Review: 'Choose Your Own Adventure' DVD is a great choice for family fun
Posted Friday, July 21, 2006 at 8:57 AM Central
by Tim Briscoe
As foggy as my memories of sixth grade are becoming, I still have a fond recollection of sitting in the school library engrossed in "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. A fabulous tale would unfold in front of my eyes when I single-handedly decided the action the hero would take at each fork in the road.
Now, thanks to the producers of the new Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman interactive DVD, my kids can experience many of these same thrills -- but in a new and fantastic way.
This animated feature follows the three young members of the North family (Crista, Benjamin, and Marco) to exotic Nepal when they are called upon by their adventurous Uncle Rudy (voiced by William H. Macy, also an executive producer). Rudy is searching for mythical Abominable Snowman, or Yeti as the mysterious creatures are known to the locals.
The story may seem fun enough in itself but add this very important element. At each step, you as the viewer get to decide between two actions the trio of kids can take. For instance, when their airplane into Nepal begins to fail, you must decide whether they risk parachuting to the ground below or take the plane in for a crash landing.
Your decision is made by highlighting either of the on-screen icon choices with the arrow keys on your DVD player's remote and selecting enter. You have about 20 seconds to make a choice or one is made for you -- presumably a pre-selected choice rather than a random one.
Each action leads you down a very distinct course. Yes, that's right. One action doesn't simply end the story while the other continues it on. The storyline forks with each action and your subsequent choices. One of the decisions my family and I made while watching the DVD even took us back to the very beginning.
The map of 11 possible stories is much more complex than I anticipated. The DVD's interactivity is not just a gimmick, it's fun way to tell a story (or should I say stories) which involves the viewers. And there's not too much interaction either. Just enough to make it fun and get you really involved.
The story is also deceptively educational -- it doesn't hit you over the head with its approach to teaching. Through the events of the story you learn interesting little facts about sherpas, the evils of animal pouching, what a snake's tongue is used for, and much more. Did you know "namaste" is the Nepali word for both hello and goodbye, akin to the Hawaiian word "aloha?"
The running time indicated on the box is 80 minutes but your viewing will surely last much longer. When you encounter an ending -- most of them satisfying in themselves -- a menu highlighting your series of choices is shown so you can go back and choose a different route. My family had lots of fun going back to see what would happen if we did something differently.
The show's traditional animation (as opposed to computer animation) is good but not spectacular, nearly on par with a major release like Curious George. The voice cast is really good. Lacey Chabert, Frankie Muniz and Daryl Sabara star as the North kids. Muniz is also an executive producer with Macy. Macy's wife Felicity Huffman also lends her voice for a small role.
On top of the feature, there's a live-action documentary on the disc which shows you what life is really like in modern day Nepal. Plus the DVD includes a behind-the-scenes glimpse and a booklet insert with activities and tidbits.
This very family-friendly release exceeded my expectations in nearly every instance. I highly recommend it to you for a night full of family fun. It's available July 25 at a suggested retail of $19.99.
