Saturday Morning Nostalgia: Horseland: The Complete Series DVD Review

TV-Y7; 13 hours 37 minutes; Buy Link

When many of us think of Saturday Morning Cartoons, we remember The Real Ghostbusters, Garfield & Friends, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which are more or less aimed towards boys. Believe it or not, there were several cartoons for girls in the 1980s, such as My Little Pony, Maxie's World, Beverly Hills Teens, Rainbow Bright, She-Ra, and The Care Bears.

Recently, Mill Creek Entertainment re-released Horseland: The Complete Series to DVD with a brand-new cover art. As an added bonus, the set comes with a digital code that can be redeemed at www.millcreekent.com/redeem.

While some of you have probably heard of the series, I wasn't aware of it until I received a review copy. For some reason, I thought the series was from the 1990s, but after a quick internet search, I learned I was completely wrong. The series actually aired from 2006 to 2008 as part of the KOL Secret Slumber Party on CBS. It lasted for three seasons with 39 total episodes. As you probably guess, the cartoon was made for girls who love horses and ponies.

The series centers on a group of kids (Sarah, Zoey, Chloe, Alma, Molly, Bailey, and Will) and their horses (Scarlet, Pepper, Chili, Button, Calypso, Aztec, and Jimber) at an incredible place called Horseland. The kids come to the ranch to practice their horse riding skills, compete with others, and learn from each other. Each episode finds the kids and their horses going on adventures or getting into some sort of trouble that requires them to use teamwork to get through it.

Final Thoughts

I don't mine watching animated programs that are aimed towards a female audience, especially the ones from the 1980s, but I have mixed feelings after watching a handful of Horseland episodes. While the plots does have some action, I found myself bored watching them. The characters are one-dimensional and the voices are really annoying. The voices for the horses and all the other animal are just plain annoying. If you are wondering if the human and animal characters can communicate, well, they don't. Yes, the animals can talk, but only to each other. The humans can't hear what they are saying. As for the animation style, it's alright; though it's not the greatest, but good enough for a short-lived cartoon series.

Why am I giving the DVD release 3 out of 5?

While I didn't care too much for the series, I do think the DVD set deserves 'three coffee mugs" (that's how I rate things on here). The episodes have good moral lessons for kids. If your a horse lover, then you'll probably enjoy watching Horseland: The Complete Series.