The Little Rascals Save the Day Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Little Rascals Save the Day Blu-ray Movie Review

"Don't forget the sugar! More, more... just a little more!"

Lest the cynical among you mistake The Little Rascals Save the Day for a cash-in seventy years too late to, well, cash in, a quick franchise history lesson is in order. While the original Our Gang silent and talkie comedy shorts sprung up in the roaring '20s, Depression-era '30s and pre-and-mid-WWII '40s, the Little Rascals didn't suddenly go silently into the night, biding their time until a 2014 resurrection was at hand. There was the 1950s television syndication of the theatrical shorts, further syndication throughout the '60s and '70s, the 1979 televised Christmas special, a Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera cartoon series in the 1980s, director Penelope Spheeris' 1994 feature film, and countless failed television pilots over the decades. Alfalfa and the gang haven't exactly been hiding, though, despite the fact that their latest dormancy -- twenty years, from 1994-2014 -- almost let the big-hearted troublemakers slip from the cultural consciousness. But here they are again, with new young faces but a familiar attitude in a decidedly decent direct-to-video adventure aimed squarely at your kids.

And if my little third-grader's big ol' grin and endless laughs are any indication, the Little Rascals might just have a place in the 21st century. Parents won't mistake the movie for anything worth watching more than once (if that), children will be delighted by the misfits and outcasts The Little Rascals Save the Day so lovingly introduces to a whole new generation. Just brace yourself for the young performers. There's some truly atrocious deliveries here, and a variety of flat dialogue, jokes and pop culture references. But kids won't mind -- or notice -- and the film is harmless enough to leave unattended. So pop it in, get your sons and daughters comfortable, and go tend to some household chores on your to-do list. They'll laugh like maniacs, you'll get something done and you'll have plenty to talk about once the credits roll.

The Little Rascals Save the Day Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation is actually quite impressive, barring that patented direct-to-video digital sheen with which most of you considering this release will be all too familiar. Colors are intentionally yellowed and primaries purposefully de-saturated, all designed to evoke a golden age of early cinema long forgotten (or rather long-since romanticized). Golden hues, browns and pale blues fare very well, skintones are lovely, black levels are satisfying, and contrast is strong and consistent throughout. Detail is excellent too, with clean, refined edges and naturally resolved textures. There's a touch of softness, but only of the diffuse, optical variety. Better still, artifacting, noise and banding don't pop up and cause any trouble, and what brief distractions there are don't amount to anything more than source-born blips on the radar. The Little Rascals Save the Day may look distinctly direct-to-video, but its high definition encode is as proficient and problem-free as anyone could ask for.

The Little Rascals Save the Day Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Little Rascals Save the Day features a playful DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Dialogue is clean and clear, smashes and crashes pack passable LFE punch, and the movie's score and rock and pop songs fill the soundfield without any pesky prioritization mishaps. The rear speakers have plenty of activity to offer as well, with clattering toys, erupting cakes, out of control taxi-buses, rowdy tree houses, noisy chases and out-of-tune grade-school bands dispensing plenty of effective directional effects and indulging in some soundfield impishness. Dynamics are merely serviceable -- the experience lacks real oomph -- but so goes the film's DTV sound design. No matter, though. Kids will have a blast and young audiophiles will be pleased with the fitting rambunctiousness of it all.

The Little Rascals Save the Day Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scenes (HD, 9 minutes): Eight deleted scenes are included, among them "Alfalfa Meets Alfalfa," "Butch in the Park," "Tee Off," "Meet the Parrot," "Stymie vs. Parrot," "Big Ray & Grandma," "Before the Show" and "Butch & The Trombone."
• Gag Reel (HD, 2 minutes): Kids being kids. An outtake reel starring kids, made for kids and sure to be laughed at... by kids! So stop being cynical. There's no shame in serving up an extra for the target audience.
• Animatics (HD, 4 minutes): On the opposite end of the spectrum comes two storyboard animatics -- "Dragging Officer Kennedy" and "The Golf Shot" -- which precisely no one will care about.

The Little Rascals Save the Day Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Little Rascals Save the Day will be easily overlooked, but those who pick it up for their kids will hear a home theater filled with laughter. Issuing a word of warning is probably in order -- Okay guys, don't try anything you're about to see in our kitchen. Or anywhere for that matter! -- but most children are savvy enough to know that already. It isn't the greatest film, mind you. Parents won't be nearly as enamored with the misadventures of Alfalfa and the gang as their sons and daughters. Still, there's enough here to enjoy to at least recommend adding the Blu-ray to your shopping cart. Add to that the Blu-ray edition's solid AV presentation and you have a kids' flick worth the risk... if, that is, your children are young enough (let's say kindergarten through fourth grade) to find the pint-sized hijinks funny. Older kids will declare it beneath them and come away unimpressed.