Dora Crystal Kingdom Wii

[Cre Moonin]

Doranarrating) There was a Crystal Kingdom of many colors. The yellow crystal made the sun shine yellow. The blue crystal made the sky and ocean blue. The green crystal made the trees and grass green. And the red crystal joined the others and made an amazing rainbow which brought the kingdom to life!

All: Yellow lights the sun, blue, the sky and ocean. Green paints the trees, red completes the rainbow. They're there for everyone, our magic colored crystals, and we share their light together.

All: With all these colors, you'll understand how we feel in our crystal land. When yellow lights the sun, blue, the sky and ocean. Green paints the trees, red completes the rainbow. They're there for everyone, our magic colored crystals, and we share their light together! We share their light together!

Dora: (narrating) They banged on the castle door to get the king to return them. But the king didn't want to share the crystals. He used his magic wand and hid them in other stories, where no one could find them.

Map: Dora needs to help Allie find the crystals before all the color is gone from her kingdom! Well, I know where the crystals are! The yellow crystal is in "The Dragon Land" story. The green crystal is in "The Butterfly Cave" story. The blue crystal is in "The Magic Castle" story. And the red crystal is still in "The Crystal Kingdom" story. So remember: Dragon, Cave, Castle, Crystal Kingdom. Say it with me. Dragon, Cave, Castle, Crystal Kingdom. Dragon, Cave, Castle, Crystal Kingdom. Dragon, Cave, Castle, Crystal Kingdom! So you tell Dora: First, we go to Dragon Land! (zooms to the screen)

Backpack: Backpack, Backpack. Backpack, Backpack. I'm the backpack loaded up with things that knickknacks too. Anything that you might need, I've got inside for you. Backpack, Backpack. Backpack, Backpack. Yeah!

Backpack: Hola! Dora needs something she can use to lasso the sword away from the knight. Can she use a baby bottle to lasso the sword? No! Can she use a banana to lasso the sword? No! Can she use a rope to lasso the sword?

Dragon: I have! I'll tell you all the story, but if you don't mind, I'll sing. A man wearing a crown appeared, that's the greedy king! He had a sparkling bag with him with crystals shining bright. He flew up to a cliff and waved his wand with all his might. The cliff had opened up for him, he threw the yellow crystal in, and sealed it up again with a great blast!

Enrique: Thanks for helping me! Now we've got to find the magic hat with the crystal! There's lots of magic in this room. Let's see. Is the hat inside the magic lamp? No. Is the hat behind the curtain? No. Is it in the magic treasure chest?

Dora: Dragon, Cave, Castle, Crystal Kingdom. We got the yellow crystal from Dragon Land, check! We got the green crystal from the Butterfly Cave, check! We got the blue crystal from the Magic Castle, check! Where do we go next?

Dora: Crystal Kingdom, right! That's where we'll get the last crystal and save Allie's Crystal Kingdom! Remember, the red crystal is in the fourth story. We have to tell the book to take us to the fourth story in Spanish. We say, "La cuarta historia!".

Greedy King: The only thing I have left is my crown. But I wanna give it to you, Allie! You were the only one in the kingdom who never gave up trying to find the crystals. You're brave, and kind, and always helping friends!

Townspeople: Our world is shining bright, Allie saved our crystals. Once more, the sky is blue, and the sun is yellow. The crystals shine their light, for each and every one of us. We share their light together! We share their light together!

Dora teaches Spanish words and phrases constantly and asks kids to repeat words to help them retain what they've learned. Other preschool skills -- like matching, colors, and counting -- are integrated into the shows.

The main feature teaches that some things are for everyone to share -- like the colors of the kingdom. These lessons can easily translate into messages about taking care of the environment, being good library users, and generally thinking about others.

Parents need to know that this collection of three distinct Dora stories fits right into the kind of cheerful, positive material we expect from the ubiquitious bilingual girl and her animal friends. Dora and friends fight selfishness with cooperation, and encourage young viewers to participate in the process by speaking or moving along with the characters on the screen. The show encourages kids to repeat words or phrases, sometimes loudly, in the process of teaching Spanish words and phrases. Children will be subtly exposed to the concept of an onscreen cursor and the click sound that accompanies a selection. The main story has also been converted into a Wii game for preschoolers. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.

This DVD contains one longer feature and two shorts. The title feature involves a story about a greedy king who steals the crystals that keep the kingdom colorful. Dora and her friends enter into the tale, and set off on four mini-adventures (or chapters) to retrieve the crystals and teach the king a lesson about sharing. In one chapter, Dora and friends gain butterfly wings and must flap them (along with the viewer) to reach their destination and save a crystal. The shorter features are similar to each other and involve reaching three distinct steps to solve a problem. The first one finds Dora walking Boots and Tico to their first day of school and encountering obstacles (like a river to cross) along the way. They use their English and Spanish to help them get to school. The second one involves too many bananas and a magical "wishing machine" that helps keep Boots' desires in check.

The familiar and charming Dora elements are ever-present in this offering, and kids will be delighted, as usual. Dora and her friends have captivated preschool audiences by being incessantly upbeat and cultivating interaction between kids and the screen. Parents, on the other hand, may tire of the semi-shrill voices of Dora and the others, as well as the constant repetition encouraged by the show, which kids might continue long after the TV is off.

Families can talk about wanting things for oneself. Why did the king want the color crystals all for himself? Are there toys or things that you want to keep all to yourself? When is it OK to keep things for yourself and when is it important to share? Can you remember times when it was hard for you to share?

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