Handy Manny: Fixing It Right [DVD]

For children who love Dora the Explorer and Bob the Builder, this upbeat preschool-appropriate Disney Channel animated series is handy to have around. Whatever calamity befalls the good village of Sheetrock, be it a new bowling alley's broken ball return, a forklift stuck in a door, or a broken playground jungle gym, Handy Manny (warmly voiced by Wilmer Valderrama of That 70s Show) has just the right tool for the job. "You break it, we fix it," is Manny's motto, and each of the four stories included in this collection reinforces the merits of "doing the job right," as well as the concept of teamwork. As with Dora and Bob, familiar formula and repetition plays a key role in each story. Manny and his anthropomorphic tools (a hammer, a wrench, a tape measure, a saw, and a pair of screwdrivers, each of whom hop around like those vegetables on VeggieTales), embark on every job with the rousing song, "Hop Up, Jump In". When the task is completed, they celebrate with "We Work Together." The stories also manage to work in other reassuring lessons. In the story, "Felipe Strikes Out," Felipe, the Philips Screwdriver, must admit the truth after he takes credit for a job he didn't do. In ""Rusty to the Rescue," Rusty the wrench must overcome his fear of heights to rescue a young boy stuck atop the jungle gym. Another empowering theme throughout is the uniqueness and special talent each tool brings to the job. As with Dora, bilingual Manny and his tools introduce words in Spanish. From the irresistible Latin-flavored rhythms of Los Lobos' catchy theme song to this show's strong sense of community, Handy Manny is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.