Baby Einstein Baby Galileo Discovering the Sky DVD with Baby Einstein (NR) +Movie Reviews

Spectacular Video About Sky and Space

Sallie A. Martin | OK | 09/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't quite understand what is so horrible about Baby Galileo. Reviewers are saying how aweful it was, but are giving no explanation as to why, so I'm going to explain why it worked for me and my child. I was extremely pleased with the Baby Galileo video. My daughter is three and a half years old and soaks in anything she sees. Although she is on the older end of the suggested ages for these videos, she still is learning from them and enjoying them. This video was a great way for her to learn the general ideas about the sky. The video opens with puppets, which are a trademark in Julie Clark's videos. There are narrations by children, and 15 different pieces of classical music ranging from Claire De Lune to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. There are several chapters in the video introducing a new concept- those being the sky, the sun, the clouds, the stars, the moon, the planets, the galaxy and space. There are real pictures and video of the sun, moon and others while they are supplemented with toys, graphics and music that go along with the sky/space theme. I am an early childhood educator, and I see these videos as being some of the most developmentally appropriate videos out there for children to watch. The video expresses many subjects, textures, colors and most of all, beautiful classical music to soothe your child and spark their interest and attention. I'm not quite sure why these videos haven't worked for other parents, but they've been successful in my family and many others that I know. I highly recommend the Baby Einstein collection- at least try them, especially Baby Galileo."

My 17-month-old's absolute favorite

Joshua Mayfield | USA | 11/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First a brief note on the Baby Einstein series, and then my specific opinions about Baby Galileo. My wife and I are very careful about both the amount and the content of any television that my 17-month-old son views. Our Baby Einstein videos (we have around 8) are among only six or seven shows or videos that play on our TV sets when our son is awake. Other parents have already mentioned one benefit of the Baby Einstein videos: That they can give you 30 minutes of worry-free time to prepare meals or get dressed while your children remain glued to the set. However, I'd like to mention my own favorite benefit of the series: Quality time with my son. When I put on one of these videos, my son crawls up into my lap and remains there for the whole show. (Any of you with 17-month-old boys probably know how rare it is for your son to spend 30 whole minutes sitting in the same place.) During the program, he points to objects he recognizes (gesturing the signs for words he knows), laughs out loud during the puppet shows, and mimics the children he sees in the videos. Throughout the video he looks to me for acknowledgement and confirmation, and I try to teach him the signs and words for things he hasn't learned yet. These videos have proven to me that when used sparingly and wisely, television can be a powerful learning and family-building tool.

As for Baby Galileo, this one is clearly my son's favorite. Baby MacDonald and Neighborhood Animals are probably tied for second place, where Language Nursery and Baby Bach appear to appeal to him the least. The actual puppets of Baby Galileo and his mom are probably the best and most detailed puppets I have yet seen in the series. They both have moving limbs and are very expressive- and they're definitely my son's favorite part of the video. He also enjoys the little clips of other babies and the many images of the sun and moon. I must admit, this is MY favorite of the bunch too, not just because of the music selection, but yeah, I also dig the puppets. I have a single criticism of this particular video: The segment about the moon features a very odd rendition of Debussy's Claire De Lune. It was so different from the Claire De Lune that I know and love that I actually thought it was just a sound-a-like, perhaps for licensing reasons. Basically, the main melody of the piece is almost completely absent. However, the liner notes for the disc do in fact list Debussy as the composer. My wife believes it was an intentional adjustment, because the music in Baby Einstein videos is supposedly "designed for little ears." I don't buy it, but overall I think this is a great video.

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Stellar images and soothing music

Joshua Mayfield | 08/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got this title in an audience gift bag at a taping of The View. All three of my children are fans of the Baby Einstein series, so I was excited to take this newest title home. This one lives up to the others (although Baby Van Gogh is still our favorite). The basic theme is the sky, the sun, the stars and the planets. My 4 year old has pretty much outgrown the Einstein videos but he watches this one, along with his younger twin sisters. He likes learning the names of all the planets. Great music too."

Not engaging, re-uses music from other videos

Joshua Mayfield | 08/31/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"My two sons love the Baby Einstein series, but this latest is a disappointment. The heavy hand of Disney has pushed out the whimsy and catchy little visual/sound bits that so engaged my children. The stuffed puppets lack the flexibility to show any type of emotion, the visuals are unimaginative and dull, and the classical music pieces are too long and boring for small children. The combined effect causes the kids to lose attention and wander off instead of watching raptly as they do with the other Einstein videos. The music is a disappointment, since many of the pieces were already used in past videos--with the abundance of good classical music out there, it shouldn't have been too hard to use something new. For example, I am surprised that they didn't use a single selection from Holst's "the Planets"; it would seem a natural fit. The puppets in this video lack the appealing character, emotion and liveliness of other Baby Einstein videos--like the famous "Bla" dragon. In all, the video comes across as dull and far less creative than past videos. Really a disappointment. I would stick with the older ones, such as Baby Mozart, Baby Van Gogh, Baby Shakespeare, and Baby Dolittle. There was a reason that Julie Clark's videos were so successful initially, and it's a shame that Disney had to go and change it for the worst."

Nice addition to the series

Cafreen | Temecula, CA | 09/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ever since Disney's takeover, the old original Baby Einstein style is now just the skeleton of this latest addition to the series. The puppetry is completely different, kind of like "Johnny Quest" meets claymation. It's sort of odd to watch at first, but you will eventually get the hang of it (hey, it's for our kids, right?) It's the kind of jerky motion that you'd see in the old claymation cartoons. Well, I think I remember someone complaining about the bad puppetry in the previous Baby Neptune, they have definitely addressed this issue, for now they are moving with less of a sock-puppet feel and more of a marionette. (I kind of miss those sock-puppets!)
It's disappointing to hear them use the same classical music as in the other DVDs, there are *some* new songs, but LOTS of recycled music. With all the beautiful classical music available, it's surprising that they didn't care to find different songs to fit the Galileo theme.You will also notice the backdrop to be dark. I think they are trying to hone in on the "night sky" feel / Galileo theme compared to the stark white backgrounds from before. It's as if it's been planned by some slick sophisticated advertising executive, it really has a different feel to it.With the puppet interludes in between various scenes, they use the same (if not completely identical) scene with Baby Galileo (who is a baby kangaroo) holding a balloon and letting it go. Over and over, at least 4 times! It was kind of neat in Baby Beethoven how they had varying scenes with the duck and the dog. If you have Baby Beethoven, you'll see what I mean. Well, all my criticisms are just MY criticisms. I think the real indicator of whether or not this is a hit is my 14 month old daughter! As with any new DVD, she's a little apprehensive and sometimes scared at first, but with multiple playings, this particular Baby Einstein has been as captivating as the rest of them. This also keeps her engaged, and I guess that's the opinion that really counts! If your child has enjoyed previous Baby Einstein videos, add this one on, they will be sure to enjoy it as well."

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