Warner Home Video now distributing Sesame Workshop DVDs

[minor muppetz]

It's interesting. As I mentioned in my previous post, when I saw the cover in the store it listed a few educational subjects in the release, one of which was shapes. And after looking over all of the nominated clips, only two clips had to do with shapes (both of which were Telly segments).

Oh well. We'll find out tomorrow. I hope I can wake up early tomorrow so I can get it sooner rather than later.

All this year each Sesame Street DVD release has been promoted with a related comic strip on facebook. I wonder if this release will have such a comic strip, or if we'll have to wait until it gets a wide release.

Even though it hasn't been released yet, I keep thinking of a basic review outline in my head. So here is a pre-review:

"Earlier this year Sesame Workshop added a feature on its facebook page for fans to vote on a selection of 44 nominated clips for a fall DVD release called "Best of Sesame Friends". The clips were arranged by 12 characters, four per character. And since then I've had many questions on the mind: Will it have more than just the nominated clips? Will they be presented chronologically, by character, or in a random order? Will all the segments on this release feature at least one of the nominated characters? Will it feature clips starring Baby Bear and Murray Monster, currently the two most important characters NOT included in the voting? Will it feature many old school fan favorites like Roosevelt Franklin, Biff and Sully, Forgetful Jones, Guy Smiley, and Sherlock Hemlock? What about Kermit the Frog?"

And then I would proceed to answer most of those questions, maybe talk about the packaging and menus, mention some of my favorite clips included, maybe mention some that I'm disapointed about being included (which would likely just be about clips that have been released preivously), answer more of the above questions (if I didn't answer them all), talk about bonus features (if any), and note anything else worth mentioning (like if any clips are edited).

And then some final thoughts, saying if I really liked it, was really surprised about anything, or if it's a let-down (which I'm sure it won't be).

Well, just one more sleep until this release comes out.

 

[minor muppetz]

Well, it's out, and it is a fairly good release. The segments are arranged by characters, 12 of them (the ones who were represented in the nomination process), each character section is represented with four segments (Oscar is the only one whose section has 5 segments). The only segments included here that were NOT nominated feature celebrities.

As far as I can tell, most of the segments are uncut (though I haven't seen every segment before this). The 39 Stairs has an additional post-roll (though the line was in the version with the redone Alisatir Cookie scenes). The only cuts I know of are the removal of the introduction to ABC-DEF-GHI and the usual removal of the closing post-roll in "How Do You Do?"

Each character section begins with special animation of a scapbook, with Elmo announcing the name of the next character. Otherwise, each segment cuts directly to the next one, with one odd exception: "I Love Trash" ends with a weird cut to black. Not too big a deal, except that's the only time this happens.

There aren't any great bonus features, just a downloadable activity book and tips for parents. No bonus clips (I would have liked to have seen a "bonus friends" feature, or, even though I figure it's too soon to have included, a "friends of Jerry Nelson" feature with some of his characters).

I'll post a sketch rundown on Muppet Wiki soon (unless somebody has already beaten me to it), but I'd like to tally up a few things:

• There are 13 guest star clips (and with there being 45 segments that means that 31 of the nominated clips are included).
• There are at least 23 segments included that have been released on video previously.
• There are two clips that appear in "40 Years of Sunny Days"
• There are six clips that appear in either of the "Old School" releases
• As far as I can tell (and there's a few segments I'm not sure of) there are 19 classic-era clips.
• At least two nominated clips for each character is included. Some character sections feature all four nominated segments.

 

[Oscarfan]

"You Grouchy Face" is on there?! That's so awesome

 

[minor muppetz]

"You Grouchy Face" is on there?! That's so awesome

I am so glad that's on there as well. The back cover has images from segments that were nominated ("La, La, La", "C is for Cookie", and "Spider-Monster"), and the description doesn't mention any speciffic segments, but it does list some of the guest stars. So when I saw it listed James Taylor I knew it just had to be that segment (Oscar's the only regular character Taylor's appeared with) and was excited.

I was also excited to see that Elvis Costello's appearance is included. I hadn't watched that clip until a few months ago, after seeing it mentioned in a Tough Pigs article about Cookie Monster being #2 in popularity. And speaking of that article, Cookie Monster is the second character featured in this video, after Elmo.

While the newer stuff seems to dominate the classic stuff, the packaging seems to suggest it's more classic. Abby is the only character on the cover who was introduced after 1990. I would have expected Elmo and Abby in front of the group shot, but instead the two are on opposite sides of the group. And while Elmo is the character on the spine of the packaging, he's nowhere to be found on the back, with all images being of classic characters (I know, Elmo's a classic character...).

When I first watched the DVD, I thought the music at the end of Cookies in Bed was different from what I'd been used to seeing it online all these years. But then I watched it on youtube and sesamestreet.org and it is the same music.

I am going to list the number of segments featuring each of the featured characters:

• Elmo - 6
• Cookie Monster - 5
• Big Bird - 8
• Telly - 4
• Zoe - 5
• Bert and Ernie - 4
• The Count - 5
• Oscar - 6
• Grover - 7 (two of which are background appearances)
• Rosita - 5
• Snuffy - 5
• Abby Cadabby - 4

Big Bird is in the highest number of clips chosen, while Ernie and Bert, Abby, and Telly are all in only 4 segments each. Additionally, Mr. Johnson is in 2 of the clips, and there's also one clip each with one of the Countesses (not sure which one), Benny, Herry, Hoots, Farley, and Betty Lou, though most of those are non-speaking background appearances.

 

[minor muppetz]

I'm sure all who care probably already know, but I might as well mention it here as well: Old School Volume 3 is coming out on November 6!

 

[minor muppetz]

I'd like to point out that I wrote a review of "Best of Friends" for The Muppet Mindset: http://themuppetmindset.blogspot.com/2012/09/sesame-street-best-of-friends-dvd-review.html

A lot of the stuff I mentioned in the review I mentioned in my posts here regarding the DVD, but I still think it's a good read (of course I do, I wrote it!).

One thing I've started noticing about that DVD last night: Each section on a character who had their own character spotlight video features at least one segment from their respective videos (of course most of those were promoted as the best of them and this is promoted as the "best of friends"). Elmo's section features "Elmo's Song" (from The Best of Elmo) and "Elmo's Ducks" (from The Best of Elmo 2), Cookie Monster's section features the original "C is for Cookie" and "If Moon Were Cookie" (both of which were in BOTH Cookie Monster videos), the Bert and Ernie section has their trip to the movies (from The Best of Ernie and Bert), three of the four videos in Big Bird's section are from Big Bird Sings, and Grover's section has "How Do You Do?" which was in A Celebration of Me, Grover. If any of the other characters get their own spotlight videos someday I won't be surprised if they feature segments from this (though most are deserving of a "best of" release for each character).

It's interesting how some videos in certain character sections hardly feature the characters. The section on Telly segments includes "Telly's Aquairum". While it's about something that belongs to Telly and features a fish who resembles Telly (all this time I thought it was Telly imagining himself as a fish) the actual Telly Monster doesn't appear until the very end. The Cookie Monster section has a Monsterpiece Theater segment that would have been more appropriate for the Grover section. While Cookie Monster is the host, he's rarely the star of Monsterpiece Theater. It would have been more fitting to include one of the few Monsterpiece Theater segments that stars Cookie Monster, or one of the segments that keeps cutting back and fourth between Cookie's introductions and the actual story (like One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest, Twelve Angry Men, Little House on Prairie, or Monster in a Box).

 

[sesamemuppetfan]

I myself bought the "Best of Friends" DVD last Friday (I can't believe I didn't remember Telly being on the cover!). Overall, it's a very nice DVD focussing on the major characters (props to SW for using the full Super Grover intro!).

However there's one thing that I DON'T like about the DVD: we are back to the 2004 DVD problem, meaning that we can't fast-forward or skip that SW ad at the beginning! (Honestly, what were they thinking?) Now, if that happens on Old School Volume 3, I won't be very pleased!

Anyone else, annoyed by that?

 

[minor muppetz]

However there's one thing that I DON'T like about the DVD: we are back to the 2004 DVD problem, meaning that we can't fast-forward or skip that SW ad at the beginning! (Honestly, what were they thinking?) Now, if that happens on Old School Volume 3, I won't be very pleased!

You mean we could skip/fast-forward the ads on recent Sesame Street releases?

 

[sesamemuppetfan]

You mean we could skip/fast-forward the ads on recent Sesame Street releases?

Yes, on pretty much every DVD made between 2005 and now. Did you not realize that?

 

[minor muppetz]

Yes, on pretty much every DVD made between 2005 and now. Did you not realize that?

No. I've often tried but haven't been able to. Not sure if it's because I watch them on a computer instead of a regular DVD player or not. Or maybe I just haven't checked because its been that way for so long.