PRESS RELEASE Click here to download a PDF version of this information.
'Preschool Educational DVD Series
"Dwizzle Dee™ - Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination!"
Honored with Endorsements from The Dove Foundation and KIDS FIRST!
DVD Rolls Out Nationally May 25 From Cinema Werx LLC
SYRACUSE, UTAH -- March 24, 2010 - Dwizzle Dee™ - Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination!, the first title in a new educational DVD series created to entertain and educate preschool children, has been approved and endorsed by two prestigious nationally recognized parenting organizations-- The Dove Foundation and KIDS FIRST!
Distributed by Cinema Werx, an entertainment and digital media company, Dwizzle Dee™ - Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination! is the company's first foray into children's home entertainment. The DVD has a pre-release exclusive with Amazon.com and FilmBaby.com and rolls out nationally May 25, 2010 at an SRP of $14.95.
The Dove Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage and promote the creation, production, distribution and consumption of wholesome family entertainment. The Dove Seal means the Foundation believes that the content expressed makes for the kind of entertainment family members can enjoy together with confidence.
KIDS FIRST! - Coalition For Quality Children's Media, is a voluntary collaboration consisting of more than 100,000 members whose mandate is to teach children critical viewing skills and to increase the visibility and availability of quality children's media. The endorsement recognizes Dwizzle Dee™ as a DVD the organization would recommend to parents and children.
The DVD series teaches fundamentals such as colors, sizes and shapes with the help of its unique characters - Lenny, Penny, and Gifford, and their teacher, Ms. Ashley. Featuring colorful and lovable live-action puppet characters together with animation, the series encourages children to participate in all of the fun and stimulating adventures in Ms. Ashley's classroom. Utilizing repetition, imagination, songs and fun problem solving, each episode of Dwizzle Dee helps reinforce principles embraced by The Dove Foundation and KIDS FIRST!
Cinema Werx co-creator/producer/director, Ryan Poore said, "I loved this type of entertainment when I was young and I wanted to create something more interesting with my producing partner, Scott Anderson. The children that watch Dwizzle Dee™ are enthralled with the show right from the start. They love the fun characters, bright colors and great songs."
The behind-the-scenes saga behind creators/producers/directors Ryan Poore and Scott Anderson's five-year effort to produce and release Dwizzle Dee™ is their story about inspiration and strong convictions to create something unique. Production on the DVD began December 2004 and was completed November 2009. Both Poore and Anderson had full-time jobs so production on Dwizzle Dee™ was done in their spare time. In addition, the two producers were separated geographically and production took place in seven different cities in three states: Clearfield, Kaysville, Layton and Syracuse (Utah); San Diego and Camarillo (California) and Boise (Idaho). The production became a family affair. Scott Anderson is the voice of Gifford and his mother is the voice of Ms. Ashley. Their children also got involved and lent their voices as the background children.
BONUS FEATURES
Sing-A-Long Songs
Printable Coloring Page, Line Search and Connect the Dots artwork available as PDF downloadable files
"El Gato" an animated video short of Frankie Corrigan's children's book, "El Gato!" Featuring colorful animation, the short teaches children how to sound out the Spanish words as well as learn its meaning. It's a fun way for children to learn Spanish!
About Cinema Werx LLC
Cinema Werx LLC is a diversified entertainment and digital media company that produces films, special interest corporate videos, commercials, motion graphics and DVD production. Based in Syracuse, Utah, the company was founded in 2001 by Ryan Poore and Scott Anderson, film and video producers whose work has appeared in print media, radio and television outlets such as The Discovery Channel, History Channel and The Travel Channel, among others.
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Dwizzle Dee™ - Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination!
Street Date: May 25, 2010
SRP: $14.95
Genre: Education/Preschool
Run Time: 30 minutes
Audience: Preschool (2-5 years old)
Format: DVD/Single/Color
Distributor: Cinema Werx LLC
Producer: Cinema Werx LLC
COMPANY FACT SHEET Click here to download a PDF version of this information.
OVERVIEW
Cinema Werx LLC is the company that produces Dwizzle Dee™, an award-winning DVD video series geared to entertain and educate preschool aged children. The series teaches fundamentals like colors, sizes, shapes with the help of it's unique characters, Lenny, Penny, Gifford & Ms. Ashley. The use of repetition, imagination, songs and fun problem solving help reinforce these fundamentals.
Dwizzle Dee™ has been approved by The Dove Foundation for family viewing.
Dwizzle Dee™ has been officially endorsed by Kids First, Coalition For Quality Children's Media.
Cinema Werx LLC was formed in 2001 and is located 30 miles north of Salt Lake City in Syracuse, Utah. Their work has been featured on Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel, the History Channel and more.
FOUNDERS
Ryan Poore - Since his youth, he has been fascinated with the entertainment industry. He received his first video camera when he was in 6th grade and has not looked back since. While in high school he produced shorts and animated films which led him to work for bestselling author Richard Paul Evans at his clay animation studio in Salt Lake City, UT. After graduating high school he moved into the film industry and worked on several productions including the Feature Films for Families movies "Split infinity" and "The ButterCream Gang in Secret of Treasure Mountain". Since that time he has worked in the newspaper, television and radio industries. He contributes to production and direction of the Dwizzle Dee™ series. Ryan and his family currently live in Syracuse, UT.
Scott Anderson - As a young child Scott became interested in the art of filmmaking. At the age of 10 he started to experiment with photography and soon writing short movies. After high school Scott attended the broadcast communications department and Weber State University. Prior to completing his work at Weber State, Scott received a scholarship to the University of Utah's Film School where he graduated with a BFA in Film Studies. Since then he has worked on numerous film and TV shows. He has also worked with the Utah Jazz basketball team as a video producer. Scott contributes to the production and direction of the Dwizzle Dee series. He currently resides in Boise, ID.
Momtv.com review
Dwizzle Dee review on momtv.com with Kerri Pomarolli (Mom Comedian/Actor and MomTV LIVE Show Host) Click Here to watch the review now.
97.1 ZHT interview
Ryan from Cinema Werx was on 97.1 ZHT with the Morning Zoo talking about Dwizzle Dee. Listen here
Dwizzle Dee Reviews
KUTV Channel 2 News (Salt Lake City, UT)
"Family matters" story about Dwizzle Dee.
Lolidots
Reviewed by Robin
My daughter has only recently really started engaging with the educational shows she watches. Even still, she's hesitant at first and will usually only respond to the prompts after watching a show several times. The first time she saw Dwizzle Dee, she was laughing and talking with the characters without hesitation.
Dwizzle Dee™ – Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination!, the first title in a new educational DVD series created to entertain and educate preschool children, has been approved and endorsed by two prestigious nationally recognized parenting organizations-- The Dove Foundation and KIDS FIRST! Coalition For Quality Children's Media. The DVD series teaches fundamentals such as colors, sizes and shapes with the help of its unique characters – Lenny, Penny, and Gifford, and their teacher, Ms. Ashley. Featuring colorful and lovable live-action puppet characters together with animation, the series encourages children to participate in all of the fun and stimulating adventures in Ms. Ashley’s classroom.
As a parent, I always want my children to be learning. If they can be happily entertained while learning it is always a plus and makes for a happy day in our household. I also firmly believe that my children learn more when they don't realize they are learning. The joy of what they are watching and the fun they have makes them oblivious to the fact that they are learning something beneficial. Plus, the way my kids like to watch things repeatedly, it sure is nice if the repeated watching is something educational!
I definitely recommend the Dwizzle Dee video for all young children. I'll also say that it's refreshing, in our world of crazy graphics and over the top special effects, to see my kids engaged and loving something that's a little simpler. Parents can enjoy the educational value and the laughter that accompanies this DVD.
I think the perfect educational tool is having fun while learning! This is just what you will find with Dwizzle Dee™ - Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination!, the first title in a new educational DVD series created to entertain and educate preschool children. The award winning film has been approved and endorsed by two prestigious and nationally recognized parenting organizations-- The Dove Foundation and KIDS FIRST!
The film is very fun yet educational and I love the perspective it gives you because you feel like you are part of Ms. Ashley's class. The kids loved watching Dwizzle Dee, I say kids because I put it on for Alejandro's cousins who are a little older then him. They interacted throughout the video shouting out the answers, even Alejandro tried to get in on it paying close attention. Although he is only 18 months, I believe he is already benefiting educationally. I could tell they all had fun and probably didn't even realize they were having fun learning! Don't you love when that happens? I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series!
Call me a bad mom but I let my toddler watch TV. (*gasp* the horror!) As a stay-at-home mom, there are times I need to safely occupy my son while I take care of cooking, cleaning. laundry and/or other duties around the house. We don't sit in front of the boob tube all day long but I don't mind a few Nick Jr. shows here and there. I prefer programs that have an educational component in addition to the obvious entertainment. So, when I was invited to review a new children's DVD series, I gladly accepted.
Dwizzle Dee™ – Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination! is the first title in a new educational video series, created to entertain and educate preschool children, ages 1-4. Dwizzle Dee™ teaches fundamentals such as colors, sizes and shapes and utilizes repetition, imagination, songs and fun problem solving to reinforce these principles. Featuring colorful and lovable live-action puppet characters - Lenny, Penny, Gifford and their teacher, Ms. Ashley - the series encourages children to participate in fun and stimulating adventures inside the virtual classroom. Dwizzle Dee™ has been approved and endorsed by two prestigious nationally-recognized parenting organizations - The Dove Foundation and KIDS FIRST! Coalition For Quality Children's Media - as DVDs they would recommend to parents and children.
The story behind the project is wholly inspiring. Dwizzle Dee™ has been a labor of love for its producers/directors, Ryan Poore and Scott Anderson. They both had full-time production jobs and had to work on their new "baby" in their spare time. They both also lived in separate geographical regions so production had to take place in seven different locations in three states. But after five long years, their commitment to unique, quality children's program has finally come to life.
We received a copy of Dwizzle Dee™ – Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination! to review. As soon as my son caught a glimpse of the colorful cover, he couldn't wait to watch it. I popped it in our DVD player and the intro screen featured one of the puppets, Gifford, playing peek-a-boo. Nate just lit up and started giggling. I knew we had a winner on our hands.
Dwizzle Dee™ reminded me alot of the PBS classic, Sesame Street. The furry puppets were cuddly and sweet. The teacher, Ms. Ashley, guides us through the lesson and helps us identify primary colors, shapes and sizes. But you don't stay indoors for long! After some classroom time, she encourages us to go outside, explore nature and play pretend, where we use fun, catchy songs (like "I'll Become A Little Flower When I Sprout" to the tune of "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain") to reinforce the messages that we've learned.
The bright, vibrant colors really captured Nate's attention. His favorite part was pretending to be a bee and "bzz"-ing along with the characters. As you can see from the expressions on his face, Dwizzle Dee™ was a surefire hit.
Some TV shows or videos amuse Nate but start to grate my nerves after awhile. Dwizzle Dee™ didn't have that effect on me. It wasn't overstimulating and didn't make me feel jumpy or manic. I didn't have the urge to change the channel or turn it off after 5 minutes. It's just a half-hour of pure, simple fun that we can enjoy together.
I am in love with this precious dvd!!! Lenny, Penny, Gifford, and Ms. Ashley are the cutest puppet characters!!! And, the learning that takes place while watching this dvd is phenomenal. Mallory was enthralled with Ms. Ashley's teaching and even Jack, my 21 month old, stayed glued to it. I couldn't help but giggle at Lenny's off-key singing, but his message still got through. :-) Children are welcomed into Ms. Ashley's classroom where rhythm, rhyme, and repetition are mixed with imagination, songs, and problem solving. This dvd takes children on fabulous adventures in learning colors, sizes, and shapes.
Ok, so before I even start this review I have to tell you that while we were watching this my husband said, "I've never seen her try and get the characters out of the t.v." She was so enthralled with these characters that she was reaching for them! It was adorable!
Here is a little bit about this DVD:
Cinema Werx LLC is the company that produces Dwizzle Dee™, an award-winning DVD video series geared to entertain and educate preschool aged children. The series teaches fundamentals like colors, sizes, shapes with the help of it's unique characters, Lenny, Penny, Gifford & Ms. Ashley. The use of repetition, imagination, songs and fun problem solving help reinforce these fundamentals.
I love exposing my daughter to education things as often as possible. While I understand that this DVD is geared toward preschool age children, as a teacher I feel that it's never too early to expose her to fun and educational programming. This DVD is everything that I am looking for!
The characters are adorable and they kept my daughters attention. They speak so that children can understand them (slowly and with a limited vocabulary). The music is upbeat and a lot of the rhythms are familiar. I also love that they encourage imaginary play and keep the concepts simple.When your child is the appropriate age, they will find opportunities to interact along with the story (answering questions, pretending to be flowers, buzzing like bees).
This DVD is also a great way to start introducing the idea of school to your children. The story starts in a classroom and gives a good picture of what school will be like for the children. You could use this DVD to start getting your preschooler excited for school and all the new things they will learn with their teacher and classmates!
I will happily be putting this DVD on for my daughter in the hopes that she will begin to pick up on some of the great concepts! The relationships being made between colors (apples are red, so are firetrucks) and sizes (imagine being as small as a bee) are major skills being presented in a fun way. You should definitely check out this great DVD! You can also check out Dwizzle Dee on Facebook.
*If you have a child who loves music as much as mine, you will be happy to know that they have a sing along option on the DVD!
Could This Be The Newest Era Of Sesame Street? "Dwizzle Dee" Intrigues My Toddler With Educational Fun!
When I was a little girl, I watched Sesame Street as a daily routine. I truly believe that it fundamentally encouraged me learn my ABC's and 123's at a very young age and gave me a hunger for learning. I was starting to read (and had a strong desire to figure it out) before I started kindergarten at four. I want that type of program to motivate and educate my kids! I want to see that hunger and passion for learning in their minds too.
We received "Dwizzle Dee" by Cinewerx DVD to review (sent to us free of charge) and I have to say, our 1 year old immediately took to this show. The puppets are not overly animated or silly but still very entertaining. The teaching puppet (Ms. Ashley) speaks in a very calm & direct voice and the learning element is evident from the very beginning of the show. Of course, there are fun songs, colorful & cheerful characters and this video, "Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination teaches your child about exactly that...colors, sizes, songs and encourages a healthy use of imagination. I really appreciate the fact that it sticks to some core teaching, but adds the element of fun (but not over done) to keep the child intrigued & interested.
He watched the video in it's entirety and seemed to really love it. He got up and danced, pointed and giggled and really enjoyed his new learning video.
I encourage you to check out this video "Dwizzle Dee" Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination for your family video collection. I trust that this video will spark an interest in your toddler's hunger for learning and you'll be thanking me for recommending this DVD. It has won a four out of five rating from The Dove Foundation. They do offer a full 30 day money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied with your child's reaction to the DVD. So it's pretty much risk free!
Thank you Cinema Werx. I am pretty certain that this new DVD will be one of our 1 year old's favorites for years to come.
My children really enjoyed this DVD…the characters are cute, the overall message is educational and best of all both of my boys interacted with the DVD. The older one shouted answers at the screen and the younger one pointed to all the flowers. Both children danced with the music throughout the episode. I felt Dwizzle Dee reinforced fundamentals the 4 year old knew and introduced several aspects to the 2 year old.
Imagine a classroom with a pretty blonde teacher and three little creatures (Muppet-like monsters). Now if you’ve imagined these four characters as puppets, you’ve got an idea of what Dwizzle Dee, a video for preschoolers, offers. The cast of characters includes Ms. Ashley, the teacher; Gifford a very furry, red creature who likes to eat trees; Lenny a not-so-furry, red creature with black antennae; and Penny, a pink, furry creature with a pet squirrel named Squizz. Squirrelphobics need not worry; Squizz does not make an appearance.
Recommended for two- through five-year-olds, Dwizzle Dee is interactive. Ms. Ashley pauses to give viewers a moment to introduce themselves, and also to answer some of the questions she poses in the classroom. Lessons are about identifying primary colors, differentiating among sizes (small, medium, and large), and counting. There are some simple animations, and young children will enjoy learning through repetition and basic problem-solving.
The cast ventures outdoors to look for flowers, and comes across a ladybug and a honey bee. This allows an introduction to insects. There are sing-alongs set to familiar melodies (“She’ll Be Comin’ ‘round the Mountain,” “Pop Goes the Weasel,” and “This Old Man,” a/k/a Barney’s theme song), and children are encouraged to pretend to be flowers and bees.
The entire production is extremely low-key. Miss Ashley is a model of enunciation; pre-schoolers won’t have problems understanding her (although her slow delivery might bug their parents). It’s difficult to rate a program like this, so we’ll have to use the crayon scale.
On the crayon rating scale, programs are rated from one to ten crayons, with ten being the best. To be a ten, a production should be equivalent to the gold crayon, Sesame Street. A one would be awarded to a sock-puppet production video-taped in the basement by a six-year-old and two younger friends. If Sesame Street is awarded ten crayons, and Barney gets six, what about Dwizzle Dee?
Children will be attracted to the bright colors and cuddly characters in Dwizzle Dee, and they will like the interactive aspect in which they get to participate in the lessons. Most two- and three-year-olds, and many four-year-olds, will want repeated showings. However, it’s a little too unsophisticated for five-years-olds (kindergarten-age). Parents will appreciate the chummy respect the characters show for their young audience, and Dwizzle Dee’s leisurely pace (there are numerous other programs that can get kids wound up, if that’s what’s desired). Based on these observations, the rating awarded is a solid five crayons.
Extras on the DVD are a sing-along comprised of the songs included in the story, with lyrics sub-titled at the bottom of the screen (mostly wasted on the intended audience), and a preview of a children’s book, El Gato. Dwizzle Dee is now available from Amazon.com and FilmBaby.Com; national roll-out is scheduled for May 25. Bottom Line: Would I buy Dwizzle Dee? Yes, for two- or three-year-olds.
Dwizzle Dee is a mythical town. In the town is a school run by Miss Ashley, and attending the school are 3 students - Lenny, Gifford, and Penny. The show invites your child to participate in the lessons, learning about colours, nature - flowers and insects, including a detailed lesson on the marvellous honeybee, counting, and sizes. The show has been definitely designed for the youngest of viewers - maybe from age 1 to about age 3. Canny 4 year olds might find the lessons a little basic, but it would also be suitable for slower learners and those struggling with the basic concepts that the DVD covers. The indoors/outdoors setting is handled well, and the concepts are all reinforced through repetition.
There's a definite muppet feel to Dwizzle Dee, and there is something rather familiar about the characters, but the show combines a very clever use of animation, music and imagery. The concepts are presented very clearly, and there are musical intervals throughout the show, with opportunities for children to jump in and sing along to familiar original songs set to the tune of "She'll be coming round the mountain" and "knick knack paddy whack". A liberal use of the kazoo keeps everything light and fun, and the way in which the use of imagination is encouraged is excellent. 30 minutes is just the right amount of time too -- not so long as to leave your children zonked, but still enough time for a meaty show, that will allow y
