National Geographic's Really Wild Animals: Hot Dogs and Cool Cats [VHS]
The ties between domestic cats and dogs and their wild counterparts are what bind these two programs on one video. To learn why Fido fights and puppies play, Spin--the animated planet guide voiced by Dudley Moore--introduces viewers to wolves, coyotes, African wild dogs, and a bat-eared fox. When Spin isn't drawing comparisons between pet dogs and their ancestors, viewers are treated to specially written pop songs such as "Hey Dog," in which dogs howl the chorus. There's a moving segment featuring a working dog's relationship with the disabled boy he assists. Cats get similar treatment (minus the part about helping people) with Tabby's hunting, clawing, and rubbing habits compared to those of lions, tigers, and other big cats. There are the usual jokes about who owns whom when it comes to the pet cat, and the unavoidable footage of African cats turning wildebeest into breakfast. Gore is kept to a minimum, making this 44-minute installment of theNational Geographickid series appropriate for animal lovers from preschool on up.--Kimberly Heinrichs