Product Description

Before you can say "Blast Off!" the Little Einsteins™ are zooming through the sky in a new movie that's jam-packed with action music magic and fun. Besides Rocket what's big red and can fly? Meet Rocket's new friend: the mysterious Firebird! She sprinkles magical music power everywhere she flies filling the world with beauty and joy. But when a mean ogre captures Firebird it's up to Rocket Leo June Quincy and Annie to travel all the way to Russia to set her free and bring music back to the world. Soar over the golden spires of a Byzantine palace. Discover St. Petersburg and explore snowy Siberia where you'll meet a freshwater baby seal and much more. Remember only with your help -- singing dancing and playing instruments -- can the Little Einsteins complete their mission and save the day. Inspired by the music of Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird" ballet and filled with messages of teamwork friendship and compassion ROCKET'S FIREBIRD RESCUE is a magical journey you and your preschooler will want to experience together again and again!Running Time: 45 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: NR UPC: 786936734898 Manufacturer No: 05436000

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9473 in DVD
• Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
• Released on: 2007-08-21
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 51 minutes

Features

• Before you can say "Blast Off!" the Little Einsteins™ are zooming through the sky in a new movie that's jam-packed with action, music, magic and fun. Besides Rocket, what's big, red and can fly? Meet Rocket's new friend: the mysterious Firebird! She sprinkles magical music power everywhere she flies, filling the world with beauty and joy. But when a mean ogre captures Fire

Amazon.com
The Little Einsteins are a talented group of musically-inclined, preschool-age friends who just happen to have a rocket ship named Rocket for a friend and a knack for helping those in need. In this animated adventure, it's up to Leo, Annie, Quincy, and June to preserve music around the world by traveling to Russia to free the magical Firebird from the grip of a music-hating ogre named Katschai. Set to themes from Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird" and featuring the art of Wassily Kandinsky, Faberge eggs, and Matryoshka Nesting Dolls, this full-length Little Einsteins adventure conveys the basic gist of Stravinsky's "Firebird" ballet in which the Firebird casts a spell of energetic dance and sleep upon the creatures of a magical kingdom. Prominent musical themes are emphasized by linking them to specific onscreen characters and their actions and basic musical terms like adagio and allegro are introduced while the Little Einsteins promote friendship, cooperation, and compassion and engage the active participation of young viewers by encouraging them to clap, sing, dance, and pretend to play musical instruments. The bonus episode "Rocket Soup" emphasizes teamwork and introduces orchestral instruments with the help of Dvorak's "Humoresque No. 7" and Paul Klee's painting "Moonrise." Engage the "Magic Mission Mode" and children can view "Rocket's Firebird Rescue" with animated pop-up facts. (Ages 3 to 7) --Tami Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

One of the best Little Einsteins
This is one of the best Little Einsteins DVDs yet for exposing kids to classical music. Twice as long as a regular television program, its 51-minute main feature, "Rocket's Firebird Rescue," will really make children familiar with Igor Stravinsky's "The Firebird."

Just about the perfect length for many youngsters' attention spans, the program tells the tale of the Firebird, a mythical crane that spreads music throughout Russia until a mean, magical ogre traps it. It also introduces kids to the painting "Improvisation" by Wassily Kandinsky, the amazing eggs of Carl Faberge, Russian nesting dolls, even St. Basil's Cathedral and the Baikal freshwater seal.

It's even better if you view it with a home theater set-up, as the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack includes the kids' "Rocket" flying machine zooming around you as it travels.

The DVD also contains a regular episode of the Little Einsteins television series, 2007's "Rocket Soup," in which the kids fill up their transporter with its favorite food, a mix of cheese, peas, and jumping beans. It features Antonin Dvorak's catchy "Humoresque No. 7" (you'll know it when you hear it) and the painting "Moonrise" by Paul Klee.

There is just one bonus feature, "Magic Mission," which plays the main feature with "hidden" pop-up cards. When selected with a remote, each leads to an animated fun fact.

Engaging and fun!

"Rocket's Firebird Rescue" is a new full length adventure starring Disney's Little Einsteins. The film runs 51 minutes, with an additional bonus episode titled, "Rocket Soup". I'll admit that initially I was a bit put off by the "Little Einsteins" moniker. I don't like the implication that parents have to plunk their little darlings in front of a box in order to stimulate their minds. There are many products sold to insecure parents who want to give their child every advantage, all seem to have titles that include the names of famous thinkers, composers, or artists, or else words such as "brainy", "smarter", or "better". Though I'm not enamored of the show's name, "Little Einsteins" is quite fun and engaging.

There are four kids on the Little Einsteins team, each with a special talent. The kids are between four and six years old. Leo is the leader of the group and his special skill is conducting. Quincy plays a variety of musical instruments. June is a dancer, and Annie, the youngest member of the team, is a singer. The animation is really cute, and the characters come across as sweet but not saccharine.

In this film, the children introduce a Kandinsky painting, a Fabergé egg, Russian Nesting Dolls, and Igor Stravinsky's, "The Firebird" at the beginning of the story. The kids start reading the story of the Firebird to their friend Rocket, who is a sentient flying ship. They fly to Russia in order to rescue the captive Firebird. An evil ogre has captured her, and she can only sing very softly while she is captive. All the music of the area is subdued and the flowers are wilting. The kids must use their abilities to overcome various obstacles and vanquish the evil ogre.

An interesting component of the dvd is the interactive "Magic Mission" option. By using the dvd remote, viewers can click on nine feathers that appear throughout the film. Each feather discloses a video "card" which has an image and a short bit of information. After all cards have been collected, they reveal a hidden picture.

Viewers are encouraged to play along with the team. They are asked to conduct with Leo, for instance, and he starts off "adagio" and progresses through "moderato" and :allegro" to "presto!" Characters often stop and speak directly to the viewer and ask, Will you help us?" My toddler was always quick to answer, "yes!"

"Rocket's Firebird Rescue" is a nice representation of Russian folklore, reminiscent of Peter and the Wolf. The music is lovely and the "bad guys" are not too threatening for very young children. I recommend it for ages 1-6, though I will add that my older children seemed enchanted by it as well!

My 2yo Son Loves Little Einsteins
I have to give it 5 stars in lieu of my son. I like that it comes with other episodes, too. Our 7yo daughter will still watch these from time to time, too. Great incorporation of the classics into a kids show.