The 10 Commandments 2005
Distributed by Janson Media, 88 Semmons Road, Harrington Park, NJ 07640; 201-784-8488
Produced by Pauline Communications Network
Directed by Micol Rossi
DVD, color, 75 min.
K-6
Religious Studies, Children's
Date Entered: 09/23/2005
Reviewed by Mary Northrup, Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods, Kansas City, MissouriThe Ten Commandments and how they apply to everyday life for children are the focus of this animated offering. The main characters, a group of multicultural children, learn about the commandments from a monk who instructs them in God's teachings and how they relate to life situations. Young children may enjoy the music and colorful animation, but older children and adults may be thrown off by the fact that while the setting is Italy, almost all the children have British accents and use British terminology.
Each segment for an individual commandment begins with the same introduction, so this would best be viewed one commandment at a time, rather than all in one sitting. In addition, the 75-minute running time would be too long for the intended-age audience to sit through. The situations for each commandment are believable and contemporary; for example, for the first commandment (Do not have another God before me), a young boy is addicted to PlayStation, and for the fourth commandment (Honor your father and mother), a girl disobeys her parents when they know what is best for her. It should also be noted that the Catholic version of the commandments is used. References to the Mass, a convent, and the monks would probably make it more popular with Catholic children.
The children in the program look as if they are 8 or 9 years old, so this would appeal to children ages 4 through 9. Each segment is short enough to hold kids' interest. The action in the scenes, cute and colorful animals, and the familiar characters as one progresses through the commandments will also appeal to children.
The sound and color are good. Adults or older children watching may notice that some animated scenes repeat and that the one character who has an American accent sounds very much like girl characters from Japanese anime.
This DVD would probably fit in best in a Catholic elementary school or for purchase by Catholic parents for their young children. That is not to say that Protestant children would not enjoy this, but because the Catholic version of the Ten Commandments is presented, it seems more appropriate for that audience.