Featured DVD Review: Strawberry Shortcake: Double-Shot

September 2, 2010

Strawberry Shortcake: Double-Shot - Buy from Amazon: Berrywood Here We Come and The Glimmerberry Ball Movie

Strawberry Shortcake has been around in various forms for more than 30 years and not too long ago two DVDs were released, Berrywood Here We Come and The Glimmerberry Ball Movie. We recently announced the winners of our contest, while the screeners finally arrived for our review.

Berrywood Here We Come

It's movie night at Strawberry Shortcake's house, but Custard is rejecting every idea that Strawberry Shortcake and Pupcake come up with. So Strawberry Shortcake tells her the story of Lime Light. Lime Light was a friend of Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Meringue, while they were kids, but she moved to Berrywood to become a movie star. However, Lemon Meringue read in a movie magazine that Lime Light's latest movie is in trouble and production could shut down. So the two of them, as well as Orange Blossom and Ginger Snap, held to Berrywood to see if they can help. It turns out the problem is Lime Light. She thinks she is the most important part of the movie and without her it can't be made, so she doesn't have to work hard to get it made. Can the friends get her to realize how selfish she is being before it's too late?

In the second half, the gang tries to save the old movie theater from closing by making their own movie to show there. However, The Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak and his partner, Sour Grapes, try and stop them so they can buy the theater and turn it into a pie shop. Actually, he tries to stop them, she suggests selling his pies at the theater. (You can probably guess what happens in the end.) Undeterred by logic, he sets out to sabotage their movie and in the process get all of the friends fighting amongst each other. Will their friendship save the day? And aren't pies a little messy to eat while watching a movie? I guess they could be pocket pies.

The Extras

The only extras are some printable coloring pages.

The Verdict

For fans of the 2003 TV series, Berrywood Here We Come is a good representation of the show, but the DVD is awfully short at just 45 minutes long, while there are no substantial extras to compensate.

The Glimmerberry Ball Movie

It's getting close to first frost and the beginning of winter, which means the gang is getting ready for the Glimmerberry Ball. There's food to make, decorations to put up, gifts to wrap in secret, all to celebrate winter. Mr. Longface, who is new to Berry Bitty City, has no idea what First Frost is, so the girls get to tell him all about it and even invite him to be part of their secret gift giving circle.

But when Blueberry Muffin gets the same book she gave as a gift, she starts to think Lemon Meringue didn't like her present and gave it back to her. She's determined to get to the bottom of this, even if it means unraveling the whole "secret" aspect of the secret gift giving tradition of First Frost.

While preparing for the Glimmerberry Ball, Strawberry Shortcake finds an old book, the one that they used to read during First Frost, "The Great Glimmerberry Gathering". While she's excited to learn about the first First Frost and the reasons behind the traditions, the others care more about having fun this time around, including making the best Glimmerberry design. But when everyone's design looks the same, Raspberry thinks everyone stole her design.

It's finally time for the Glimmerberry Ball, but this year the celebration will be too big to hold in the cafe, so they need to find a bigger venue. Plum Pudding finds the perfect place under a large tree, but when someone, or something trashes the ball, she's determined to find out who and give them a piece of her mind.

While the cover describes this as a feature-length movie, it is more accurate to say it is three episodes that can be combined into one movie. Because of this, it does feel episodic in nature, but I don't think the target audience will complain, or even notice. The show it bright and colorful, good music, and lots of lessons on how friends can solve problems. If your kids are fans of the franchise, then it is worth checking out.

The Extras

The extras include a read-along storybook, a sing-along music video, and printable coloring pages. That's not a huge amount, but better than a lot of similar DVDs have.

The Verdict

The Glimmerberry Ball Movie is the better of the two DVDs that came out, it has a longer running time, it's has more colorful animation, more extras, etc. It's even at a lower price on Amazon.com.

The Final Verdict

If you are a fan of the Strawberry Shortcake franchise, or have kids that are, both Berrywood Here We Come and The Glimmerberry Ball Movie are worth checking out. However, I would say the former is more of a rental, while the latter is the better purchase.


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Filed under: Video Review, Strawberry Shortcake: The Glimmerberry Ball Movie, Strawberry Shortcake: Berrywood Here We Come