Offering three episodes of the lively TV series hosted by Ben Vereen, this 66-minute tape at least tries to adapt to a small child's attention span. The characters are all adults dressed as animals—such as Bill Der Beaver (Sandey Grinn), Talkatoo Cockatoo (Karen Hartman) and Van Go Lion (Forrest Gardner). Their faces are only made up and not covered by masks, so they can expressively act out stories about making mistakes, concern for others and selflessness. While there is little use of animation and other effects, the stories are engaging, with such random additions as stray jugglers and puppies, and messages are soft-pedaled. Vereen affects a Caribbean accent for no apparent reason, but his theatrical presence—which he has by the bushel—gives the program a solid center. (RCA/Columbia, $29.95)
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