Peter and the Wolf

I was surprised to read the other review, because I recently bought there-released DVD reissue of this "Peter and The Wolf" for my 6 year-oldgrandson, and not only did he love it, but so did I!! I am aprofessional violinist and music educator, and know this score insideand out. The previous reviewer who said the producers had changed Prokofiev's music is dead wrong -- it is note for note perfect, and in addition, is beautifully played. (It was actually Disney's version that was cut!!)The characters in Chuck Jones version, designed by Mr. Jones, aredelightful -- and not just a recycling of his Warner Bros., ensemble.The animated tale, which is the centerpiece of this production, andwhere Prokofiev's score plays out in entirety, is magical. And KirstieAlley's narration is full of life and spirit -- really fantastic. Ialso loved Lloyd Bridges as the grandfather, and young Ross Malinger asboth the live action and animated Peter. The live action parts weremagical, and gave some real-life relevance to the animated story, andthe ending was enchanting. It brought a tear to my eye. Ross Malingerwas endearing in "Sleepless In Seattle," and he goes to the next stephere. And his rapport with Lloyd Bridges seemed so very real. Afantastic bonus to this production is an extraordinary "Guide To TheSymphony Orchestra" bonus feature at the end, which thoroughly explainsto the young viewer how Prokofiev used the musical instruments toportray the various characters. And the producers wisely use YOUNGteenage musicians to demonstrate the instruments, which really makes itcome to life for young viewers. I Googled for more information on thisproduction -- I can't figure out why it isn't more frequently seen. Inoticed it won the Emmy for Best Children's Program, as well as manyother Emmy nominations and awards. I also saw that the critics gave itgreat reviews -- one from the Philadelphia daily newspaper called it"The best children's television special ever." So it is a mystery to mewhy this production is not a television classic. But in the meantime,do yourself a favor -- and for your children and grandchildren -- andwatch it!

There are pros and cons to this version of Peter and the Wolf; really, it just depends on what's important to you.Pros:1. None of Prokofiev's music is cut, and the animators worked hard to associate each character with its instrument consistently. This is different from the Disney version, in which the music is cut, and some of the music is re-appropriated for different characters.2. It does follow the story outlined in the original narration.3. The animals are beautifully animated.Cons:1. The narration is excessive in my opinion and there are many added story elements. For example, the bird has a nest of eggs which hatch at the end of the story. The cat helps catch the wolf with the rope (similar to the 1946 Disney version). The Duck is coughed up near the end of the story. The Hunters make a cage for the wolf. These things won't matter to many people but they do matter to me.2. There is a lot of dialogue that is cheesy and distracts from the music. For example, during grandfather's music, grandfather lectures Peter. And Peter talks to the duck and tells him he'll always look out for him at the end of the story.3. There are live action sequences that pop up out of nowhere, are extremely dated and take you out of the story. Also cheesy. If you're using this in a music classroom and skipping over these parts, you'll never be able to completely avoid students seeing just a half second of a real kid with a mullet gazing out of the screen.I'd be happy using this for preschoolers or at home with young kids, but I'm just not satisfied with it for the music classroom. I'd recommend the 2006 stop motion version any day-- it's gorgeous, the music is uncut, and it's completely narration and dialogue free. The only downside of the stop motion is that it has a couple of intense parts for young children (Peter's face gets scratched by the wolf, and the wolf swallowing the duck whole is not off-screen.)

its cool case it was made with the art of chuck jones one of the best animators is history

My grandfather taped this film when I was a child (around 1996) when it showed on a local television station. I remember watching it and "Race for Your Life Charlie Brown" over and over again.Recently I purchased the film from Amazon.com. After re-watching it again as a 19 year-old, it still kept my interest relatively well. While the "plot" is quite childish and no longer very interesting, the music still intrigues me - how each character has its own 'theme' played by a different instrument (or different instruments).Now, I have not viewed other versions of "Peter and the Wolf," and therefore, I do not know whether they are better than this version or not. However, I think this film should interest a young child who enjoys music and/or action cartoons (since most of the film is cartoon - only slightly live-action at the beginning and end).

I've previewed several DVD's of "Peter and the Wolf" and they are either a bit dark or are ballet versions...just didn't seem right for my third graders. This one has Kirstie Alley and two other actors playing a grandfather and mother telling the story of "Peter" to their grandson/son. The actual story part is animated. Because I have limited time with my music class, I chose to start it right where the animated part begins. It's cute and the elementary aged kids love the animated characters. There's also a nice introduction to the instruments of the orchestra in the special features. It includes a narrator talking about Prokofiev and the families of instruments introduced through this work. Pre-teen/ teen aged children play examples on those instruments for a close-up look and a nice, isolated sound for each instrument.

Such a great video to share with my elementary music students! Highly recommend!!

Although not a lover of the cartoon format in general I plunged on this so that my grandchildren could be introduced to the music in a format with which they are familiar. The cartoon part is excellent for this and the four year old liked it so much that he watched it four times in succession and picked up the tunes and the difference between the instruments, without prompting.But......the part of the story which involves 'real' people is laboured and sentimental and, each time, his plea was,' When do we get to the story?' It is obvious that he thought of the cartoon as the story proper and the rest as a penance to be got through on the way to it. His Grandma is much inclined to agree. But it's worth buying for the animation of the cat alone. Very unrealistic wolf though.

This has got some good reviews... Um, Why? It's crap! Not up there with Chuck Jones' other work. 45 minutes, it's supposed to be, but more than half of that is taken up with mawkish chit chat with Kirsty Alley and Lloyd Bridges, in the sort of sickly sentimental nonsense that Disney churn out on a bad day. Having said that, Disney's version, found on the Make Mine Music collection is superb. A classic. Even the recent stop motion update is a superior version when compared to this. Lacklustre animation, a constantly interrupted story by said 'stars' and a sad waste of Prokofiev's music, make this a tragedy. Now, does anyone have a sick bag handy?

Brilliant. The whole family enjoyed this. My grandson who is 3 and a bit loved it and laughed out loud. The 2 year olds were fascinated and wanted to watch it again.Only disappointment was the over long speaking introduction.

Because it is animated it engages children and helps learning more than if it wS an adult giving a guide in theconventional way.

Weak .. music and presentation a choreography is misleading.