Bottom Line: Strawberry Shortcake: Berryfest Princess is the second movie with the updated CG animation. The new style is not as authentic as the original Strawberry or her first couple of updates, and the stories and settings feel very contrived, but very young girls are still likely to adore the berry colorful and cute characters and the princess theme.
MPAA Rating: NRGenre: Children's animated
Guide Age Recommendation: 2-6 years
Runtime: Approx. 64 minutes
Strawberry Shortcake: Berryfest Princess - Overview
It's the most exciting time of year in Berry Bitty City -- time for the annual Spring Festival and Berry Big Parade. But, because the Berrykin princess is away, a new princess of the festival must be named. Since Strawberry and all her friends think it would be "berry" fun to be the princess of the festival, an election is held, and Strawberry and the gang learn that it is a candidate's ideas and plans that are important and should be the basis of the voting decision.
As always, once an election is won, the work begins! Strawberry and her friends really have to work together in order to get everything done on time. When problems arise, though, Strawberry learns that it is a leader's job to make the hard decisions and lead the way. Only with everyone's help and support can Berry Bitty City enjoy the best Spring Festival ever!
Strawberry Shortcake: Berryfest Princess - Guide Review
Strawberry Shortcake: Berryfest Princess is a bit better than the last (and first) CG animated SS release, The Strawberry Shortcake Movie: Sky's the Limit, but still does not present a rich viewing experience for kids. The story is okay, though, and it does convey several positive messages to young children.
While the animation is mediocre and lacks depth and texture and the characters are pretty flat, Strawberry and her friends are cute and sweet, and hey, they dress modestly and set good examples, so that is something. Little girls will be excited by the darling Strawberry Shortcake friends and the princessy theme, and the story about the Berry Bitty City Spring Festival is entertaining for kids. So, the DVD is not a complete waste, even though I really think that those who are handling the Strawberry Shortcake franchise have really sold it short.
Strawberry Shortcake: Berryfest Princess - Related Activities
- The DVD features printable coloring pages for kids to get creative and have fun coloring their favorite characters.
- Since the story in Berryfest Princess introduces kids to the concept of voting, continue the theme by giving them a dose of democracy at home. Vote on what to eat for dessert or what game to play. The process of voting, tallying the votes, and deciding on an activity by majority is fun for kids and will help them learn about the voting process.
- The movie also focuses on being a leader. Help kids learn what a good leader does by letting them be the leader over an activity or task. Talk with them about different leadership qualities, communication, and making decisions.
