Life Management Skills V: Reproducible Activity Handouts Created for Facillitators

The third in the Notes Alive series with the Minnesota Orchestra is another fine introduction for kids to the arts. This computer-animated version of the Dr. Seuss story about the mood of colors (narrated by Holly Hunter) is combined with footage of a concert symphony. We follow a boy and his dog juggling his various moods, something soaring like a bird ("a blue day") or moping around the house ("a gray day"). The music is outstanding; Richard Einhorn created a new composition, which focuses on the individuality of instruments in the 30-minute piece. A percussive, hand-clapping sequence is quite fun. The animation doesn't seem as fresh in this day and age of A Bug's Life--it's quite bulky. Yet the film is brisk enough to entertain the youngsters and they will undoubtedly ask questions about the various instruments shown.

There's also a 15-minute short on the making of the film. It includes interviews with the animators, the composer, and, most notably, with Theodore Geisel's (Dr. Seuss) wife, who talks about her husband's influences and gives a tour of their house. (Other Notes Alive titles are On the Day You Were Born and Nutcracker: The Untold Story. --Doug Thomas