Planet Bonehead

K-Gr 6—Honeybees all over the world are disappearing and evil cartoon pup, JP Rothbone, schemes to profit from the environmental problem by selling a robot pollinator to farmers and gardeners. The problem is that the artificial method isn't nearly as effective as nature. This necessitates the development of artificial honey that doesn't taste very good. The Boneheads—bone-shaped, brainy, but bungling avengers—plan to terminate the robot, foil Rothbone's plan, and save the honeybees. Cartoon clips detailing the progress of Rothbone's scheme alternate with live-action footage and still photographs. One segment describes the life and work of honeybees and a later episode details the beekeeper's hives and describes how honey is collected and processed. These clips highlight the importance of honeybees to the world's agriculture and economy and the incredible amount of work and energy bees put into making honey. The live-action portions are well produced, interesting, and contain useful information. The cartoon clips tend to detract from, rather than support the topic. The sound quality is poor, with wide variations in volume throughout. The film concludes with a music video about planting an organic garden to attract honeybees. Comprehensive educator resources are available to accompany the program at planetbonehead.com.—Lisa Hubler, Memorial Junior High School, South Euclid, OH