Rating: 
Country: USA
Release Date: June 13, 2003
Distributor: Shout Factory
Cast:
· Rita Moreno
· Rodger Bumpass
· Jennifer Hale
· Scott Menville
Related Sites:
· IMDb: Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?
Grade: A
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DVD Review: Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?
by R.J. Carter
Published: June 24, 2006
Listen up, gumshoes! Shout Factory has released the first season of the animated series, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?, starring The Electric Company's Rita Moreno in the role of the criminal mastermind.
Inspired by the educational PC game, the series sticks close to the original premise. In fact, it's still somewhat a computer game in the first episode, where we're introduced to the Max Headroom-ish Chief (voiced by Rodger Bumpass, Dr. Light from Teen Titans) and the pair of crack detectives for the Acme Detective Agency, Zack (Scott Menville, Teen Titans' Robin) and Ivy (Jennifer Hale, Cinderella in Disney's upcoming "Cinderella III"). Their actions, however, are mostly directed by the enigmatic Player, whom we see only from behind in live-action shots of a young boy at a Compaq computer.
Ivy and Zack are hot on the taile of the elusive Carmen.
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Carmen Sandiego comes from the old school of thievery that the 1950s Batman villains attended, stealing only the most extravagant items to satisfy her whims, such as the Sydney opera house, or the dome of the Taj Mahal. She also leaves perplexing clues behind on purpose about her next caper and even, on occassion, lending a hand to the detectives when they land themselves in a physically threatening situation. As Zack and Ivy chase her across the globe, the viewer is treated to an education in geography, history, science and social studies. Whether Carmen is stealing the smile from the Mona Lisa or creating her own giant chess set from Chinese statues and castle turrets, linguist Zack and athletic Ivy get the facts across in a manner that's entertaining and penetrating. And just to make sure you remember the lessons, each episode includes the original "pop quiz" questions about what was just learned.
The season ends with a two-part episode that finds Carmen Sandiego stealing the components for a machine that allows her to travel through time! Chasing her is going to be a lot harder from now on, and this first temporal adventure finds her changing American history by sabotaging the Boston Tea Party, taking Ben Franklin's kite key, and stealing a shoe from Paul Revere's horse! (There's a large cast of additional voices on this series, but the sharp-eared fans of According to Jim will be able to pick out Jim Belushi as the voice of Paul Revere.) Tooling around in the present, Zack and Ivy can always count on a local Acme detective to come to their assist -- but in the past, they've got only themselves and Chief to rely upon. Learning has never been so much fun or so exciting.
Special Features on this set include direct access on each disc to the trivia bits from each episode. The third disc holds a few more features, including a storyboard-to-screen version of the opening episode, "The Stolen Smile" and concept artwork for the characters, props and settings. And if you've ever wondered how in the world does Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? sound when airing in other countries, you can get a clue by hearing the opening theme in 8 different languages, including Italian, German and Mandarin Chinese.
Previews on this disc include Shout Factory releases of Home Movies, C.O.P.S., The Legend of Zelda, and The Super Mario Brothers Super Show.
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Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?
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Disc 1
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Disc 2
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01. The Stolen Smile
02. A Higher Calling
03. Dinosaur Delirium
04. Moondreams
Episode Trivia
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05. By a Whisker
06. The Good Old, Bad Old Days
07. Rules of the Game
08. Chapter and Verse
Episode Trivia
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Disc 3
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09. Music to My Ears
10. The Play's the Thing
11. Split Up
12. A Date with Carmen (part 1)
13. A Date with Carmen (part 2)
Special Features:
- Storyboard to Screen: "The Stolen Smile"
- Opening Titles from Around the World
- Concept Art Galleries
- Episode Trivia
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CD Giveaway - Paper Bird, "Rooms"
Ends May 28, 2013
Drifting ever so slightly away from traditional folk music, this Colorado band delivers harmony and energy aplenty. |
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