Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. 
Recently I got the chance to check out the Missy Mila Twisted Tales Volume 1 DVD. The DVD runs 101 minutes and is great for kids – but it is probably best if you watch just one or two stories at a time. (I had trouble sitting through the whole DVD in one sitting). Mila is an 8 year old girl and she tells some fairy tales with a bit of a twist at times.
Mila sometimes even pops up in the middle of the stories to add information. I thought that this was a cute addition, to try and get more interaction. In between stories she plays games as well – there was a simon says (Mila Says) skit after one story that I think would really engage kids.
I also really liked the animation and illustrations of the story. Some of the characters are a bit unique looking which added a nice touch.
The DVDs are made by a French company and I did find that some of the characters have accents but not so much so that an english speaking person wouldn’t be able to understand them. Organa, the company that makes the DVDs, was established in 1995 with the mission of introducing American families to characters and cultures from around the world through multicultural stories with universal themes.
Missy Mila is recommended for children ages 5-8, available for $19.95 per volume. For more information visit www.organa.com
Mila is an 8-year-old quirky, energetic tomboy who loves to tell you traditional story-tales but with her own twist. Kids will be inspired to use their imagination and to become storytellers themselves. Audience participation is triggered by Mila’s direct-to-camera asides all along the episode; her questions and games bring kids right into the story. Join Mila, laugh at the zany dialogs and fresh art in this innovative series which explores the world of classic tales.
Traditional tales are timeless stories that everyone loves to delve back into, generation after generation. Far from old-fashioned clichés, the series “Missy Mila: Twisted Tales” revamps this cultural heritage through the imagination and spontaneity of a present-day little girl. Mila’s stories are peppered with spicy anachronisms and offbeat re-interpretations. So, don’t act surprised if you see a prince applying hair gel before setting out to rescue a princess, unless the latter is a kung-fu champion, that is! As for the dreadful Minotaur, Mila prefers to picture him as the Toupouloupou, a sweetie pie with a sweet tooth. And why do the wolves always have to be depicted as the bad guys? And, in her very personal adaptation of the Three Little Pigs, Mila swaps the awfully shy big bad wolf for an affable bull that… rocks!
Missy Mila Volume 1 includes the episodes: The Hidden Princess, The Toupouloupou, Baba Yaga the Witch, Djoha’s Last Lie, Piboule and the Bear, Strabiwolf the Telltale, the Donkey and the King, The Houses of the Pig Brothers, Elvis, Captain Bloody-Nose the Pirate, The Leprechaun’s Treasure, Aurel the Mocker, Pancho Pimento’s Riddle. Volume 2 includes Toadette the Frog, Prince Gabo, Miss Lazy, Bigmess the Ogress, The Mermaid’s Secret, The Ghost Who Couldn’t Scare, Quentin and his Dragon, Tounde the Ginormous Elephant, Rodolphe and Carlo, Chantal and Noemie, Greedy Liza, Tinytiny, The Two Tinanooks.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.