The Baby Einstein brand has come to be a favorite of families for several reasons. It resonates with young kids, from almost birth to well into the tween years. It serves a need for youth television that engages kids without pandering commercials, or inappropriate content. It also creates a sense of wonder through educational content, probably the rarest quality of all when we look across the rest of the youth television and entertainment market. Baby Einstein's World Animal Adventure features many staples of the previous entries in this long-running series. Unique toys, tied to the animal theme, appear in motion and are featured in a separate bonus feature that serves as a virtual toybox. Babies playing with these toys and interacting with puppets provide a reference point for the young child watching World Animal Adventure, and the puppets have been a constant across almost all the Baby Einstein productions. The final thing that carries over and provides great continuity for kids that have already been introduced to a previous show is the music. Showcasing their own Music Box Orchestra, the creative minds behind Baby Einstein's World Animal Adventure create a musical landscape that can make even tired Classical standbys feel fresh and fun.

The additional thread that defines the theme for this DVD is the focus on animals of the world. Each continent is featured briefly, providing opportunity to also showcase the unique or most representative animals from that place. Of course, with Australia we expect to see kangaroos and koalas, but less obvious choices there like the crocodile are also featured. Each time an animal appears, its name is spoken while being shown on the screen. This means that early readers can get value and interaction from World Animal Adventure while the toddlers can just goggle at the interesting creatures and well shot video. The child in between these two can work with parents by watching a second mode that includes more words to practice with a parent, or just grab short snippets of 5 or 10 minutes when time is tight. There's a good song at the end of the main feature that will have kids up and dancing, which you can also find as a special feature on the DVD. Everything about this series is well thought out and molded by years of feedback from parents and children. The earliest entry in the series was little more than a home video showing toys, kids, and puppets. The evolution of Baby Einstein as a brand now gives kids and parents lots of fun ways to interact, and parents can feel good about the educational value that remains an anchor for each new show. You might wince at the price:duration ratio after seeing there is only 35 minutes of video here, but think of Baby Einstein's World Animal Adventure more like an interactive toy that you'll play with again and again and again.