The Kickapie Kids In Jailbirds

Ostensibly aimed at 8-12 year olds, The Kickapie Kids in Jailbirds is a one-gimmick video that harks back to the days of the Little Rascals (only isn't half as funny). Set in the fictional town of Kickapie, the story opens with the "kids" putting on a magic show, while across town a pair of crooks escape from jail. The gimmick is that there is no audible dialogue; all of the words appear in comic-book style balloons which the viewers must read in order to follow the story. Old Keystone Cop-like piano music and standard slapstick sound effects are used instead of actual sounds (unfortunately, the audio track is quite poor, with sometimes barely audible music, and contrasting loud sound effects). It's a clever idea, and had the story been half as nifty as the concept, this would have been a wonderful program. After the long opening section with the magic show, the "kids" get involved in hunting the criminals, after Grannie Bird's purse has been stolen; they track the bandits to the woods, make the capture, and save the day-all in totally perfunctory fashion. The comic timing is usually off by at least a country mile, and each of the performer's actions is exaggerated and slowed down-making an already long and unimaginative show that much longer. The plot is on a connect-the-dots level, the moral of the story is embarrassingly plain, and beyond the standard pointless insult slinging between the kids, there's not much here to hold young people's attention. Not recommended. (Available from: Threshold Marketing, 8418 Scarsdale Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46256.)