Kids' DVDs You Could Employ As Babysitters ... Not That We Ever Would

Because I review movies and DVDs for a living, and because I have two small children, I have come to appreciate that elusive seam of home entertainment gold — movies and TV titles that the kids can watch and the grown-ups can at least tolerate.

When I can't quite find gold, I also value kids' DVDs that will keep the wee ones occupied so I can work and/or nap in the home office. It would be utterly unconscionable, of course, to suggest that plopping kids in front of the DVD player is responsible parenting.

Of course not. No one ever does that.

Now then, in the spirit of parental fraternity, here are some recent home video titles I've come across that have made it into heavy rotation.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: Timed to the recent Blu-ray release of Peter Jackson's trilogy, this is the second installment in a loose trilogy of animated features that came out in the late 1970s.

Proof positive that many artists tried to crack Tolkein's epic well before Peter Jackson, director Ralph Bakshi's vision is still compelling. Using rotoscope technology, Bakshi shot live footage which was then painted frame-by-frame by a small army of animators (including a young Tim Burton). Be aware that the film only covers half the saga; the promised Bakshi-directed sequel never materialized.

Many of the passages are simply gorgeous, a visionary swirl of classic animation and rotoscoping. But, hoo-boy, is that score awful — a tone-deaf mess of orchestral score cliches. Apparently, business issues prevented Bakshi from using his first choice, Led Zeppelin. Had that occurred, the vortex of subsequent awesomeness would have splintered off a much superior parallel universe and we'd all be happier today.

Younger kids may find the story moves too slowly. Make them watch it anyway; this is good for them, in a fantasy-literature-eat-your-vegetables kind of way.

A fox, a chipmunk, and an iron man, after the jump.

 

Fantastic Mr. Fox: Director Wes Anderson's adaptation of the Roald Dahl book is some kind of crazy triumph. Turns out stop-motion animation is a perfect fit with Anderson's eccentrically lyrical dialogue and flair for whimsical family drama. Kids will see a wacky animal adventure; parents can tune in to the melancholy sub-frequencies.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: Here's a perfect example of an entertainment juggernaut I simply do not get, but my grade-school kids go crazy for, Sometime you gotta just take one for the team.

Alvin and the boys run into trouble with the girl-group Chipettes and their villainous manager, played by comic David Cross. Parents interested in some cognitive dissonance might want to check out Cross' delightfully filthy stand-up comedy albums after the kids go to sleep.

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!: Sequel to the charming 2006 original, this direct-to-DVD follow-up cuts all the expensive name-brand voice talent and, sadly, most of the first movie's simple and effortless charm. But it's totally gentle and safe, so parents can feel a little better when employing the DVD player as baby sitter. Not that any of us ever do that.

Planet 51: Featuring voice performances by Justin Long, Jessica Biel and Dwayne Johnson, the agreeable Planet 51 is a kind of E.T. in reverse. NASA Chuck Baker (Johnson) astronaut gets stranded on an alien planet that, somehow, is the cultural equivalent of Anytown, America, circa 1955. The clever premise is filled out with lots of pop culture riffing.

Iron Man: Armored Adventures: For parents with their comic-book geek credentials in proper order, this rebooted animated series from the Nicktoons Network has a lot going for it. The CGI animation is cutting edge, and re-imagining Tony Stark as a teenager opens up space for new iterations of old enemies — Whiplash, Crimson Dynamo, the Mandarin. It's currently available in three 6-episode single-disc volumes, or you can wait for the Complete Season One set coming May 4.

For certain dads of a nerdy persuasion, this really is something the whole family can enjoy. Everyone can watch together, and you won't have to feel guilty about leaving them in the living room with the remote control and a juice box. I mean, not that I would do that.