Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this site is truly all things Disney. Although the site is sleek and impressive to look at, there's a lot going on -- and it can be overwhelming for some kids. You'll find movie clips, TV schedules and episodes, games galore, music, events, and travel information, as well as a Disney shopping extravaganza. Advertising is used throughout the site with streaming videos, animated banner ads, and some pop-ups that promote mostly Disney stuff, but some outside advertising can be found as well. The new, beautifully-rendered DXD (Disney Xtreme Digital) section is ever evolving, but contains access to chat rooms, full-length TV episodes, behind-the-scenes movie clips, music videos, and previews of soon-to-be released games. The chat feature is extremely well regulated with preset phrases and questions. Kids can either safely chat with random people or their "True Friends" -- a feature that requires users to trade a code offline to activate. And, parents must enable the chat feature for kids under 13. Kids can also create their own personal page with icons, personal information, and multimedia all chosen from preset lists. To spruce up their pages, kids can "buy" other things with earned points.
Families can talk about which Disney character is their favorite and what traits make them top the list. Play a matching game to see which characters can best be described with some of these suggestions: admirable, funny, brave, sweet, friendly, naughty, graceful, silly.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Dana Cotter
Disney fans are in for a treat; DISNEY.COM is a sleek, crisp Web site with all things Disney. From movies to television to radio to games and more, kids can find their favorite Disney people, places, and things all in one spot.
Clearly organized by type, character, or age group, kids can find their favorites very easily. They may be distracted on the way, however; streaming videos are found mid-screen throughout, highlighting Disney.com offerings, and multiple banner ads rotate for optimum attention grabbing (and diversion).
New at Disney.com is DXD: Disney Xtreme Digital. This section offers access to games, full-length television episodes, behind-the-scenes movie clips, Radio Disney live, full-length Disney songs, and previews of soon-to-be released games. For access to most of the content you must be a registered user. Registration is free, but input of your date of birth, full name, email, zip code, and typical login information (ID and password) is required. You do have to put your parents' email address, but kids can just make one up. The "parent" immediately gets an email saying that their kid has signed up and has the option of revoking the registration or regulating how the minor participates in public forums.
This is the area where community happens: Message boards, real-time chatting (extremely well regulated with preset phrases and questions), and swapping of messages from Disney friends (you have to share your registered code to do this). Parents must enable the chat feature for kids under 13. Kids can also create their own personal page with icons, personal information, and multimedia -all chosen from preset lists. To spruce up there pages, kids can "buy" other things with earned points.
Content on Disney.com is organized by category on the top navigation bar for ease of use. An additional side navigation bar breaks the content down by target audience: Preschool, Boys, Girls, Kids & Teens, Families, and Disney Fans. Lots of the content crosses over target audiences, but each section provides an individual look and focus. For example, the Boys section is an "Action packed adventure we picked just for boys"; Cars, Toy Story, and American Dragon are front and center here. The Girls' section says "It's a girl thing, no boys allowed" and includes Kim Possible, Fairies, and Hannah Montana. The Preschool section is full of appropriate Playhouse Disney content. However, going to PlayhouseDisney.com directly is highly recommended for this age group as exploring this site is kid friendly (e.g. no streaming videos, Web site hopping, or scrolling).
The games on Disney.com are definitely worth mentioning and playing. Whether going on an Orchestra Treasure Hunt with Little Einsteins, completing Black Pearl 101 with the Pirates of the Caribbean, or playing Super Villain Smash Out with Kim Possible, the games are fun -- and a lot are educational.
Kids who enjoy this site might also enjoy Nickelodeon's Nick.com.
Reviewed: 05/03/2007
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ViolenceSome spooky or scary material in the games and video clips, but the violence is mostly cartoon-like. |
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CommercialismStreaming videos, animated banner ads, and pop-ups found; most are Disney related, but there is some outside advertising. Kids have access to the huge "Shop" area of the site. |
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Educational ValueSome games are educational. |
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