Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Yo Ho, Mateys Away!
We all remember how fun it was to talk like a pirate as children, shoot, I still do! It’s just a ton of fun. Though my imagination may not be what it used to be I can still see the pull this show would have on children. It’s colorful, adventurous, and full of imagination.
Jake and the Never Land Pirates Disney Junior TV show artfully created by Bobs Gannaway. Jack and the Never Land Pirates is actually based off of the Disney classic Peter Pan and is designed for a younger audience but is cute enough parents won’t dread sitting through it. It’s actually something I would steer my daughter toward watching if she were a little older. The plots are simple and laced with good morals and general politeness. The show is interactive and prompts children to answer various questions and count the gold doubloons collected throughout the show. These gold doubloons are collected for solving ‘pirate problems’ more often than not caused by the ever loved Captain Hook. At the end of each episode the gold doubloons are tallied up and added to the hidden treasure chest. All the while the comic villain Captain Hook and his ever present matey Mr. Smee sit aboard the Jolly Roger plotting ways to locate and snatch the young pirates’ treasure. Have no fear for through teamwork and great thinking skills the young pirates always seem to outwit the crooked Hook.
This show is just really cute and fun. It reminds me of the shows I watched as a child. They just seem more innocent and intriguing than many animations we see today. It doesn’t hurt that children are enamored with pirates. Especially since Disney first released Pirates of the Caribbean in 2003. There is simply something intriguing and entertaining about them. Not to mention they talk funny.
Children will also be drawn to the vivid bright colors of the show. It looked great for animation. The blocked colors and simple designs are easy for children to pick up on. The songs and catchy tunes throughout the shows are fun and silly. It was very pleasing to the eyes and ears.
This specific DVD contains 7 episodes and a few bonus features. All the episodes were entertaining, some more than others, but all interesting with wit and charm. I personally think the shorter films were great for an young audience. It’s hard for little ones to sit through a 24 min. show, but when broken into 2 shorter 12 min. shows it makes it easier to comprehend.
The Bonus features were fun, but there weren‘t many of them. The Pirate-oke was by far the best. Bones and Sharky (Loren Hoskins and Kevin Hendrickson), The Never Land Pirate Band, have sing along videos the kids can interact with. There is also a CD in the combo pack featuring all The Never Land Pirate Band songs from the featured episodes. They are all really catchy cute songs. I think kids will get a kick out of them, and once again they are very tolerable for adults. You may even find yourself singing along.
Disc 1
1.Hats Off To Hook/Escape From Belch Mountian
2.Hide The Hideout/The Old Shell Game
3. Izzy’s Pirate Puzzle/The Never Land Games
4. Off The Hook/Never Say Never
5.Cubby’s sunken Treasure Chest/Cubby’s Goldfish
6. Happy Hook Day/No Returns!
7. The Sky’s The Limit!/Bucky Makes A Splash
Bonus
– Yo Ho, You Ready To Be A Never Land Pirate?
-”Pirate Party” Music Videos
– Pirate-oke Sing Along
Disc 2 CD featuring the songs:
1. Hot Lava
2. Aw, Coconuts
3. Tick Tock Croc
4. Never Land Pirate Band
5. Pirate Password
6. Talk Like A Pirate
7. Bucky’s Shanty