A sort of Care Bears for the rough and tumble set, the Adventures of the Gummi Bears is an animated Disney adventure series about a group of cute, brave Gummi Bears who are committed to helping the good and fighting the wicked. In "A New Beginning," most humans assume that the Gummi Bears are mythical creatures dreamed up by past generations, but human page Cavin believes in their existence. When Cavin unwittingly stumbles upon the Gummi Bears' home while trying to escape from the ogres who populate the forest, the Gummi Bear medallion he inherited from his Grandfather unlocks the Great Book of Gummi and the secrets of the Gummis' lost magical powers. The Gummi Bears decide to share their magical gummiberry juice with Cavin and together they successfully repel the ogres. Thus begins an enduring friendship in which Cavin, the Gummi Bears, and, in later episodes, Princess Calla, join forces against evils that include ogres, dragons, wizards, and Duke Ighthorn, a loathsome villain who conspires with the ogres and is constantly scheming to seize Dunwyn Castle and become the new King. Much like the seven dwarves from Snow White, each Gummi Bear has a distinct personality: there's the grumpy Gruffi, ever-hungry Tummi, bubbly Sunni, wise Zummi, crotchety Grammi, and youngest Cubbi Bear. Like many families comprised of opposing personalities, the Gummis' home life is tumultuous and often full of bickering, but the group can always be counted upon to work together to defeat whatever enemy threatens them, their friends, or the castle. Themes explored include teamwork, pride, greed, one-upmanship, prejudice, bossiness, and many more. This three-disc compilation includes the Adventures of the Gummi Bears first three seasons (1985-1987)--that's 47 episodes and 640-minutes of high adventure. (Ages 3 to 9) --Tami Horiuchi