Educational Media Reviews Online

It’s spring! And Mr. Edgar, the mechanical bird of the cuckoo clock, returns to treat children to another adventure in his simple, yet energetic life.

The whimsical Mr. Edgar uses ‘spring cleaning’ as an opportunity to keep his cuckoo clock in tip-top condition. As he oils gears and tightens nuts on bolts, one of the clockwork gears falls off, rolls away, and drops through a crevice into a basement area.

It seems that Mr. Edgar is at a loss except for the help of a friendly firefly named Fifi, and the three fledglings he adopted who have returned home for the warmer seasons. Astonishingly enough, the basement contains an old-fashioned film projector which Fifi knows how to use but for the need of a gear! Mr. Edgar’s clockwork gear fits nicely into the machine, and a show begins.

But Mr. Edgar wants his gear back in his clock! After several attempts, Mr. Edgar’s new and old friends help him remove the clockwork gear, and reattach it to his beloved cuckoo clock, his home.

Throughout the risks and dangers, Fifi and Mr. Edgar become steadfast friends. It all culminates with delightful, out of doors, home movie with the young Mr. Edgar as the star.

The original music by Louis Gagné is distinctive. The cheery Scottish Highland sound heightens the liveliness of Mr. Edgar activities and actions. The script and text, along with the narration of A.J. Henderson, match the film sequencing well.

The rendering of the animated characters is uneven. That is, Fifi is much more three-dimensional compared to Mr. Edgar and the other birds and animals. But, this does not take away from the storyline. The animation and scenes would be understandable to children as young as four years old, but many will need to have a movie projector explained to them.

Having its world premier at the 20th Carrousel international du film de Rimouski held in Quebec, September 2002, this film, like its predecessor, Cuckoo, Mr. Edgar! (1999) is an outstanding animated film. And, it is listed as one of the American Library Association’s Notable Children's Videos for 2003.

The subject and intellectual content is for young children, pre-kindergarten up to third grade. The storyline cleverly revolves around friendship and problem solving with others. As a “notable” film, it is appropriate for children’s video collections, especially if you enjoyed or own Monsieur Trudeau’s previous film, Cuckoo, Mr. Edgar!; and for college or university collections with computer animation curriculum.

The inside of the video jacket has questions that can be used to start classroom discussions when working with children. It also contains a bibliography that would be useful to college-aged computer animation student.