Highly Acclaimed Animated Video Series Releases New Episode
by Jenni Parker
October 19, 2005
(AgapePress) - The second video in the new Paws & Tales animated series for children, a production of Chuck Swindoll's Insight for Living radio ministry and Providential Pictures, is now available. "A Closer Look," like the preceding episode "Seeing the Unseen," uses an engaging cast of characters, brought to life with high-quality 3-D animation, to tell a story that will entertain children and teach them biblical principles at the same time.Read Jenni Parker's review of 'Seeing the Unseen'
"A Closer Look" follows the adventures of the bright-eyed bear cub Staci, who is discouraged at the beginning of the story because she feels she is not as smart or as talented as some of her friends at school. Despite the attempts of her soft-spoken teacher to encourage her, Staci downplays her own worth and wallows in a sense of inadequacy.
Then, Staci receives an unexpected and mysterious gift that sends her and her friends on an exciting quest to seek out and decipher one riddle-like clue after another, in hopes of discovering the identity of the unknown gift-giver. Staci's imaginative friend, Gooz, revisions the whole adventure as an old-fashioned detective story, starring herself as the super-sleuth and companions C.J. and Ned as supporting characters and, sometimes, prime suspects.
Ultimately it is Staci herself who unravels the mystery, along the way coming to realize her own unique, God-given talents, gifts, and special characteristics, as well as how valuable these attributes are to her friends and her community. The story, along with an original song that underscores the insights encountered throughout the Paws & Tales gang's adventure, makes "A Closer Look" a delightfully memorable lesson in appreciating how God wisely blesses people with various gifts that make each person uniquely valuable.
A Brand New Tale, the Same High Standard
The first installment of the Paws & Tales animated video series, "Seeing the Unseen," won the Best Children's Film award at this year's International Christian Visual Media Association (ICVM) Crown Awards. And now, several Christian and family entertainment reviewers are already greeting the second Paws & Tales video with comparable praise.
"This is a marvelous movie that will have the whole family entertained," says Donna Rolfe of the Dove Foundation, a nonprofit organization that exists to encourage the creation, production, and distribution of family entertainment. She finds the message of "A Closer Look," particularly inspiring and says, "Sometimes it takes someone else to help us find our God-given abilities."
In her review of the 30-minute children's video, Rolfe describes it as "a story about celebrating our God-given abilities and the encouragement to use them to serve one another." She urges parents to "sit down with your children and watch this delightful series," which is listed among the Dove Foundation's "Family Approved" video and DVD releases.
Nationally syndicated columnist and radio host Michael Medved also highly praises the series, saying Christian families will appreciate Paws & Tales' "inventive and entertaining style" of presenting biblical messages. "Christian families will feel grateful for this lively and warm-hearted alternative to the often dubious programming for children from so-called mainstream media."
Paws & Tales The Animated Series is an adaptation of Insight for Living's popular and highly successful Paws & Tales radio show, which airs on more than 450 outlets throughout the United States. All the scripts for the radio drama and the animated videos receive a seal of approval from Chuck Swindoll's Insight for Living, and "A Closer Look," which has been designated appropriate for children age 3 to 8 and recommended to the whole family, is certainly no exception.
Both "A Closer Look" and "Seeing the Unseen" are available in DVD and VHS video formats and have a half-hour run time. Young fans of the radio and video series will also enjoy the Paws & Tales website (www.pawsandtales3d.com), which features games and other fun and educational resources. And parents and educators visiting the Internet site can access Q&A sections discussing each episode's biblical lessons.
Additionally, a Paws & Tales audio series will be available in Christian bookstores nationwide, distributed by Tommy Nelson, the kids' division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Each audio CD will feature eight 30-minute episodes on four disks.
