Planet Bonehead

K-Gr 6—Combining a cartoon adventure with live-action documentary footage, this production explains renewable energy while emphasizing the negative impact that the continued use of fossils fuels will have on the environment. Presented in a newscast style, it begins by introducing the animated drivers of the "Race for Renewable Energy": Bonehead, driving an electric car; Wishbone, escorting the wind-powered car; Dale Sternum Jr., cruising the biodiesel car; Sting, sporting the solar-powered car; Ted Limb Bone in his foot-powered car; and Pug Thug, revving up his car. The evil dogs, J. P. Rothbone and his cronies, want to win the renewable energy race at any cost and plant roadblocks all along the way. Bonehead tries to overcome the evil dogs until they kidnap his girlfriend. In the end, Bonehead saves her and Sting wins the race. Throughout the race, transitions are made to the interesting live-action documentaries that provide valuable information about different forms of energy, demonstrations, and experiments related to sustainable/renewable forms of energy. The cartoon clips tend to detract from rather than support the topics. The program concludes with an energy rap video suggesting ways kids can make a difference in conserving energy. While the information provided is important, the sound quality is poor with wide variations in volume. The transition between the animation and the documentary segments is uneven. With those caveats in mind, younger audiences will still enjoy the animation and learn a great deal about renewable energy.—Linda M. Teel, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC