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Ever since I was a kid, waking up early on Saturday mornings to catch my favorite cartoons, I’ve been a big fan of all things animated. For years, I had to indulge my love of animation quietly and in small doses, sticking to Disney movies and occasional episodes of Phineas and Ferb. But now that I’m the mom of a little girl, I have a perfectly good excuse to sample all kinds of cartoons—like Littlest Pet Shop, a fluffy series filled with four-legged friends.
The DVD release, Littlest Pet Shop: Little Pets, Big Adventures, opens with the show’s two-part premiere, which gives some background on the series and the characters. When her pilot father gets a promotion, Blythe Baxter (voiced by Ashleigh Ball) is forced to move from a quaint small town to Downtown City. While exploring her new surroundings, Blythe visits The Littlest Pet Shop, where the neighborhood animals gather each day for day camp. She soon learns that she has a gift: not only can the animals understand her, but she can understand them, too.
The show’s first episode introduces the cast of characters—from fashion-minded Blythe and batty store owner Mrs. Twombly (Kathleen Barr) to the villainous mean-girl Biskit twins, Brittany and Whitney, whose father owns The Largest Ever Pet Shop. All of the animals also get introduced in one oh-so-convenient musical number.
Then, after the introductions are made, the adventures begin. After Blythe saves the store from closing in the first episode, Mrs. Twombly offers her a job—and she soon finds herself getting into all kinds of jams with the lovable pets.
Littlest Pet Shop reminds me of the kind of cartoons that I watched as a kid. The animation is simple and colorful (with the modern addition of those big, anime-style eyes), and the characters have plenty of personality (for better or for worse). Blythe is the typical everygirl heroine. Though she sometimes speaks in annoying acronyms, she also stays true to her friends and to her own personal style while battling big, heartless companies and obnoxious mean girls like the Biskit twins. Even the animals have their own personalities—from excitable monkey Minka to suave and stylish pup Zoe. And while they often feel a little bit clichéd, young viewers will like them anyway.
Meanwhile, while many of today’s cartoons (like My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic) make a point of including a valuable lesson in each episode, Littlest Pet Shop is mostly just silly cartoon fun. From time to time, the characters may learn a lesson or two (like in “Penny for Your Laughs,” when they all learn about the importance of friendship), but most of the episodes are simply fun little adventures. Instead of spending each episode learning about friendship and kindness, the characters are free to plan heists and fantasize about stardom. Sure, it’s sometimes a little shallow, but it’s also good clean fun.
Littlest Pet Shop isn’t as sweet as My Little Pony--nor is it as smart as Phineas and Ferb (though it does have its share of clever surprises)—but it’s a cute cartoon for kids. It isn’t the kind of all-ages animation that grown-ups will want to add to their collections, but little girls will enjoy joining these four-legged friends on their silly adventures.
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