PEPPA PIG: COLD WINTER DAY (2015) DVD review

written by: Mark Baker and Neville Astley
directed by: Mark Baker and Neville Astley
rated: unrated
runtime: 50 min.
DVD release date: November 3, 2015

Even though my daughter is nine years-old, I can still turn on an episode of “Kipper” – you know, that animated adorable dog with the British accent – and get her to calm down and relax on the couch with me. “Peppa Pig”, the popular animated swine co-created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker, works just as well. Of course, it helps that my daughter loves pigs, but its an added benefit that parents can also get into the light and sweet kid’s fare just the same. Considering all the other entertainment sources vying for your kid’s short attention span, this should be welcome news to parents.

If you have no idea what you just read, feel free to check out right now.

Still here? Okay.

You’re probably a parent or just curious as to why I’m including reviewing this DVD – the honest truth is two-fold: I got this free in the mail and I enjoy sharing fun kiddie entertainment that parents can get a kick out of as well. Let’s face it, there’s some annoying – borderline: grating – programs out there and it’s good to know what’s safe (for your sanity) for viewing.

Now, granted, “Peppa Pig” is primarily aimed at the toddler/preschool crowd (that’s ages 3-5 for you expecting folks and the grandparent crowd), but again – if I can enjoy it with my kid, so can you. In small doses that is – which is a good thing since each of these 10 “Peppasodes” (heh heh) is about 5 minutes in length (that’s even including the infectious opening and closing credits for each “peppasode”). Okay. so look, I’m speaking from experience here when I say it’s quite possible that those 50 minutes of cute little animals going on winter adventures like skating and sledding, can be a suitable babysitter if you just need that time to do some laundry, clean the bathroom or curl up in the corner of the living room and cry. I’m joking with that last part (not really).

“Peppa Pig” has been around since 2004 and made quite a name for itself, especially in the UK (it’s place of origin). There’s been four seasons (featuring voice work of: Lily Snowden-Fine, John Sparkes, Richard Ridings and Morwenna  Banks) and a ton of merchandise to accompany the shows as well as a little theme park across the pond. There may not have been any new material since 2012, but you know how kids can watch the same stuff over and over and over again.

“Peppa Pig” is sweet and simple entertainment. Each “Peppasode” in this collection consists of Peppa’s family (Mummy, Daddy, and little brother George) and playmates (Suzy Sheep, Rebecca Rabbit, Pedro Pony, Zoe Zebra, etc.) experiencing winter fun and some kind of life lesson. Pretty much what you’d expect. Although the DVD is called “Cold Winter Day”, only about half of them deal with the winter season. Regardless, none of these mini-adventures come across as super annoying, except for the mind-numbing theme song which is played almost a dozen times.  Here’s the “Peppasode” listing….

• “Cold Winter Day”
• “Not Very Well”
• “Snow”
• “Thunderstorm”
• “The Sleepy Princess”
• “Bedtime”
• “Swimming”
• “Daddy Pig’s Office”
• “Ice Skating”
• “The Toy Cupboard”

If you’re searching for a gift for the show’s target audience – again, think 3-5 years-old – you can’t go wrong with “Cold Winter Day”. As mentioned above though, my pig-loving 9 year-old got a kick out of the DVD – so, I wouldn’t say it’s limited to those specific young viewers –  and fortunately it didn’t send me into the other room.

RATING: ***