Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun

Audiences expecting a movie version of Peppa Pig will be disappointed to discover that instead of an extended adventure, Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun is simply a collection of 10 episodes. Sandwiched between them are live-action scenes with children who engage with the audience encouraging them to sing along with songs about washing your hands and eating your five (or seven) fruit and vegetables a day. The songs themselves use tunes that will be familiar to most. But the new lyrics may require repeat viewing before younger viewers are able to sing along freely -- there's a subtle joke about this in one of the episodes that's a knowing nod to parents.

Other than the live-action, there's no surprises here. Parents can be assured that younger viewers will learn life skills -- as well as touch upon subjects such as the Romans and wildlife -- in a warm and humorous way. But packaging 10 episodes together under one title feels unnecessary and even a little dishonest. Sticking to the traditional episodic format also gives parents better control at managing how much Peppa kids watch.