Adventure

Young Cody, grumpy and moping because he has been deposited with his more upbeat sister and her best friend at their grandparents' farm for a week, speaks for all Barney-bashers when he rebuffs invitations to join in games of make-believe. "Imagination is kid's stuff," he states. "That's okay," his sister sweetly replies, "We're kids." Exactly. If some parents choose to run screaming from the room once this video begins, let them. Their loss. While Barney's feature-film debut isn't exactly superdedooper, neither is it the cringefest for which the purple dino's detractors may have braced themselves. Barney may not make a believer out of you as he does Cody, but it is no mean feat that this is an absolutely age-appropriate movie with which parents can confidently leave their preschoolers unattended. As for Cody: suffice it to say that his dreams for a fantastic adventure come true when a wishing star deposits a mysterious magic egg in the barn. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)