Charlie & Lola: Vol. 1 & 2 (DVD, 2006)

One of the things I've noticed about modern cartoons as opposed to the ones I watched in the 70's is their obsession with realism and manners, behaviour, etc. If they do have a fantasy element, it's violent, schizophrenic strobing animation that no one in their right mind would let a 2 year-old watch.

Enter Charlie and Lola. Steeped in realism with just a touch of fantasy (books that come to life in the siblings' imagination, etc.), Charlie and Lola are sure to charm even the most skeptical of parents. These are the videos for the "hip" Moms and Dads, reminiscing about the good-ole toons they used to watch. Replete with fabulous, modern, patterned/cut-out doll animation, Charlie and Lola have charming British accents that I initially thought would drive me crazy after an episode or two-- but they're actually believable sounding kids. It's the sole cartoon I have ever watched where the voice actors don't sound affected at all. Perhaps it's because the producers leave the bloopers in..."Shun-shine, shun-shine!"

Overall, I would highly recommend this DVD for preschoolers and up. It has just enough morality lessons that I would expect, or better yet WANT my child to learn from a round, inanimate disk.