The pre-teen marketing machine has been working overtime. What better way to advertise a line of toys than with a cartoon? That’s the case with Bratz, the dolls that one kid on Amazon.com referred to as, “the new Barbie”. As the sales and popularity of these dolls grew, we should have known that it would only be a matter of time before the inevitable cartoon hit the shelves.

This hour long movie is obviously aimed squarely at the pocketbooks of young girls. The film revolves around four glamorous hig… school girls and their preparations for the prom, which, in a cruel twist of fate, are tragically interrupted by a school project. The girls are a picture of affirmative action in action, as there is an African American girl, and Asian girl, a Hispanic girl, and a Caucasian. Every major race is represented here, for a world-friendly presentation. The truth is, however, that these girls are essentially little Carrie Bradshaws in training, complete with lunch at the cafeteria and arrogant attitudes toward their own beauty. These are the girls that are more interested in Cosmo than Chemistry. For all of the girl power this film seems to present, the message is clear that the coolest girls are interested in fashion and the prom instead of getting and education and making something of their lives.

Audio

I was shocked at how full and big the audio is on this disc. This track packs a serious punch, and it is very clean and clear. The score sounds superb, and there is actually quite a bit of decent low end. Cartoons really shouldn’t sound this good. I will admit, however, that there is some distortion in the dialog. It’s not anything major, but it is there from time to time.

I was also pleased by the caliber of the voice talent on the film. Often times, the actors on a cartoon feel a bit wooden, as they try to make their voices fit into what has already been produced on screen. This film, however, feels like the audio was recorded first, and the characters were drawn around it. The result is a much more realistic and free audio presentation than most cartoon films. Good job!

Video

This is a pretty decent video transfer as well. It is presented in a full screen format, but I see no problem with that. This is a children’s cartoon, after all. There is an interesting style of layered animation used on the movie, with backgrounds that are much more detailed than the foregrounds. In fact, some shots almost appear to have photo backdrops, though this is not the case. So the film looks good. It’s just a shame that the script is so horrible.

Besides these points, there are lots of nice colors that do a good job of playing within the lines. The transfer itself is also clean and blemish-free. I will say, however, that the picture is not quite as sharp as I would like for it to be. It’s definitely clean, but it’s not sharp.

Special Features

At first glance, it appears that this disc has gone above and beyond the expected with the extras. Upon further examination, however, we can see that there is very little substance included here. The action kicks off with a deleted scene which much have been cut very close to air, because it has been fully produced, complete with sound effects and a score. Next up is a brief set of bloopers that are not even remotely funny. The karaoke segment is definitely the best extra of the disc, as it provides a full karaoke setup for no less than six songs, complete with the option to turn the vocal track on or off, and the ever-popular bouncing ball.

The extras continue with the Bratz Love Horoscope, which is a segment that will read a horoscope for each sign of the zodiac. Bratz Fashion Mall is an interactive dress-up program, which allows viewers to dress their favorite Bratz character in a number of different outfits. The Bratz Trivia Game is just as it sounds, and features multiple choice questions from the film. Finally, there is a music video from a generic band that features scenes from the film, and a TV spot, which is really just a commercial for the toys.

Final Thoughts

I am sure that this is a “must have” title for the Brittany set. For those that can see through the marketing, however, this is a truly bad movie. It has virtually no redeeming value, and the jokes are real groaners for anyone over the age of 11. Think of it as the film Clueless, without the all-important element of satire. Or even better, don’t think of it at all.

Special Features List

• Deleted Scene
• Bloopers
• Karaoke
• Bratz Love Horoscope
• Bratz Fashion Mall
• Bratz Trivia Game
• Music Video
• TV Spot