Animorphs - The Invasion Series, Part 1: The Invasion Begins [VHS]
For those not familiar with the popular Nickelodeon TV series and the phenomenally successful Scholastic book series by K.A. Applegate,Animorphscenters on the adventures of five teens who can morph into animals and bugs. They battle the Yeerks, a frightful mercenary alien race (slimy, sluglike, gray-green, and the size of a rat) who want to control humans by entering their ears and taking over human minds. Don't dismissAnimorphsas a sci-fiSaved by the Bell. The acting is surprisingly topnotch and the stories are fun and thrilling.Animorphs: The Invasion Series, Part 1--The Invasion Beginsintroduces friends and morphers Jake (Shawn Ashmore), Rachel (Brooke Nevin), Marco (Boris Cabrera), Cassie (Nadia Nascimento), and Tobias (Christopher Ralph). Three episodes from the TV series, "My Name Is Jake," parts 1 and 2, and "The Underground," reveal how the Animorphs learn to use their gift and uncover the Yeerk plan. Part of the nasty alien plot is to acquire as many human controllers (those possessed by Yeerks) as possible. And despite the darkness of story, there's a sense of humor, too: one of the human controllers is the high school principal. For ages 6 and up.--N.F. Mendoza