McKids Adventures 2: Treasure Hunt with Ronald

A gaggle of multicultural children frolic around with Ronald McDonald in this live-action series geared towards youngsters aged 2-5. Although some might think it's about time the fast food conglomerate gave something more to consumers (than admittedly delicious and colorfully-wrapped heaps of trans fat), McKids Adventures is one very contrived show. Treasure Hunt with Ronald finds the “McKids” traveling to the library to get library cards (the song montage of the children wildly bouncing around unsupervised and pulling books off the shelves is the stuff of staff nightmares) and to hear a pirate story from the librarian, after which one of the kids finds a treasure map. Piling into Ronald's shoe-shaped car, the McKids embark on a hot-air balloon trip with “Christopher Clumsy,” who takes them (via the low-budget magic of green screen compositing) to the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty, and other notable places, before landing in a zoo for some animal facts and photo ops, after which they discover their “treasure” (wow, craft supplies) in a nearby park and create a scrapbook of “trip memories.” Despite the library plug and art activity, this lame story (coupled with half-hearted attempts at exercise in which viewers are urged to join in “crazy dancing”) falls considerably short of the DVD jacket promise to “help strengthen growing bodies and growing minds.” DVD extras include a “Backyard Expedition” (although real-life kids probably won't find a skunk or a California king snake in their yards) and a segment on what the kids want to be when they grow up. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: McKids Adventures 1: Get Up and Go with Ronald is also newly available.] Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)