Rose Fairy Princess
With a title like Rose Fairy Princess among its first releases, Angelina Ballerina, the PBS series centered on a single-minded mouseling, doesn't dance around the fact that it's strictly a girly-girl enterprise. But that's no strike against it; stereotypes aside, here's a cartoon as charming and accessible as the books by Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig from which it bloomed. In four episodes, our prim, pirouetting heroine gives stage jitters the heave-ho, begrudgingly baby-sits her young cousin at the fair, scores scarce tickets to see the legendary Whiskersevs dance, and stumbles off on a guilt trip when a local scamp gets the blame for an accident in the neighbor's garden. In addition to her grace, agility, and talent for tucking her tail into a tutu, Angelina boasts a big-name friend or two--Judy Dench gives voice to exotic, bejeweled ballet teacher Miss Lilly. --Tammy La Gorce Friends Forever
Angelina values close friendships, but she's soon to discover that maintaining healthy friendships can require a good deal of effort and maturity. The joy of giving reluctantly replaces remorse when Angelina donates a beloved doll to charity in "Ballerina Rag Doll," and jealousy incites a lie that threatens to grow to massive proportions in "Angelina's Surprise." "Arthur the Butterfly" illustrates the concept that if you love something, sometimes you must set it free, and "Alice's Present" shows how an innocent mistake can undermine a solid friendship it it's concealed. Two "Little Stars" live-action segments help beginning ballerinas feel more comfortable about their first ballet class and offer a glimpse of the imaginative world of dancing in character. (Ages 3 to 8) --Tami Horiuchi
