THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: IN A PICKLE
New Video Group / 1994 /78 mins / NR
THE SHOW:
New Video Group has released another batch of episodes from the Emmy-award winning children's series, THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS. Based on the popular illustrated books, the animated series follows Ms. Frizzle and her class as they go on all sorts of unusual field trips with their magical school bus. Though the episodes are selected from random seasons, the theme of the set focuses on microbes and molecules.
"In a Pickle" plays out like a trial in which Ms. Frizzle defends herself for the accusation that she replaced Keesha's cucumber with a pickle. To prove she herself didn't do it, the class shrinks down with the bus to explore how microbes played a key role in the vegetable switch.
"Meets Molly Clue" has the class cleaning cars when one of their customers happens to be Wanda's favorite singer, Molly Cule. To make sure her car is completely clean, the class once again shrinks down to observe the molecules of the car and to rid the vehicle of all tar stains no matter how small.
"Makes a Stink" features the First Annual Smell Search in which judge Flora Whiff seeks the most original smell from a school class. Ms. Frizzle's class explores the tiny world of smells and how they're formed, but their special project is nearly sabotaged by Janet.
"Meets the Rot Squad" starts out as an exploration of how organic beings decompose and lead the class to explore the inside of a rotted log. But Wanda has made a terrible mistake as she called a logging company to destroy the log before the class went on the field trip. After learning about the importance of rotted logs to bugs, the class bands together to prevent the log from being destroyed.
THE DISC:
This is a solid transfer for 4:3 video with a decent Dolby 2.0 mix. It looks pretty darn good for DVD quality. It's a little disappointing that there are no subtitles though.
THE EXTRAS:
The packaging technically considers "Meets the Rot Squad" as an extra. Though I'm not sure why it's considered separate from the main track as the episode still plays into the overall theme of the disc.
OUR SAY:
This is another solid single-disc release that serves well for a class on microbes and molecules. After all these years the show still holds up for both its entertainment and educational value. If you're a completionist, you're better off buying the complete series set. But if you're just looking for a select few episodes on the key topic for either your kids or the classroom, this is a worthy purchase.
