Sesame Street: Ready for School! (NR, 2007)

SESAME STREET: READY FOR SCHOOL is a sweet musical that helps kids understand what to expect on their first day of school. Every toddler's favorite Muppet, Elmo (voiced by Kevin Clash), talks with his friends up and down Sesame Street about their school experiences, and begins to form a picture of what the future holds for him. His excitement may be enough to help a shy or reluctant toddler overcome his or her own fears about school. Familiar faces include Gabi (Desiree Casado) and Miles (Olamide Faison), all grown up and ready to graduate from high school. As always with Sesame Street there are cameos -- in this case, Shirley Jones plays Mrs. (Mother) Goose, teacher at the Storybook Community School. The video also includes a special feature starring one of Sesame Street's newest residents, Abby Cadabra.

Scenes at the school, with its bevy of storybook characters like Jack and Jill and Peter Piper, include the usual Sesame Street humor that is aimed equally at adults and kids. While Elmo is extremely enthusiastic about starting school, not everyone else is; Baby Bear (David Rudman) worries about what his family is doing without him, and Gabi reminds Miles how shy he was in kindergarten. It's nice that the DVD acknowledges that not everyone will be as happy as Elmo on their first day, in a way that will make such kids feel understood.

Studio: Sesame Workshop
Director: Ken Diego
Cast: Fran Brill, Frank Oz, Kevin Clash
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 45 minutes
Theatrical release: July 18, 2007
DVD release: July 24, 2007
MPAA Rating: NR
MPAA explanation: not rated