“Oh, that’s a good special!”
That was the reaction my 10 year old son had when he saw an email (he was looking over my shoulder for some reason) that “Jake And The Never Land Pirates” had a new DVD available based on the double-length episode “Jake’s Never Land Rescue” (he, along with his other siblings, had watched it when it was first broadcast a couple of months ago).
This is the third double-length special for the series which is in its second year on Disney Junior. “Jake And The Never Land Pirates has proven to be a solid extension of the Peter Pan franchise, with that character once again showing up here. This time the plot revolves around Never Land itself needing saving. Jake splits off from his stalwart companions Izzy, Cubby and Skully to embark on a quest to keep Never Land from disappearing. The others are not sitting back on Pirate Island doing nothing, there’s a little bit of a threat from Captain Hook and his crew as well.
I like “Jake And The Never Land Pirates” not for its educational value (which is minimal at best) but for the age-appropriate entertainment it offers. This is a show that entertainment my 10 year old son and I feel comfortable letting my 3 year old watch. My 6 year old still enjoys the show, and for a good chunk of time it was his favorite series, and my 8 year old daughter also enjoys it, but not as much as the Tinker Bell spin-offs.
While I’m not a fan of randomly selecting episodes to slap onto a DVD (preferring instead season sets or at least sequential volumes) Disney is offering up a decent value here. In addition to the double-length episode we get 4 additional episodes. Keep in mind almost every episode features two segments. Here’s the full listing:
Jake’s Never Land Rescue
It’s A Pirate Picnic / The Key To Skull Rock
The Golden Twilight Treasure / Rock The Croc
Jake And Sneaky LeBeak / Cubby The Brave
Jake’s Special Delivery / Seahorse Saddle Up
Also present are a few of the “Playing With Skully” shorts that recently began airing between programs.
Over 2 hours of solid entertainment is a good value, but the DVD also comes with an inflatable sword that Jake uses and some glow in the dark stickers. I took these things away because with 4 kids, this would cause nothing but fights. For one or two kids, however, this is a great pack-in.
Jake And The Never Land Pirates: Never Land Rescue is a good DVD that fans of the show will certainly want.