Should you let the kids watch? Yes, although the sweet characters and cotton-candy colors are definitely geared for preschoolers. For more info, see "Just For Parents" below.

THE STORY: Based on a Hasbro toy line, the pastel ponies galloped to life in a 1980s TV series. Now they're hitting shelves in made-for-DVD stories like this one, aimed at the preschool crowd.

This DVD is bright, bubbly, giggly, and every other cute adjective you can think of -- which is why girls 5 and younger will love it and why parents will be trying to accidentally "lose" it for a month…or two…

In the feature movie, "The Runaway Rainbow," Minty, Pinky Pie, and the other ponies are busy decorating Ponyville for the Rainbow Celebration. One of the ribbons floats off to a neighboring kingdom, Unicornia, where equally perky unicorns are preparing for their Annual Princess Rainbow Celebration.

A young unicorn named Rarity is getting ready to take on her duties as Rainbow Princess. Under the motherly care of Cheerilee, little Rarity is responsible for making the first rainbow of the season, which must be done after the third shooting star. But she's a bit of a prankster, and accidentally waves her magic wand and ends up in Breezy Blossom, where she encounters tiny ponies (Breezies) who flit around with tiny fairy-wings. 

They all head off to Ponyville, where Rarity eats cake, takes her first ride on roller skates, and explains her rainbow plight to the ponies. If she doesn't get back to Unicornia, there will be no rainbows this year. The ponies have no idea what to do, so they consult with Spike, a little blue dragon who knows everything. Together, they all begin the journey to Unicornia, while at the same time, the unicorns are on their own journey to find Rarity.

This DVD also includes a bonus episode, "Friends Are Never Far Away". When a pony named Sky Wisher meets a winged Pegasus pony named Star Catcher, the new friends talk about getting their respective groups together. But Star Catcher says that Pegasus ponies are extremely shy and like to keep to themselves. 

But the two friends decide to give it a try. Sky Wisher returns to Ponyville and begins making party preparations -- arranging for new songs, dances, and ice cream desserts. Meanwhile, Star Catcher isn't having much luck convincing the Pegasus ponies to attend the party. Will they bravely go through the waterfall to meet new friends?

BONUS FEATURES:
- "Greetings From Unicornia" – animated short
- T.J. Bearytales' "Sharing the Gift of Story" music video
- Two sing-along songs: "I Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Here in Unicornia"
- English and French language tracks
- Previews for "A Very Pony Place" (3 new stories due out Spring 2007: "Two For the Sky," "Come Back, Lily Lightly," and "Positively Pink"); "A Very Minty Christmas"; "This is America, Charlie Brown"; "Holly Hobbie - Surprise Party"; and "Dora the Explorer" ("Dance to the Rescue" and others).

JUST FOR PARENTS:

PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): I can see why little ones are drawn into these sweet stories. Lots of bubbles, giggles, and sweet treats that any preschooler would love. Even more important: The ponies live in an innocent world where everyone looks out for each other. And in this DVD, they come to realize that true friendship needs ALL the colors of the rainbow (thus, the message). With only a few scenes bordering on crude -- one burp and one "You should have gone before you left home" line -- this one's a winner for preschoolers.

GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6 - 10): It took about 5 minutes for my two kids, 9 and 12, to start taunting the ponies a la "Mystery Science Theater 3000". Even little miss sunshine herself, 9-year-old Marissa, was yelling "Make it stop!", and she even has a few ponies buried in her room somewhere. Six and 7-year-olds might go for it, but this DVD really skews younger.

TWEEN / TEEN (ages 11+): I just read that the Surgeon General has issued a warning that watching back-to-back, G-rated movies filled with pink ponies and ice cream sundaes can cause serious long-term damage, including a ringing in your ears of chirpy songs and an inability to distinguish colors unless they fall in the palette of pink ranging from Pepto-Bismol to cotton candy. These warnings don't apply to preschoolers, however, so these DVDs are great to take along on babysitting jobs.