DVD Review: Dora’s Great Roller Skate Adventure

DVD Reviews, Reviews

Little kids are fast enough, but they insist on putting wheels on their feet. You just can’t stop a preschooler’s need for speed. Dora’s Great Roller Skate Adventure puts the adventure seeking star of Nick Jr.’s Dora the Explorer and her monkey in roller skates. They also make sure they’re wearing helmets and pads to spread the safety message to young viewers. The duo want to visit a skate park, but there’s a major issue involving Big Wheeler. He doesn’t want them in. He’s a big bully. Dora and Boots aren’t going to unlace and go home. They’ve got a mission to change the bully’s outlook on life. There are two bonus episodes that deal with healthcare and science. “Check-up Day” sends Dora to the doctor’s office for a physical. This is good message since it helps create a sense of calm when your own child has that doctor date on the calendar. After the first round of shots, kids seem to see the relate the doctor’s office to the House of Pain from The Island of Dr. Moreau. It’s good for a parent to say, “Remember when Dora went to the doctor?” “School Science Day” gets kids prepared for the day they have to come up with an experiment. She explains how to make your own volcano. Be prepared for your own kids to want to duplicate the process. Here’s my daughter’s take on Dora’s Great Roller Skate Adventure:

The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. This might be the first Dora release to escape the 1.33:1. The transfer of the cartoon look fine. The details of Boots’ stare will lock with your eyes. The audio is Dolby Digital Stereo. It sounds fine enough for small ears. The episodes are Closed Captioned.

No bonus features.

Dora’s Great Roller Skate Adventure is a fine trio of episodes. The kids learn about the evils of bullying, the positive side of a doctor’s visit and the joy of science. Parents do have to be alert since the DVD will automatically restart.

Paramount and Nickelodeon present Dora’s Great Roller Skate Adventure. Starring: Dora and Boots. Boxset Contents: 3 Episodes on 1 DVD. Released: September 10, 2013.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.