Wednesday, May 2, 2007

A Treasure in My Garden [English version]


This collection of animated music videos, which is pitched at children ages 2-6, features the songs of Quebecois singer-poet Gilles Vigneault, with artwork and animation from the Montreal animation house Tooncan, which gave us the Academy Award-winning feature "The Triplets of Belleville."

The Secret Mountain recently produced an English version for North American distribution, and I'm happy to report that it's quite good. The colors are bright and vibrant, the animation is varied enough to hold children's interest, and the songs range from hoedowns to lullabies.
Other titles in The Secret Mountain catalog have received awards from Parents' Choice and other organizations, and it wouldn't surprise me if this one also earned their seal of approval.
The music is performed by Connie Kaldor ("A Poodle in Paris," "A Duck in New York City") and other musicians from the roots music group Hart-Rouge. Linking the songs are brief and occasional animated segues in which a personified treasure chest engages in all sorts of odd, imaginative activities.

"The Pot" is a rap-tap style song with fast-talking lyrics half-spoken, half-sung, while a mouth organ (a.k.a. in pre-politically correct days, as a Jew's Harp) and other rhythm-oriented instruments lay out a beat while a cook makes a stew and piggies feast, then all get sick. As with the Music Together program, the emphasis is on the rhythm of the music, and an automatic "again, again" built in plays the song all over again, to further help children "feel" the rhythm. It's a cute song with the kind of whimsical animation that's just odd enough to feel unique, rather than twisted.

"The Man From Leeds" has more melody with a traditional chorus about "sailing away," with very interesting claymation-style animation and large, rounded shapes that will appeal especially to children in the early stages of childhood development.

"Apple Song" has some fun with fruit, with berries and cherries and various round edibles both the subject of the music and also the twist that gives the animation on this video its unique style. Fruit, for example, become the notes on a musical score, while a child dreaming has a dream bubble over his head fill with popcorn! Musically, it's an upbeat variation of a lullaby.

"Sleepy Sheep Hoedown for the Kid Who Won't Lie Down" is perhaps the most whimsical animated song of the bunch, and I'm guessing it may also become a favorite of the pre-schoolers. As the title implies, a fiddler sings like a square-dance caller as he helps children count (yep, sheep) and learn the days of the week, with both progressions giving structure to the song. And by golly, it's a catchy tune, too.

"The Lamppost" is a poignant story without much in the way of music that has bright colors, pulsing animation, and paper-collage style artwork. In it, we hear about a girl who had a secret garden that she loved as a child. In it, she planted all sorts of wonderful (and ungardenlike) things. But when she returns as an adult, all she finds is development: concrete, houses, signs, and only a small park where her gigantic garden used to be. But she takes solace in finding one familiar tree that, as she did, grew up, and grew tall. This tree may be all that remains of her garden, but it's all the more meaningful to her because of that.

"Boxes" is built upon repetition, like the old Burl Ives song about "little boxes made of ticky tacky." Here, though, as with "The Lamppost" the underlying theme is quite serious. It's also about aging and the stages of life that people go through, until it ends with death-which is interestingly portrayed in a "Lion King" sort of way, as someone who just turns into a wisp of cosmic energy in the sky. In an interesting sequence a kid in a box rides here and there, eventually being turned by a tornado so that we see the boy physically age with each turn. It's all pretty subtle and pretty New Age.

"For You, I've a Lake" is a sweet song sung by a mother (who, in this animation, is a very pregnant queen on a very small island) who sings to her unborn baby about what she would do for her unborn child. It's very much like that famous children's book, "The Runaway Bunny," insomuch as it's a progression that illustrates how much a mother loves her child. Small children will find it both reassuring and, for all those little princesses in waiting, a perfect introduction to the wide array of princess-oriented products that they'll soon be requesting.

"Teddy" turns the spotlight on Dad. In this bluegrass-influenced song, the little girl in the story asks her father to build a house for her teddy bear, because it's only right, and he needs a home of his own.

"My Treasure" is a pretty song which is odd, considering that it's not an adult and not a small child, but an adolescent boy who pines over a picture of a girl friend who moved away. But as with the other serious-topic songs in this collection, the tone is sweet and nostalgic, not pained in any way, and certainly not even close to the pouting that you'd normally get in a situation like this. As befits the topic, the animation is rendered a bit more realistically, and the colors are not as bright.

"Scuttlebutt, What a Nut" is sung using a child's voice, sweet and melodic, with loosely drawn and animated figures of considerable whimsy and a theme about what makes the world go 'round.

"On the Tip of My Tongue" is another fiddle song with a kid's chorus and fast-sung lyrics about a ring that was dropped in water, eaten by a fish, the fish taken by a bird, the bird . . . you get the point. In terms of animation style, it's a companion to the song about the queen, this time with a man on one small island and a woman on another.

"Love and Work" and "Julie's Lullaby" are two lullabies that round out the series. Collectively, it's a pleasing collection that probably has more sweet and melodic songs than up-tempo ones. Because the lyrics are more sweet than edgy, it pretty much reinforces that the target audience is pre-schoolers and perhaps kindergarteners.

This collection of animated music videos, which is pitched at children ages 2-6, features the songs of Quebecois singer-poet Gilles Vigneault, with artwork and animation from the Montreal animation house Tooncan, which gave us the Academy Award-winning feature "The Triplets of Belleville."

The Secret Mountain recently produced an English version for North American distribution, and I'm happy to report that it's quite good. The colors are bright and vibrant, the animation is varied enough to hold children's interest, and the songs range from hoedowns to lullabies.
Other titles in The Secret Mountain catalog have received awards from Parents' Choice and other organizations, and it wouldn't surprise me if this one also earned their seal of approval.
The music is performed by Connie Kaldor ("A Poodle in Paris," "A Duck in New York City") and other musicians from the roots music group Hart-Rouge. Linking the songs are brief and occasional animated segues in which a personified treasure chest engages in all sorts of odd, imaginative activities.

"The Pot" is a rap-tap style song with fast-talking lyrics half-spoken, half-sung, while a mouth organ (a.k.a. in pre-politically correct days, as a Jew's Harp) and other rhythm-oriented instruments lay out a beat while a cook makes a stew and piggies feast, then all get sick. As with the Music Together program, the emphasis is on the rhythm of the music, and an automatic "again, again" built in plays the song all over again, to further help children "feel" the rhythm. It's a cute song with the kind of whimsical animation that's just odd enough to feel unique, rather than twisted.

"The Man From Leeds" has more melody with a traditional chorus about "sailing away," with very interesting claymation-style animation and large, rounded shapes that will appeal especially to children in the early stages of childhood development.

"Apple Song" has some fun with fruit, with berries and cherries and various round edibles both the subject of the music and also the twist that gives the animation on this video its unique style. Fruit, for example, become the notes on a musical score, while a child dreaming has a dream bubble over his head fill with popcorn! Musically, it's an upbeat variation of a lullaby.

"Sleepy Sheep Hoedown for the Kid Who Won't Lie Down" is perhaps the most whimsical animated song of the bunch, and I'm guessing it may also become a favorite of the pre-schoolers. As the title implies, a fiddler sings like a square-dance caller as he helps children count (yep, sheep) and learn the days of the week, with both progressions giving structure to the song. And by golly, it's a catchy tune, too.

"The Lamppost" is a poignant story without much in the way of music that has bright colors, pulsing animation, and paper-collage style artwork. In it, we hear about a girl who had a secret garden that she loved as a child. In it, she planted all sorts of wonderful (and ungardenlike) things. But when she returns as an adult, all she finds is development: concrete, houses, signs, and only a small park where her gigantic garden used to be. But she takes solace in finding one familiar tree that, as she did, grew up, and grew tall. This tree may be all that remains of her garden, but it's all the more meaningful to her because of that.

"Boxes" is built upon repetition, like the old Burl Ives song about "little boxes made of ticky tacky." Here, though, as with "The Lamppost" the underlying theme is quite serious. It's also about aging and the stages of life that people go through, until it ends with death-which is interestingly portrayed in a "Lion King" sort of way, as someone who just turns into a wisp of cosmic energy in the sky. In an interesting sequence a kid in a box rides here and there, eventually being turned by a tornado so that we see the boy physically age with each turn. It's all pretty subtle and pretty New Age.

"For You, I've a Lake" is a sweet song sung by a mother (who, in this animation, is a very pregnant queen on a very small island) who sings to her unborn baby about what she would do for her unborn child. It's very much like that famous children's book, "The Runaway Bunny," insomuch as it's a progression that illustrates how much a mother loves her child. Small children will find it both reassuring and, for all those little princesses in waiting, a perfect introduction to the wide array of princess-oriented products that they'll soon be requesting.

"Teddy" turns the spotlight on Dad. In this bluegrass-influenced song, the little girl in the story asks her father to build a house for her teddy bear, because it's only right, and he needs a home of his own.

"My Treasure" is a pretty song which is odd, considering that it's not an adult and not a small child, but an adolescent boy who pines over a picture of a girl friend who moved away. But as with the other serious-topic songs in this collection, the tone is sweet and nostalgic, not pained in any way, and certainly not even close to the pouting that you'd normally get in a situation like this. As befits the topic, the animation is rendered a bit more realistically, and the colors are not as bright.

"Scuttlebutt, What a Nut" is sung using a child's voice, sweet and melodic, with loosely drawn and animated figures of considerable whimsy and a theme about what makes the world go 'round.

"On the Tip of My Tongue" is another fiddle song with a kid's chorus and fast-sung lyrics about a ring that was dropped in water, eaten by a fish, the fish taken by a bird, the bird . . . you get the point. In terms of animation style, it's a companion to the song about the queen, this time with a man on one small island and a woman on another.

"Love and Work" and "Julie's Lullaby" are two lullabies that round out the series. Collectively, it's a pleasing collection that probably has more sweet and melodic songs than up-tempo ones. Because the lyrics are more sweet than edgy, it pretty much reinforces that the target audience is pre-schoolers and perhaps kindergarteners.

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