Well, shiver me timbers if Mice of the Herring Bone won't warm the cockles of a reader's heart. Yes, this iconographic-animated cat and mouse (and dog) pirate tale—based on the children's novel by Tim Davis—is presented in both a widescreen format with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and in a “read-along” version with a reduced-size picture and the full text along the bottom half of the screen. Featuring 2-D cutout-style characters moving in a 3-D landscape, Davis' tale—nicely read by Lonnie Polson and backed with a music score and sound effects—follows a pair of London mice named Charles and Oliver (nods to Mr. Dickens, no doubt) who find themselves unwilling travelers aboard the titular ship. Under the command of Captain Crag, the pirate dogs of the Herring Bone are in search of the Queen's lost treasure—a precious load of gold and jewels sunk off the coast of the island of San Gato—which the cat crew of the Queen's Nine Lives are also trying desperately to recover. Before you can say Johnny Depp, Charles and Oliver are caught in the middle of a battle between Her Majesty's Felines and the Pirates of the Cattibean in this entertaining tale of pint-size bravado on the high seas. DVD extras include a PDF format activity book. Recommended. [Note: Mice of the Herring Bone is also available in a DVD/book combo for $21.97.] Aud: K, P. (R. Pitman)
Mice of the Herring Bone
(2007) 53 min. DVD: $14.95. ShowForth DVDs (dist. by BJU Press). Volume 23, Issue 4
Mice of the Herring Bone
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