Livin' it Up with the Bratz

By and large, direct-to-video series based on toy franchises have to stretch to come up with cohesive narratives. Livin' it Up with the Bratz takes a different tack, serving up fluffy interactive vignettes that provide viewers with instant gratification in place of an extended storyline. Sasha (“Bunny Boo”), Cloe (“Angel”), Yasmin (“Pretty Princess”), and Jade (“Kool Kat”) kick things off by meeting up before the first day of school, after which viewers can decide to follow—Choose Your Own Adventure-style—Cloe (who's working on a school show) or Yasmin (who's making a video yearbook), with various additional choices popping up along the way leading to music videos, making wishes with a magic lamp, and advice from a “Bratzline” radio show. The loosely connected activities (also featured as individually accessible DVD extras, together with “behind-the-scenes” commentary and a quiz) are super-trendy and accompanied by a trip-hop soundtrack. Socially redeeming? Eh…not really. But that won't stop the ‘tween target audience from checking this out. A strong optional purchase. [Note: Fox Home Entertainment also has two new Bratz titles available at the same price: Bratz: Passion 4 Fashion Diamondz and Bratz Babyz: The Movie.] Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)