Peter Pan has been great for Disney. The latest DVD of “Jake And The Never-Land Pirates” further ties in the animated film with this animated series. The titular episode spans a whole half-hour episode rather than being split into two different segments as most episodes are. Here we get Captain Hook tired of being made the fool in Wendy’s stories she tells Michael and John. His solution? Travel to London and steal the book. Peter Pan then sends Jake and the crew (including Tinker Bell) to fix the situation.
This is a fun episode which acts as another semi-sequel to the movie. Even Nanny, the dog, is there. Actually this could easily have been expanded into a feature film. Some of the ideas explored here in this one episode also showed up in the theatrical sequel Return To Never Land. This episode take a rather divergent view of events though.
Included on the DVD are more episodes from the show’s (current) third season. Another double-segment episode is “Pirate Genie Tales” which features Jerry O’Connell as a genie pirate (or pirate genie) telling tales. It’s a fun twist on the normal formula. It is interesting how many “name” guest stars are showing up on the show. Teri Hatcher and Josh Duhamel are just two of the other names on this DVD, not to mention those who showed up throughout the season in episodes that are not included here. It demonstrates just how successful “Jake And The Never Land Pirates” is.
Here’s the list of episodes on the DVD:
Battle For The Book
Treasure Of The Pirate Mummy’s Tomb/Mystery Of The Missing Treasure
Pirate Genie Tales
Captain Gizmo/Jake’s Pirate Swap Meet
Sleeping Mermaid/Jake’s Mega-Mecha Sword
My 11 year old son and 9 year old daughter both enjoy watching “Jake And The Never Land Pirates” – well, at least when new episodes are broadcast. They were actually upset when the episode “Battle For The Book” was accidentally deleted off of the recorder. The younger kids enjoy the series because they are in the target audience. This leads back into my point from the first paragraph. The appeal of this series is wide enough that kids of all ages can enjoy it. Sure, Hook is a comical villain, and inept, more so than in the movie, but this is a series meant for pre-schoolers. Some of the episodes are less “event” oriented, but those that are, such as the titular one from this DVD, certainly make it enjoyable enough to have on in the background for the 30th time.
Included on the DVD are 10 “Jake’s Never Land Pirate School” shorts. These are more interstitials airing occasionally on Disney Junior between programs. Many of the ones here I haven’t seen before. Additionally there is a bandana game which is essentially just a version of checkers with Hook and Jake. It’s one of the better pack-ins for the Disney Junior DVDs I’ve seen in a while.