Wishes abound. For instance, one wishes for the functional simplicity of a DVD called Ultimate Pandas. It's not that easy, and practice has borne out that wishes rarely come true, whereas hard work can sometimes yield results. So it is for the pandas DVD, so it is for the many routes said DVD's utility might take. So it is for this review.

Ultimate Pandas constitutes about 70 minutes of cute young pandas frolicking in a sanctuary about 1000 miles from Beijing, China. Narration tracks with varying degrees of sophistication, panda music videos, and 'cutest moments' accompany the footage, itself deployed with the wishes that maybe through video exposure these singular beasts won't be wiped from the face of the planet by capitalism, and random, self-serving indifference. The footage is truly amazing, as camera operators follow the scamps around in their large sylvan compound, watching them shred bamboo stalks, climb tree-like structures and frequently knock said camera operators over as pandas come up to nuzzle the cameras. How cute is that?

To that end, maybe this is the ultimate video document, revealing the creatures for what they are, wildly singular cuties - living Teddy Bears - adorable black-and-white fur-balls that, once upon a time, you might have espied lounging 100-feet up in an ancient bamboo grove - an animal that may then have climbed down to playfully wrestle with you. By all rights a creature that deserves a chance. Proceeds from the sale of the video will help pandas survive, and maybe dissemination of said document will raise consciousness of the panda's plight.

The narrative tracks are directed at young children, older children and adults. The appropriate target audience is probably young children; my 21-month-old maintained interest for a handful of minutes which means, I suppose, I could use this video numerous times and she wouldn't tire of it. I've seen it played in the kids' area of a coffee shop as a sort-of ambient/entertainment background. Even with the insightful, audience driven narrative tracks (age-appropriate viewers watch and ask questions or respond to prompts from the narrator) I don't see any group or individual watching for the long-haul, but I approve of the wealth of content over a more-sprightly dearth.

By whatever means, it's better to sound the call for endangered species. Awareness beats ignorance in all cases, and your twenty bucks will certainly help Globio, the non-profit that aims to educate children about the importance of biodiversity. How much the kids will take to heart - a group for whom the stock growing-up-bestiary is populated almost solely by endangered species - should be interesting. Probably severely select groups of adults will watch Ultimate Pandas with adult narration, but they will likely be way more directed in intent and response. Parents of super-young ones will get a few moments respite when playing this for the tots. It reminds me of a quote from Notes On A Scandal: one desperate parent says "having kids doesn't give your life meaning, only imperative." For what it's worth, imperative always trumps meaning, whether it's for entertaining your kids, giving yourself a rest, or helping ensure that pandas don't become a distant memory.

The DVD

Video:
Ultimate Pandas recreate adorably the 1.33:1 fullscreen aspect ratio, with clear and sharp pictures that reveal every hair, and color that luxuriates in the deep greens of the Chinese rainforest. The black shades of the panda's cute, cute eye patches are pretty deep, too.

Sound:
Dolby Digital Audio serves mostly to make it easy to hear the narration tracks, but when live-narration happens the sounds of the forest and the snuffling of the pandas fights for crystal clear dominance. But that's a good, authentic thing. Five music videos also are easy on the ears in their alien/cutesy glory.

Extras:
Looking at the navigation menus the extras might seem hard to take in, but they are not too much after all. Four Audio Tracks include Ambient Audio, Young Children Narration, Older Children Narration, and Adult Narration all of which are relaxed (except the ambient track, which is just sounds of the pandas) and have age appropriate information from one of the pandas' wards, and questions/comments from target-audience-aged viewers. Of course Scene Selections will help you zero-in on what your viewers like, or you can choose from six encapsulated Cutest Panda Moments, totaling about 8 minutes. 19 acrylic paintings used to delineate chapters, with information about the artist, are available in the Panda Art Gallery. Lastly Five Panda Music Videos with Selectable Sing-Along Subtitles add value to the package. My knowledge of Popular Chinese Music is mostly limited to the wide-ranging hip-hop/rap/pop/hard-core group LMF, so I shouldn't even talk, but these songs strike me as slightly jazzy, mega-kid-oriented songs (think maybe Shonen Knife for Sesame Street - but with far less edge), with slightly spaced-out, day-to-day activities or universal love via pandas lyrics that, owing to occasionally shifting time-signatures, will challenge your sing-along skills.

Final Thoughts:
Ultimate Pandas is unparalleled for panda footage, entertaining and educational, with a wealth of visual stimulation for any audience - probably more than you'll get through in one sitting. Ultimate Pandas comes with a raft of implied expectations. The tiered narration tracks seemingly say that this DVD is for all age groups, but one would traditionally think it targeted to kids. It's not just goofy kids' stuff, though, and hopefully the underlying conservation message will get through to some extent to all viewers. Consider it a stockpile of nourishing panda-food-for-thought and cue it up for a few moments of watching with the kids from time to time - as a mixed-use message it's Recommended.

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