Video of the Week: Scary Godmother
From SLJ November 2004
Angela J. Reynolds, Washington Co. Cooperative Library, Hillsboro, OR -- School Library Journal, 10/18/2004
videocassette or DVD. color. 47:40 min. Prod. by Mainframe Entertainment. Dist. by Anchor Bay Entertainment. 2004. video: $12.98, DVD, $19.98.
Gr 1-5-Hannah is going trick-or-treating with the "big kids" under the supervision of her cousin Jimmy. However, Jimmy wants to get rid of Hannah, so he tries to scare her by sending her into the Spook House to give candy to the monsters. Hannah is very afraid, until her Scary Godmother (a sassy, well-dressed witch) shows up and takes her to the Fright Side where she meets a Skeleton, Vampires, a Werewolf, and Bugaboo, the Monster who hides under the bed. The monsters are having a Halloween party, and Hannah has great fun while overcoming her fears. The Monsters decide to go back and scare the big kids, and Hannah triumphs as the bravest child. The computer generated 3-D animation closely resembles Jill Thompson's original watercolor illustrations from the graphic novel (Sirius Publications, 1997). Done in "Toy Story meets Tim Burton" style, the images will appeal to media-savvy children. Instrumental Halloween surf-music accompanies the colorful scenery, and sparkling special effects add to the mix. Gentle messages about looking beyond physical traits to see the true individual are cleverly wrapped in a not-so-scary Halloween package. Sure to be popular, the production is due to be released just before an October primetime broadcast on Cartoon Network.
