Doobee's Four Seasons

Doobee the duck is one unhappy camper. He's got a cravin' for tomatoes that strikes during, as luck would have it, fall. Knowing that tomatoes are red, our sleuthing duck espies a falling crimson leaf, promptly takes a chomp, and just as quickly sends it back into nature's open-air spittoon. Based on the true experiences of writer/educator Kerry Kirkland--and brought to computer-animated life by filmmakers Peter Grellmann and Claude Kallanian--Doobee's Four Seasons melds live-action New England seasonal backdrops with nifty graphics featuring the duck-errant on his comical quest for tomatoes. Children (and, people like myself who are almost adults) are sure to enjoy Doobee's antics--especially the spitting-out of such disappointingly non-tomato items as a red ball, a strawberry (which splatters a insect bystander), and a ladybug--as well as the charming song about the seasons. More importantly, unlike a lot of computer-animated videos, Doobee's is not just another case of techno-geeks playing with powerful new software: the video features solid characters and narrative (rare finds in today's increasingly cluttered eye candy wasteland). Tack on the budget-friendly price and you've got a genuine winner. Highly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)