Jake and the Never Land Pirates....DVD Review

by Joyce Kessel

Something VERY strange is happening all over Never Land, and things have gone missing! There's only one brave pirate that can save the day: Jake and the Never Land Pirates!!

In Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Never Land Rescue, Jake embarks on his most heroic mission ever as the magic of Never Land begins to disappear just as the ancient Forever Tree seems to be fading away. After a mysterious figure known as "The Guardian" arrives to explain that only the pirate who truly believes in himself can save Never Land, Jake must break off from the rest of his faithful crew and go it alone on a mission to save the Forever Tree, which as you know, is the source of ALL magic in Never Land. Guiding Jake on his perilous quest is none other than the Green Fairy herself - Tinker Bell (making her first EVER appearance in the Jake and the Never Land Pirates series).

Well, as you know, we're not the spoiler types here at Tales From The Mouse House, so I won't go in to greater detail than this, but rest assured, in Never Land Rescue things get quite hairy because, the pirate who rescues the Forever Tree also gets some of it's special magic. And you know what THAT means, right? Yep, Captain Hook wants in on that action! So, it's up to Jake and Tink to save the day, and Never Land. 

Of course, Jake and the Never Land Pirates is a Disney Junior series, and Never Land Rescue, although a separate DVD, is actually part of that television series. Included on the DVD, in addition to the full-length feature Never Land Rescue, are five episodes from the series not yet seen:

• It's A Pirate Picnic/The Key To Skull Rock - Hook digs up the crew’s picnic spot and the crew gets a key to a treasure.
• The Golden Twilight Treasure/Rock The Croc! - The crew must rescue a firefly from Hook and a treasure map lands in Croc’s mouth.
• Jake and Sneaky Le Beak/Cubby The Brave - A sneaky pirate steals from Hook and a pair of boots makes Cubby brave.
• Jake's Special Delivery/Seahorse Saddle-Up! - A mysterious package washes ashore and the crew races in a seahorse race.

Obviously this DVD isn't for everyone. In fact, Al fell asleep while I was watching, because, well, like I said, isn't for everyone! But trust me, the younger Disney fans will LOVE this. It has everything they could want in a Disney DVD: action, pirates, adventure, pirates, Tinker Bell, pirates, swords, pirates, mysteries and, did I mention pirates? This is certainly a terrific way to entertain the young ones during those cold winter months, or even for the warmer ones! And for the parents wondering if they SHOULD allow the kids to sit and watch a cartoon...yep. You should. Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Never Land Rescue isn't just a cartoon, it's a fun way to teach the kids important things, like team-work, acceptance, faith and facing their fears. In fact, I would LOVE to send a copy to my grandson Isaiah and granddaughter Emma! 

Also included on the DVD are eight bonus Playing With Skully cartoon shorts:

• Sailing The Never Sea
• Where's Sandy
• Pulley Hook
• North Bound
• Diving in the Coral Reef
• Ship Ahoy!
• Pirate Puzzle
• Coconuts On Pirate Island

AND, if that weren't enough, the DVD comes with a free inflatable sword (the Sword of Destiny from the movie) with glow in the dark stickers to decorate it with!  What little Jake fan wouldn’t love that! (Yeah, Al wanted to keep that, but I insisted it should go to someone who WATCHED the movie!)

Jake and the Neverland Pirates: Never Land Rescue is now available on DVD, and is rated TV-Y.