The story follows the dog Dash and his many adventures. With each adventure, he learns more about his family and himself, and teaches those lessons to his adorable puppies.
Each episode starts with a general picture of what the storyline will focus on. As the episode continues, the story develops and Dash has to face a problem and find a way to solve it. The stories are simple enough for a child to focus on and to understand and they teach relevant life lessons such as asking for help, how unfamiliar things are not necessarily bad and how to inform an adult when a stranger approaches us. These lessons teach little children some social skills and ways to deal with difficult situations. The only shortcoming I have for this series is that it lacks an opening. Each episode just sort of jump starts with a situation and doesn't quite have anything to lead the viewer into it.
The camera work is great; there are two main types of shots in each episode. The first is from Dash's perspective, so we see what he sees. The others are general shots from someone else's perspective. Combined, these make the episodes entertaining and show how Dash's view may not actually be entirely accurate. All the episodes take place at Dash's home, in various rooms, with interactions with various family members.
The music is simple, joyful and playful. It adds to the comic tone of the episodes. The main character is Dash. At the beginning of each episode, Dash talks to his two puppies. As the story starts, we meet other characters in Dash's family. Dad is played by Doug Cockle, Mom by Claudia Barba and the little Anna is played by Esther Toward. Each family member brings their unique set of skills and character to the story. Tim Clague, who voices Dash makes him sound innocent and simple enough for little children to understand. My favorite scenes are definitely the ones with the puppies. At the beginning of each episode, the puppies are usually featured. Also, I like the variety of lessons that are presented at the end of each episode, and even I can use some of the advice as a college student.
Each episode has a unique message ranging from personal lessons to skills that will be helpful not only at home, but in other social settings. My only problem with this series is that each episode just sort of jump starts with a situation and doesn't quite have anything to lead the viewer into it. This series was offered to us to review and evaluate as a collection of short 6 minute short films, but submitted as a 70 minute run time, which makes it a bit confusing. I think programmers would find it difficult to program in the way it was submitted. It is super cute, it just needs a bit of an introduction to the beginning and, if all the segments were to be played at a festival, would need a way to make them flow one into the other.
I give Dog Years 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 3 to 7, plus adults. Reviewed by David O. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST! Jurors
The story follows the dog Dash and his many adventures. With each adventure, he learns more about his family and himself, and teaches those lessons to his adorable puppies.
Each episode starts with a general picture of what the storyline will focus on. As the episode continues, the story develops and Dash has to face a problem and find a way to solve it. The stories are simple enough for a child to focus on and to understand and they teach relevant life lessons such as asking for help, how unfamiliar things are not necessarily bad and how to inform an adult when a stranger approaches us. These lessons teach little children some social skills and ways to deal with difficult situations. The only shortcoming I have for this series is that it lacks an opening. Each episode just sort of jump starts with a situation and doesn't quite have anything to lead the viewer into it.
The camera work is great; there are two main types of shots in each episode. The first is from Dash's perspective, so we see what he sees. The others are general shots from someone else's perspective. Combined, these make the episodes entertaining and show how Dash's view may not actually be entirely accurate. All the episodes take place at Dash's home, in various rooms, with interactions with various family members.
The music is simple, joyful and playful. It adds to the comic tone of the episodes. The main character is Dash. At the beginning of each episode, Dash talks to his two puppies. As the story starts, we meet other characters in Dash's family. Dad is played by Doug Cockle, Mom by Claudia Barba and the little Anna is played by Esther Toward. Each family member brings their unique set of skills and character to the story. Tim Clague, who voices Dash makes him sound innocent and simple enough for little children to understand. My favorite scenes are definitely the ones with the puppies. At the beginning of each episode, the puppies are usually featured. Also, I like the variety of lessons that are presented at the end of each episode, and even I can use some of the advice as a college student.
Each episode has a unique message ranging from personal lessons to skills that will be helpful not only at home, but in other social settings. My only problem with this series is that each episode just sort of jump starts with a situation and doesn't quite have anything to lead the viewer into it. This series was offered to us to review and evaluate as a collection of short 6 minute short films, but submitted as a 70 minute run time, which makes it a bit confusing. I think programmers would find it difficult to program in the way it was submitted. It is super cute, it just needs a bit of an introduction to the beginning and, if all the segments were to be played at a festival, would need a way to make them flow one into the other.
I give Dog Years 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 3 to 7, plus adults. Reviewed by David O. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST! Jurors
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