Give it two thumps up

Bambi II

Disney DVD

DVD & VHS: $29.99

For the family

www.DisneyDVD.com

How to honor a classic beloved by generations? Just like this. Director Brian Pimental and his team have taken great care with this sequel to 1942’s “Bambi,” matching the lushness and beauty of the original’s forest setting as well as the first film’s emotional lights and darks. Here, Bambi romps with Thumper and Flower, clashes with a new rival, reunites with his mother in a bittersweet dream, strives to get close to his father (the Great Prince) and encounters scary hunting dogs. And, yes, as in the first film, some scenes may be too intense for young children. The same care was taken with the voice cast: Alexander Gould, who was “Finding Nemo’s” title character, is a nuanced Bambi; Patrick Stewart’s Great Prince is a deft mix of majesty and fatherly warmth; and Brendon Baerg, an uncanny find, out-and-out channels adorable Thumper. Released Tuesday.

*

Rockin’ With Roseanne:

Calling All Kids

Anchor Bay Entertainment

DVD: $14.98; Ages 3 to 8

www.anchorbayentertainment.com

Roseanne singing for kids? Light-years away from her raucous rendition of the national anthem at a 1990 baseball game, this is Roseanne the caring mom and youthful grandma -- mellow, good-natured and earnestly child-appropriate. Barr performs catchy, mostly original songs with kids and puppets in playful musical vignettes interspersed with animation. The comedian’s lip-syncing is a bit out of sync, but with a deft creative team that includes songwriters John Argent and Mike Himmelstein, and tuneful songs like “Let the Kids Boogie,” “No Monsters Allowed” and “Peanut Butter and Jelly Fish,” this well-produced DVD offers genuine entertainment. Released Tuesday.

*

The Best of ‘The Electric Company’

Shout! Factory

Four-disc set DVD: $49.98

Ages 6 to nostalgic adults

www.shoutfactory.com

“Hey, you guuuuys!” That was Rita Moreno’s signature yell on one of the most creative children’s shows ever. Produced during the 1970s -- the clothes, the hair, the psychedelic colors and patterns -- this public TV show from the Children’s Television Workshop offered lessons in basic reading, grammar and phonics and tickled funny-bones while doing so. Besides Moreno, who hosts this terrific collection, the show’s eye-popping pool of sketch comedy and Broadway-style talent included Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby and a very young Irene Cara, while Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Joan Rivers and Zero Mostel voiced animated bits. Remember Arthur J. Krank, Easy Reader and “Love of Chair”? Not to be missed. Released Tuesday.

*

Al Simmons, I Collect Rocks

Nicely Done Entertainment Ltd.

DVD: $20; Ages 5 and up

www.alsimmons.com

Canadian funnyman and children’s singer-songwriter Al Simmons combines education with off-the-wall humor and a New Vaudevillian sense of the absurd. In this live-action collection of outdoor vignettes, puns abound. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (both Simmons), looking for a missing tree surgeon: “He was a poplar fellow, getting all spruced up. Why would he leaf?”

The puns can wear, but amid the silliness viewers learn some facts about rocks and trees; the main extra is a fascinating look at how Simmons’ offbeat creativity works when he re-imagines a bicycle as a horse.

*

Tom Chapin, Some

Assembly Required

Razor & Tie

CD: 13.98; Ages 3 to 12

www.musicspace.com

www.tomchapin.com

Tom Chapin -- contemporary folk artist, stage performer, musical director, TV host, film actor and Grammy Award winner for kids’ spoken word albums -- has made a host of outstanding children’s albums, but with this fresh, inventive collection he’s topped himself. These story songs (about lost shoes, a compost heap, quiet time, joining the circus, a new puppy), written with collaborators Jon Cobert, Michael Mark and John Forster, capture a growing child’s world through the eyes of youngsters and parents, with irresistible bounce, imagination and heart.

The quality of both vocals and instrumentals enhances the exceptional mix; so do tuneful kids and guest artists Vanessa Williams, Laurie Berkner and Dan Zanes.

*

-- Lynne Heffley