The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: There’s Nothing To Fear In Here
DVD
Directed by Steve Feldman
Starring Anthony Asbury, John Kennedy, Bruce Lanoil, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Kathryn Mullen
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: October 5, 2010

All week long I’ve been watching scary movies like Trick R Treat, Night Of The Demons, and The Thing. Tonight, I viewed Paranormal Activity for the first time, but since it’s nearing my bedtime, I don’t think the last thing I see before closing my eyes should be a film about an invisible demon terrorizing a woman while she sleeps. As luck would have it, a package arrived earlier today with a DVD of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: There’s Nothing To Fear In Here. What better way to erase the spookiness of my horror movie marathon than with a Dr. Seuss tale about how there’s nothing to fear?

I put in the DVD, which contains 3 episodes from what was a Jim Henson Company television series that ran in the mid-1990s, and what’s the first tale about? A little girl who can’t sleep at night because there’s banging coming from within her closet and she’s convinced the noise is being made by monsters living in there.

Umm, how is this helping me forget Paranormal Activity, Dr. Seuss!?

Obviously, we eventually learn there’s nothing to fear, but not before we’re scared first!

Ok, so maybe I picked the wrong night to pop in the DVD, but hey, it’s now or never, especially since this DVD is for children, and very small children at that. I’m sure my little 6-year-old sister would appreciate this sing-a-long of life lessons (lessons this adult has obviously not learned yet), but it’s a bit too young for me. But I’ll be honest, the more I watched of it, the catchier I found the songs.

As I mentioned, the theme of this 72-minute DVD is about things that frighten us — like storms and bullies — and the explanations as to why there’s really nothing to fear. In the first episode on the disc, “There Is Nothing To Fear In Here,” the citizens of Seussville decide to give the Grinch a scare to teach him a lesson after he constantly shouts “BOO!” behind people to make them jump. (Take that, Grinch!). In “Blag-Bludder Beast,” Yertle the Turtle conquers his fear of a mythical creature, and in “Norval The Great” Binky and his goldfish Norval retells some fantastical adventures after Binky’s friends say his pet is boring. The last episode was my favorite of the bunch, especially with its ending that has a nod to Star Trek (a surefire way to win me over).

If you grew up watching Henson’s various creations like The Muppets, Sesame Street, and Fragile Rock, then you’ll be in familiar trippy territory with The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: There’s Nothing To Fear In Here . Add in Dr. Seuss characters like The Cat In The Hat and The Grinch, along with catchy tunes and typical Seuss rhymes, and this DVD is pretty much a winner for the little children in your life, and something you can watch along with them that won’t have you pulling your hair out.