Mighty Machines: Machines on the Job DVD

Mighty Machines: Machines on the Job, NCircle Entertainment, 2007. UPC  843501006245, 90 minutes on DVD. $5.99

Annotation: Have you ever wondered how grapes are picked, how steel is made, or how newspapers are printed? Find out in this action-packed visual explanation of how all of these things are done.

Summary: This is just one of the many titles in the Mighty Machines DVD series which features machinery and heavy equipment on the job. The series originally aired on Canadian television from 1994 until 2008. The program is designed with live-action footage in a documentary style. Many of the machines are given names, and the narrator explains how the equipment works and what each piece does from the perspective of that machine character. 

The harvest segment features a grape clipper and tomato picker, while the steel mill portion of the video explains what a slab hauler, ladle crane, electro-magnetic crane, and a fire quencher all do. The final segment in the compilation follows the production of a newspaper from loading the printing press to filling up the delivery trucks with finished papers. The machines go about their business getting their work done, and while the voices and story lines can be a bit silly, there is a good deal of information presented in each segment. 

Critical Evaluation: Presenting the information about each job and industry from the narrated perspective of the equipment performing the work is rather ingenious, as it adds a personal connection between the young viewers and the big machinery. Due to the age of the original productions, some of the segments appear dated, particularly those that include footage of the people operating the machines. However, children are unlikely to pick up on this as their attention will be mainly focused on the equipment.

Additionally, because this television series was produced in Canada, some terminology in the program is different than that typically used in the United States, but again, this will not affect a child's enjoyment of the DVD. For children fascinated by construction, farm, transportation and rescue equipment, the Mighty Machine series will provide them with an entertaining and educational experience.

This series is very affordable, with individual DVDs available for $5.99 from the NCircle Entertainment website, and priced even lower on Amazon.com.

Age or Interest Level: Ages 2 to 6

Awards: Nominated for a Gemini Award in 1996 for Best Children's Television or Series

Why Included? Where else can you see a tomato harvester machine in action? Or get extremely close to fire-hot steel as it is being shaped into slabs? For those of us who don't get to see these things in our everyday lives, and for children interested in all sorts of equipment, this window into the world of big machinery is fascinating.