Bob The Builder - Knights Of Can-A-Lot (DVD)

...done in 3D animation called Bob the Builder. Bob lives in Bobsville, and is the only builder in the area, so everyone always calls Bob if they need any professional building work done, no matter how small. No one seems to do any DIY, so he is kept VERY busy. Luckily, he has Wendy, a very capable assistant, who answers the phones, makes all the job arrangements, and even is able to muck in and do some building work so that Bob gets done in time. Even ...
...to assist with particular jobs, Bob has a cat, Pilchard, who occasionally gets into scrapes, and speaking of scrapes, there is often trouble afoot in the guise of a scarecrow owned by the local farmer, Farmer Pickles. The scarecrow is called Spud and he is a pleasant but dim fellow with a bent for well meaning mischief.



Each episode is about 10 minutes long, and Bob and the gang work together and learn to use teamwork ... more

~~~Background~~~

In 1999, HIT Entertainment released a TV series for children done in 3D animation called Bob the Builder. Bob lives in Bobsville, and is the only builder in the area, so everyone always calls Bob if they need any professional building work done, no matter how small. No one seems to do any DIY, so he is kept VERY busy. Luckily, he has Wendy, a very capable assistant, who answers the phones, makes all the job arrangements, and even is able to muck in and do some building work so that Bob gets done in time. Even with Wendy, this would not be possible without his trusty machines, Lofty the crane, Dizzy the cement mixer, Scoop the digger, Roley the roller, and Muck the digger and dump truck. As needed, he also occasionally brings in new machines to assist with particular jobs, Bob has a cat, Pilchard, who occasionally gets into scrapes, and speaking of scrapes, there is often trouble afoot in the guise of a scarecrow owned by the local farmer, Farmer Pickles. The scarecrow is called Spud and he is a pleasant but dim fellow with a bent for well meaning mischief.

Each episode is about 10 minutes long, and Bob and the gang work together and learn to use teamwork to accomplish goals. The machines, which are sentient, also learn things relating the jobs they are doing, for example, in one episode, the team learned about tortoises when one found its way into the yard.

After the first series concluded, and after successful redubbed importing to the US, a second series was commissioned. Bob and the gang moved to Sunflower Valley and built an eco village for many of the residents of Bobsville to move to. The stories in the second series are slanted more towards low impact living and conservation, but retain much of the flavour of the initial series, simply changing locales and stressing more modern eco friendly building and lifestyle options. The second series did suffer a name change however, becoming Bob the Builder: Project Build It! The success also spawned books, clothes, puzzles, and a large range of toys for the avid little Bob fan. Along the way, various feature length specials were also made, including this one, the Knights of Can-A-Lot.

~~~The Film~~~

Released in 2003 and taking place before Sunflower Valley, this film centres somewhat on Bob and his relationship with his father. Bob's dad is arriving in Bobsville for a visit, but arrives early and makes himself rather at home in Bob's office. Also being known as Bob, and being a retired builder, when the phone rings, he answers it, giving his name as Bob, and accepting a job from Dr. Florence Mountfitchett of Local Heritage. This rather arty head in the clouds type woman is in charge of a ruined castle nearby that needs work on it and the grounds before Local Heritage can open it to the public. Bob discovers his father has arrived early, and is rather dismayed at the very large job he has taken on for the business, sight unseen end without any discussion. He end the gang go along with it, not wishing to cause any waves, but during the course of the project, it becomes obvious that Bob Senior is still accustomed to being the head builder, but can no longer do the work he tries to tackle. Bob and Wendy try to diplomatically redirect his efforts, to often slightly disastrous results.

In the meantime, Spud and the machines are excited about the castle and learn about knights, taking on medieval type names to reflect their jobs, and Spud goes on a mission to find himself some armour. Will the "knights" succeed in their quest to finish the restoration by the deadline? Will Spud get his wish? Will Bob and Bob Sr. learn to work together and not step on each other's toes? And what about he mysterious lost entrance to the dungeons Dr. Mountfitchett mentions?

~~~The Cast~~~

As I am reviewing the Region 2 version, this disc thankfully features the original cast voices. They are:

Neil Morrisey....Bob the Builder

Kate Harbour....Wendy and Dizzy

Richard Briers....Bob's dad, Robert

Brenda Blethyn....Dr. Florence Mountfitchett

Rob Rackstraw....Spud, Muck, Roley, Scoop

June Whitfield, Bob's mother, Dot

The voiceovers are superbly well done, and I have to give real kudos to Rob Rackstraw. His voiceover talents are so diverse, until I looked him up; I was actually unaware the majority of the machines and Spud were all voiced by a single person! Kate Harbour is also quite talented, with her Dizzy being quite distinct and unsimilar to her Wendy. All performances are done with great feeling and add dimensionality to the personas onscreen. My mother sent a region 1 redubbed version of a Bob the Builder DVD to my son containing the American voices, and while I found the different voices startling at first, the accent and voice changes did not disturb me, but did highlight the depth of quality to the voice work of the British cast. The British cast include small nuances missed by the Americans, who by comparison gave a rather flat performance all round, especially Roley. My advice is therefore to you Region 1 readers is to Google for a region unlocking code for your player, or buy a region free player, and enjoy this in its original version, as the chemistry is fantastic and the performances top notch.

~~~The DVD~~~

In addition to the film, this DVD comes with few special features. By far, the niftiest has to be the inclusion of both the full screen and widescreen version of this film. This is made especially nifty because when you pop the DVD into your player, it checks your TV, highlights the sort of screen you have, and asks if that is correct. It quite correctly detected we were playing it on a non widescreen TV, so I confirmed its choice via my remote, and it went to the menu. I had the opportunity to NOT confirm, and have it play widescreen, but I failed to see the point! The menu allows you to simply play the movie, or use the scene selection option. You can also elect to have English subtitles (film is also only in English), which is ideal for children who wish to practice reading as well as those who are hard of hearing. The menu also presents the choice of selecting EXTRAS, which presents us with "Bob's parents character profiles", "Bob's Photo Album", or "Bob's Web Site Link". The character profile selection merely has up a photo of each parent, their name, and a very brief blurb about who they are. "Bob's Photo Album" is a selection of stills from the film, which my children liked, as we were able to discuss what the picture was about, making for a nice insightful discussion. "Bob's Website Link" is intended for use in a PC's DVD player, and shows a screen with a picture on it that contains instructions on how to open the website link file. It also gives the URL, so you can simply type the address into your web browser at a later time. Back at the main menu, there is also a choice called "The HIT parade" which basically opens an advertisement for Hit's other shows, such as Kipper, The Magic key, Barney, etc. Not overly exciting as far as features go, but being aimed at the preschool to year 2 (at most) group, perfectly adequate.

The transfer to DVD is very well done, with a good crisp and bright picture as befits the very colourful sets and backgrounds, and the sound is also clear, being done in Dolby Surround sound, albeit in 5:1.so the latest surround systems will to be taxed. This is not an issue, however, as there are no real aural special effects to take great advantage! A nice touch has been placing the DVD release in a sturdy plastic DVD case and including a simple booklet in the inside on the right. Held in place by robust clips, the booklet opens to pictorial instructions with large typeface blurbs in simple English, on how to play the DVD. The back page of the booklet has large bold face type in simple English on safe handling of DVDs, which I found great as increasingly my nearly 6 year old wants to use the DVDs herself. Priced at only £6.97, this made an ideal present for my son's birthday, along with a few of the series' tie in toys, and has been well worth its asking price. It has been played on average at least once a week when I allow my son to select a movie to play, and about once a month is also a selection made by my daughter.

~~~My Verdict~~~

The positive role models, interesting information, and emphasis on friendship and working together make this a popular choice in my household. It holds the attention of both my children, and at the price, makes a very affordable addition to our collection as well as an excellent candidate for birthday party gifts and stocking stuffers for friends' and relatives young ones. The quality of the voice over work an excellently done animation make it pleasant to watch and listen to along with my children, rightfully elevating the TV from passive babysitter to family entertainer. At 55 minutes, I find it has just the right amount of time to tell its story without becoming neither rushed, nor drawn out, keeping the full attention of my preschool son and my school aged daughter easily. All in all, a worthy purchase. 

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