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 8th September, 2008 |
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Jakers! - Treasure Hunt On Raloo Farm (2008) DVD Review
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Jakers! - Treasure Hunt On Raloo Farm (2008) DVD Credits:
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Jakers! - Treasure Hunt On Raloo Farm (2008) Synopsis:
Jakers! is a celebration of the joys good friendship can bring while the excitement of adventure and imagination inspires kids to learn from their own experiences. Through Jakers! children learn about life lessons and each episode conveys a moral that kids learn through daily experiences. Each episode of Jakers! is set in two distinct places and times: 1950’s Ireland and the present day.
Jakers! - Treasure Hunt On Raloo Farm (2008) DVD Review:
It’s always hard to review children’s films without including any bias. After all, children’s films (and in the case of Jakers! I’m referring to young children) are meant to be naïve and innocent. It wouldn’t be fair to judge them in the same way one might review the merits of a more adult-oriented primetime television show. As such, when reviewing a television show such as Jakers! I find that I often have to take off my critic’s cap and let the child in me come out, and this is exactly what I was prepared to do when loading the Jakers! DVD into my player. And you know what? I’ll be darned if the adult in me didn’t like it as much as the child in me did.
Jakers! – Treasure Hunt on Raloo Farm is a group of four episodes of the PBS Kids show Jakers! For the purposes of this DVD release (as PBS has done in previous releases), the four episodes have simply been strung together in one self-contained hour and a half long animated feature. However, viewers still have the option of watching the episodes individually. But let’s stop worrying about technicalities. After all, it’s the show that’s important.
Jakers! follows the exploits of a spunky eight-year-old pig named Piggley Winks and his best friends Ferny the bull and Dannon the duck in their native Ireland. The Irish origins of the show provide a breath of fresh air and lend an originality to the show’s backdrop. Every episode is told in flashback through the storytelling of Piggley Winks as a grandfather. He recollects his many adventures with his friends to his two grand children.
I never expected to say this about a children’s show, but Jakers! actually has really great writing. Each of the four episodes tells an engaging story that kept me interested throughout, even though I was all by myself with no children present to encourage my viewing. The truly inspired part of the storytelling in Jakers! is that every episode has an important message for younger viewers, but it’s shrouded in an entertaining storyline so that it doesn’t beat kids over the head. It’s usually only at the end of the episode that the message is unveiled in a subtle manner, and it causes one to see the entire episode in a new light.
Take the opening episode entitled “Treasure Hunt” as an example. In this episode, Piggley Winks is asked by his father to do his chores. When Piggley shows his consternation, his father compromises and asks that he just gather the eggs from the farm at the very least. As Piggley collects the eggs, he and his friends find a treasure map. The map sends them from clue to clue, as they complete multiple tasks in an effort to find the treasure. The map ultimately leads them to a plate of cookies, at which Piggley’s dad informs them that the cookies are their reward for doing all of their chores. As it turns out, the kids unknowingly completed every one of their chores in searching for the treasure, and had a great time doing it.
I know it might seem rather trite in writing, but I can’t stress enough how enjoyable the episode was and how well concealed underlying message turned out to be. After all, I was just as surprised as the characters were at the end of the episode. The formula becomes a little more predictable as the episodes go on, but they’re all so well constructed that you’ll hardly notice it.
The extras on the DVD are relatively few in number, but they support the episodes perfectly. When Jakers! broadcasts on PBS, there are segments in between that feature real children sharing their experiences with the show. Thankfully, these segments are included in the extras so that the children watching the DVD can get the full experience of the show as it’s seen on PBS, complete with real world context. In one extra the host of the show explains the essential elements of storytelling to the children. In another extra, the children introduce their real life grandparents. Finally, the extras wrap up with a sing-along for children to enjoy.
Jakers! may be a children’s show, but it’s one of exceptionally high quality. It’s one of those rare shows that manages to be entertaining and educational in equal doses. Parents, buy this one for the kids, but don’t be surprised to find yourself turning on an episode even after they’ve already gone to bed.
Jakers! - Treasure Hunt On Raloo Farm (2008) DVD review written by: Anthony Berk
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