publication date: Nov 19, 2007
|
author/source: Alex Bell
For anyone who has never heard of
Roary, he is a young red single-seater racing car who lives at a fictional racetrack,
Silver Hatch (an amalgamation of Silverstone and Brands Hatch).
Roary has an
international collection of racing car
friends - Maxi, Cici, Tin Top and Drifter - who together race around Silver Hatch for the benefit of
Mr Carburretor, the mustachioed-owner of the
race track. Carburretor
sings opera, cheers for the cars and cries, "
Mamma Mia!"
Roary's karaoke-loving mechanic
Big Chris does a mean Elvis
impersonation and has a voice-over supplied by
Peter Kay bringing a touch of humour for any
parents watching. The rather dry
narration is supplied by racing legend
Sir Stirling Moss, another good “
parent touch”.
This is the
first Roary DVD and features
episodes first viewed when it launched on
Milkshake (Channel Five children's breakfast TV show) earlier this year. Each of the
five episodes is about
eight minutes long.
In my
opinion, Roary the Racing Car has been
written for boys more than for girls. Silver Hatch has one
female car,
Cici, who is bright pink and has a French accent; one of Roary's
best friends and her catch phrase is
“Race You!”
Toby seems to like
scenes featuring
both these cars best. This DVD was relatively
popular in our house but came
strictly second when reviewed alongside
Thomas the Tank Engine.
The
animation and characters in Roary are similar to
Bob the Builder (same creators) and in a
straw poll of friends with three year olds
Roary is most
popular with Toby's friends who are big
Bob fans.
I can't
complete the review without making
obvious comparisons between Roary and Pixar's
Cars, both feature cars with
no drivers who have their own strong
personalities. I am sure the
launch of this DVD will come as a
relief to the Roary
fans out there but in our house
Sodor still rules!
Episodes and extras
Roary's First Day: Roary is nervous before a big race the next day. Big Chris tells him the story about the day the brave little red racing car arrived at Silver Hatch Racetrack.
Big Chris Flags It Up: Marsha is feeling ill and gets sent home. Disaster strikes when Big Chris takes over her job and mistakes the flags for oily rags. Will they find something else to use instead?
Flash Flips Out: Flash is fed up with the constant engine noises and decides to take matters into his own hands. Will Big Chris and Marsha realise what is happening before someone gets hurt?
Rusty Remembers: Rusty is feeling neglected and unloved. He remembers how life used to be when he was a young caravan. Roary and the others show Rusty how much they care and respect him.
Blue Light Job: Drifter's neon light isn't working and Big Chris is determined he can fix it without the use of a manual. The others aren't so sure, but where could Drifter's manual be?
Special features are relatively limited but include a “
Meet the Characters” section where young viewers have the chance to learn about the characters and test their knowledge.
Roary's First Day comes from
Chapman Entertainment, to order a copy from
Amazon, click the link below:
Roary The Racing Car: Roary's First Day
