Danny and the Dinosaur and Other Stories

Talk about lucky! While Danny is visiting a museum, one of the dinosaurs comes to life. It’s a big one, too — big enough to give Danny a ride on its back. They visit a zoo, eat ice cream, and play hide- and-seek. Music reminiscent of an old-fashioned carnival provides the background for the simple but appealing color animation in the first of four stories on Danny and the Dinosaur and Other Stories.

The other tales also center on animals — always a popular topic among young children. In the whimsical The Camel Who Took a Walk, one of two iconographic adventures (filmed from illustrations) in the collection, the humpbacked hero is stalked by a tiger intent on devouring him. The Happy Lion and The Island of the Skog have a similar element of suspense. The curious and friendly lion, on the loose because of a forgetful keeper, frightens townspeople; the Skog, a fictitious creature, scares a band of mice that had been intimidated by bigger animals. This isn’t the stuff nightmares are made of, however: In each case, the resolution is peaceful. Adapted from well-written books, all of these fantasies should have an equally long shelf life in video form. A