Anton's Antics 'Lost & Found' DVD Review
Anton’s Antics is a new DVD resource comprising a 15 minute ‘chalk and talk’ presentation of the Story of Zaccheus, a song (puppet presentation), a memory verse puzzle, an interactive quiz and links presented by the creative character ‘Anton’. Each section can be accessed separately from the main menu in any order.
Kidzlink resource priorities are clear: present a central biblical text, make explicit but integrated and natural gospel links, use creativity and natural humour, but without the hyper-meter going into over drive.
Anton’s Antics – ‘Lost and Found’ kicks clear goals by all of these criteria.
Presenter Stephen Shearsby is the brains behind it all. His personality is integral to the success of Anton’s Antics – whether he is in character as Anton, or working authentically as himself.
Some top-end production-values media run on high-octane, rapid-burn zany characters, modelling a self centred celebrity, which kids get plenty of from mainstream media. There’s none of that here.
Stephen’s natural persona comes across as one of the good guys: down to earth, real and believable. Interesting to listen to, clearly creative, but not so over-the-top as to exhaust your attention.
Anton, on the other hand, is a classically crafted comic character – simple, fun, and always used strategically in just the right measure to keep his vitality and freshness.
The song section (delivered by Tarryn) shifts to a ‘playschool’ feel – relaxed, no pretentions, in which the process is as important as the product, providing an effective teaching tool, and directs particularly well to the under 7s.
Using the entire DVD for groups above Grade 4 would be a stretch, however the menu format easily allows for this mix and match discretion. The style of puppet Gra Gra skews towards the pre-school sector. However the central story telling feature – Stephen ‘chalking and talking’ the story of Zaccheus - in its simplicity and careful construction makes it usable for a mix of audience demographics; a Kinder to End of primary aged kids program, an all age worship service or family night. The story telling clearly and unapologetically, but quite naturally exposes the gospel message inherent in the story – building the theological content into the narrative.
Click here to see trailer