Sesame Street Presents Elmo's Musical Adventures - Peter & The Wolf (2000)

Tag along for Elmo's musical adventure with Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and prepare to strike an unlikely pose, with one foot planted in the friendliest, furriest neighborhood anybody knows and the other in a sophisticated, sonically souped-up concert arena--Boston's Symphony Hall. The video unites the two seemingly mismatched worlds seamlessly, pulling off its unstated but pretty obvious goal, which is to siphon off the classical genre's outermost layer of stuffiness to make it more accessible to little kids, with Sesame-style punch and simplicity. Baby Bear leads viewers into Peter's forest by way of his ticket to see the Boston Pops Orchestra. Backstage he meets conductor Keith Lockhart, who serves as tour guide for a thorough but breezy showcase of various instruments, allowing the lisping little bear to get a grip on which sound portrays which character. Happy-go-lucky Peter, played by a peasant-costumed Elmo, is center stage during violin solos; the scary-sounding French horn signals the approach of the wolf--normally a ferocious fellow, but in this case a harmless furry purple guy. These days, with the gospel about the benefits of music education spreading at fever pitch, this 45-minute gem could be promoted as a way to get preschoolers in on the action. Beyond that, it's a charming chucklefest that's as effective as any intro you'll find to the classic tale. Elmo tickles audiences of all ages as Peter, and Big Bird, with help from the bassoon, spreads his wings in the role of the brave but foolhardy boy's grandfather. --Tammy La Gorce Amazon.com

great movie

My kids love ELMO but they get bored with the movies because they are just episodes clumped together normally. This movie is actually a movie with a plot and lasts more than 20 minutes. I also love it because it exposes children to the symphony and how stories can be told through instruments. Good pick for a semame street kid. December 28, 2008

Amazing!

My two year old sister & I watched this video six times in one day! We both love it! I was deeply involved in the music department while I was in high school and I love how much she enjoys watching the story and listening to the music. It was appropriately editted for children (taking out the guns, the wolf eating the duck, etc.) and I'm thrilled they featured the Boston Pops Orchestra! Wonderful! December 9, 2008

Elmo's musical adventure

This is a great way to introduce children or students to Peter and the Wolf and orchestral instruments. My music appreciation class loved it and they remembered the instruments much better than from the audio tape I used previously. There is a little creative deviation from the original Peter and the Wolf story, but it didn't really interfere with the presentation. We loved it! October 26, 2008

Present for Nieces

I bought this as a gift for my nieces. They love Sesame Street. So, they will love this DVD. October 24, 2008

complete disappointment

This disk is a lot of sesame street characters and very little music and very little of the original story. I did not even bother to give it to my grandchildren... just threw it away. If anyone wants to hear the story of Peter and the Wolf read to the original music... get something else. July 3, 2007

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