Featured TV on DVD Review: Strawberry Shortcake: Puttin' on the Glitz

March 31, 2011

Strawberry Shortcake: Puttin' on the Glitz - Buy from Amazon

The Strawberry Shortcake franchise has really done well after its relatively recent re-launch and I've had a chance to review a number of the DVDs that have come out the past few years. So while I'm outside the target demographic, it shouldn't be too hard a task to tell if Strawberry Shortcake: Puttin' on the Glitz is worth it for fans of the franchise.

The Show

The DVD has three episodes from the TV show starting with...

Mr. Longface is opening his Croquet Country Club and Strawberry Shortcake and the rest of the gang want to look their best. But as Lemon Meringue is doing her best to get them all ready in time, she's a little overworked at the salon, and then her hairdriers go on the fritz. But the delay doesn't matter, as Mr. Longface is even more fastidious than Lemon Meringue and he's unhappy with the state of his lawn. After nearly causing her friends to be late, Lemon is determined to automate her salon to speed things up and it works so well that the others decide to automate a few of the tasks in their lives. This has some unintended consequences.

Episode two starts with what could have been a huge tragedy after someone forgot to tie up the Berry Bitty City ferry and the Berrykins nearly drown trying to get it back. (For future reference, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches do make effective rafts.) Plum Puddin' seems unconcerned that taking a shortcut with the rule (she only used one knot to tie up the raft not two) caused problems. But throughout the episode she keeps bending the rules, till it catches up with her.

In the final episode, Lemon Meringue is excited and gathers all of her friends to show off her latest innovation: musical manicures. At first they all love them; however, the novelty wears off, fast. But they don't want to upset Lemon, so they have two options: Break the news to her gently, or avoid her at all costs. They go with plan-B. I'm sensing a pattern here. Openly talking about the problem always seems to be the best solution.

All three episodes deal with life-lessons that are not exactly subtle in their execution, but at least they work within the story and don't cause the plot to grind to a halt. With the bright animation and energetic voice cast, I think the target audience will be entertained more than enough to enjoy the show while getting side benefits such as learning to be honest with your friends.

The Extras

The only extra on the DVD are printable coloring pages.

The Verdict

Strawberry Shortcake: Puttin' on the Glitz is bright, colorful, and fun for kids. My only complaint is that the DVD lacks substantial extras, while it's a little on the short side, which makes the price per minute a little on the high side. If you've purchased previous DVDs from this franchise and were happy with the value, then this one is also worth adding to your collection.


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