Paramount Studios presents

Max & Ruby's Christmas (2004)

Ruby: Did you see that, Max? Those boys could have knocked you down.
Max: Hockey!- Samantha Morton, Billy Rosemberg

MPAA Rating: Not RatedRun Time: 01h:34m:48s
Release Date: 2004-10-26
Genre: animation

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

 

DVD Review

If you have to ask who Max and Ruby are, then your TV obviously isn't tuned to Nick Jr. with any frequency. They are two cute little bunnies, younger brother and older sister, from the storybooks by Rosemary Wells; Ruby is the loquacious sort, while little Max is invariably content with single-word utterances. Here you'll find four holiday-related installments of their eponymous show.

Each of the four episodes on the disc feature three short adventures with our bunny friends. In the first story, Max is on the hunt for Santa, to see what he's going to bring for Max's Christmas, and to see if Ruby is right about him favoring chocolate milk. Once the presents are open, it's time to build Ruby's Snow Queen, though Max would rather play with his screaming green alien gorilla. (Can you blame him?) Then Ruby wants to see her little brother go on his sled only down the bunny hill, but he has other ideas, and his eyes on the toboggan, which he hijacks for Max's Rocket Run.

In the second episode, Max makes his first venture onto ice skates—he wants to play hockey with the big boys, but his sister wants to practice Ruby's Figure Eight. Next, it's Ruby's Surprise Party at the diner, for Ruby's friend Louise's birthday; Max is along to help, but really just wants to have at the birthday cake. Then Max only wants to play Superbunny, interfering with his sister's efforts to put up Ruby's Tent.

The disc also features what are labeled two bonus episodes; they're lacking seasonal themes, but they're basically more of the same. Kicking off the first of these, Max is playing Pirate, while his sister and her dollies are planning Ruby's Tea Party in the backyard; look for Little Miss Miracle walking the plank. Then it's a playground game of freeze tag, and Max is It. Rounding out this one, Max is in hot pursuit of candy, interfering with the volcano being constructed in the backyard for Ruby's Science Project.

Leading off the last episode, Max plays Cowboy in his room while Ruby Writes a Story. Louise and Ruby then go for their Bunny Scout hospitality badges, while their little brothers play with Max's Dominoes. And bringing up the rear, Max and Ruby play dress-up in Grandma's Attic. All in all, these tales go down pretty easy, and they'll bear up to repeated viewings.

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: Colors are a little faded and there are some scratches, but it's a perfectly adequate transfer.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: Nothing to write home about—the musical scoring can be a little tinny, but the dialogue is always clear.

Audio Transfer Grade: B- 

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 4 cues and remote access
6 Other Trailer(s) featuring Blue Talks, Peanuts, Backyardigans, Candyland, Weebles, Nick Jr. baby videos
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. matching game

Extras Review: The only extra of note is a Christmas Morning Matching Game, in which the object is to figure out which presents are Max's, and which are Ruby's. Also, you've got to get through the raft of trailers before getting to the main menu, which is very, very annoying.

Extras Grade: D
 

Final Comments

A gentle bunch of stories about sibling rivalry featuring happy endings and little discord. Do the bunny hop over to the DVD player and check it out.

Jon Danziger 2004-11-23