Search - Wishbone - Impawssible Dream on DVD

Wishbone Films are Excellent for Children

Andrew Raker | PA | 08/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I grew up watching Wishbone films on the Public Broadcasting Station, which aired the programs between 1995-2001. Unfortunately, I am now unable to find these episodes on most media markets (a few episodes may be found on YouTube).

I enjoyed Wishbone because each episode gave a basic view of the plot of a classic work of literature. This episode, "The Impawssible Dream" gives a small portion of the plot in Don Quixote written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. While this 28 minute Wishbone episode does not cover nearly all of the massive novel, it helps to instill in the childhood viewer a love of literature. Ex: When I was nine years old watching the Wishbone episode on "The Three Musketeers," I learned how to pronounce the names of the French characters such as d'Artagnan and Cardinal de Richelieu.

Now, this episode is not one of my favorites. However, each episode does have a moral. In Don Quixote, Don Quixote and his companion Sancho Panza (played by Wishbone) embark on a journey, where among other things, Don Quixote engages in fighting windmills, which he claims are disguised as giants, while searching for the golden helmet of Mambrino.

Back on Oakdale, Joe Talbot tries to break the Guinness free-throw record. Of course, Joe falls short of accomplishing this nearly impossible feat, and like Don Quixote eventually realizes he does not have to do anything spectacular to earn the respect of his friends such as Samantha Kepler and David Barnes.

PS: As of August 2008, HIT Entertainment has released four Wishbone episodes to DVD. I will list in order of how much I enjoyed viewing them as a child: (1) Paw Prints of Thieves, (2) The Hunchdog of Notre Dame (3) Digging to the Center of the Earth, (4) The Impawssible Dream."