Columbia TriStar Home Video presents

Jay Jay the Jet Plane: Good Friends Forever! (2001)

"Buckle up tight, it's a magical flight with Jay Jay!"- Theme Song

Stars: Eve Whittle, Dee Dee Green, Marie Danielle, Julie Renick, C. W. Walken
Other Stars: Gwen Smillie, Beth Bowles
Director: Hugh Martin, Chuck Cirno

Manufacturer: DVSS
MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (kids of all ages)
Run Time: 00h:58m:08s
Release Date: 2003-05-13
Genre: educational

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B-	B-	B	B-	D+

 

DVD Review

Jay Jay the Jet Plane is a popular CGI children's series about the adventures of Jay Jay, a young blue plane who lives at the airport in Tarrytown. He's friends with all the other planes and machines in town, and Brenda the Mechanic is like a mother to him. The series is fairly straightforward—the 11-minute episodes each illustrate a simple life lesson as the characters learn how to make friends, be polite, and get your work done, all while having fun and singing songs. The computer graphics are a little rough at times (particularly the blue screen work to integrate the flesh and blood Brenda), but kids likely won't notice. This disc collects five episodes (an hour's worth) of the show.

In Grumpy O'Malley, as a special surprise, E.Z.'s cousins Tex and Pierre O'Malley are in town. Yes, an "O'Malley" relative from France, and another from Texas. Everyone is excited about the guests except Snuffy the Prop Plane, who doesn't like new people. But when Snuffy has to go pick up the third cousin, Grumpy O'Malley (who he assumes is mean, and if the stereotypical Pierre and Tex are any indication, he's probably right), he must face his fear and get Grumpy back in time for the surprise party. This is a cute episode about facing your fears, and the insecure Snuffy is a nice change from that know-it-all Jay Jay. The Great Tarrytown Blackout has Tracy palling around with Herky the Helicopter, but she is annoyed by his constant questions (especially when she is trying to practice for the air show). But when all the power in Tarrytown goes out, she has to learn that working together is important even when others bother you. Herky's constant pestering recalls a hyperactive toddler. Hmmm...

In Catch the Buzz, Jay Jay has plans to travel with Big Jake, but Jake has a buzzing in his head and doesn't feel well. Jay Jay whines that it isn't fair, and thinks Jake doesn't want to go because he doesn't like him anymore. Because it's always all about Jay Jay. Jay's faith in his mentor is restored once he's able to help find out what's wrong with him. I figured it out first, by the way, because I'm smart. And because this show is aimed at toddlers. Revvin' Evan's Day has Jay Jay follow around Evan, a fire truck. Jay Jay wants to keep up with his new friend, but he finds he can't do all the things that Evan can. The lesson here is knowing your strengths and limitations. Finally, in Missing You, Big Jake has to go away for a few days, and Jay Jay has to show Snuffy all the fun things you can do to take your mind off of missing someone you care about.

Rating for Style: B-
Rating for Substance: B-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: The CGI images are fairly pleasant. Colors are bright, and detail is fairly good (though the clarity of DVD does show some of the limitations of the rather clunky animation). I did spot some occasional aliasing.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English, Spanish Stereo	yes

Audio Transfer Review: Audio is serviceable, but fairly nondescript. The dialogue comes across nice and clear, and the front soundstage livens things up a bit with a nice, solid presentation of the music and sound effects.

Audio Transfer Grade: B- 

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 5 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English, French, Spanish with remote access
2 Other Trailer(s) featuring Stuart Little 2, Kermit's Swamp Years
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. 4 Sing-A-Long Songs
2. 2 "Think About It" Moments

Extras Review: Brenda offers two "Think About It" moments. The first is called "Have You Ever Thought About the Sun?" Why yes, Brenda, I have. The sun is a mass of incandescent gas, a gigantic molecular furnace. The other, "Think About How Things Change," tells about how CGI caterpillars turn into CGI butterflies, CGI water turns to CGI ice, and non-CGI Brenda turns from a little girl into a blue-jumpsuited mechanic. Each menu also contains a "Fun Facts" icon that you can highlight to hear something fun about Tarrytown. Fun!

Four Sing-A-Longs are also included (the title to I'm Revin' Revin' Evan reveals that the production company has trademarked the name Evan... sorry kids!), along with bonus trailers for Stuart Little 2, and Kermit's Swamp Years.

Extras Grade: D+
 

Final Comments

Jay Jay the Jet Plane is a quality programming choice for young kids, and the DVDs offer a decent number of episodes at a nice price point. Recommended for weary parents in need of an hour of free time.

Joel Cunningham 2003-06-09