Newton in a Bottle

Parents who borrow this program aimed at children aged three months to four years may well ask, “what the heck was that weird-assed video about?” Answer: physical science, though that's a little hard to tell, since there is no dialogue nor any on-screen titles. The main character is the quite appealing computer-animated Max the Cat, who has the decidedly un-scientific habit of turning himself into a billiard ball. The Max/ball repeatedly rolls through a Rube Goldberg-esqe contraption, illustrating concepts such as leverage, gravitation, momentum, projectile motion, light and color. While the publicity material claims that “younger children will be captivated by the vibrant colors and exciting motions of the animation,” my year-old baby glanced at the TV occasionally, but was much more absorbed in his own experiments involving gravity and objects on the coffee table (though he did enjoy the music and the laughing baby faces of the producer's child). An online parent's guide is also available at www.newtoninabottle.com; if only some of the guide information had been provided in a simple voice-over, so that children (or adults) watching might more readily understand the principles being taught. Optional. Aud: K, P. (R. Reagan)