Educational Media Reviews Online

Good Riddance! is an animated series of five programs presenting ecologically friendly solutions to pests and pollution problems.

Rats – The Pipes Are Calling is program 1, and shows the main character ridding the town of the rats but ends up having four follow him home (where they remain and become secondary characters through the series). Good animation along with humor makes this film enjoyable while providing a lesson in being more ecologically friendly.

Air Pollution – The Eco Van Comes Clean is program 2, and the star of the series as it provides an ingenious solution to the problem of air pollution. Top notch animation assisted by humor makes this film truly enjoyable. The film starts by taking a negative, cars colliding with trains, and ends by making a positive - an environmentally friendly mode of transportation. The film, as well as the series, provides a nicely balanced approach to the solution of a problem.

Flies: You Want Flies With That? is program 3. The film shows the main character getting rid of the flies only to be replaced by large numbers of spiders, along with lots of webs. The film demonstrates that no solution is perfect but some are better for the environment than others.

Snails : Escargot Cult is program 4 in the Good Riddance! series. It shows the eradication of the snails by calling chefs to come and get them to serve in their restaurants. While a useful solution, it may possibly make younger viewers a bit squeamish.

In Termites: Attack of the Killer Echidna, program 5, the main character gets rid of his termites but his house collapses in the process. The termites are then called to action to erect a replacement structure. Alternatively it does show that pests truly are pests and by not using poisons, the environment benefits.

The short running time of the films along with the animation, makes them best suited for younger audiences who will not over think the solutions being offered. The musical scores are appropriate and spoken word is kept to a minimum and not clearly understandable when used. A criticism of the series is that sometimes the solution becomes another problem.

This series is recommended for school media centers serving grades 3 and higher. Public libraries might use this film when presenting a themed story hour.