Li'l Buccaneers

Directed by John Wilder Mincey, the award-winning director of Wee Sing Together, this live-action pirate tale for children features a few good songs which occasionally serve to break up the otherwise dull and saccharine-laden storyline. Filmed on location in St. Augustine, Florida, Lil' Buccaneers offers a pair of warring groups of kids: one good, the other bad. The good kids find half of a treasure map, build a raft, and set sail for an island. The bad kids follow in hopes of stealing the treasure. On the island, the kids meet "Short John Gold," a colorful pirate who aids the children in finding not gold, but--surprise--"friendship." On an average of about every four minutes, one or the other groups of kids spontaneously breaks out in song and dance for no apparent reason. The highlight in this lowlight-ridden "adventure" is Short John's singing of "The Pirate Alphabet," a clever tune which translates familiar piratespeak such as "aaargh" and "aye." Good production values and an attempt at an imaginative setting don't raise this effort much beyond the standard backyard children's sing-along video. Not a necessary purchase. (Available from: JMC2 Limited, 5285 S.W. Meadows Road, Suite 311, Lake Oswego, OR 97035.)