Here are a couple of comical shorts that are guaranteed to be played over and again by your youngsters.  Released in a 2 Disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack the animated miss-adventures Prep & Landing and Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice are two holiday videos filled with unique Christmas fun for the whole family.  Whimsical and wacky the elf characters are the perfect medicine that should keep your elementary school children in high spirits.  

The stories in each of the short films centers on a special Christmas unit of elves that check out houses for Santa before he can deliver presents. In Prep & Landing new recruit Lanny (voice by Derek Richardson) and Wayne (voice of Dave Foley) become close buddies after Lanny takes a job as one of Santa’s helpers.  Instructed to help Lanny by his new boss Peterson, Wayne reluctantly puts him through the ropes.  Upset that he got sidestepped for the promotion Peterson received, Wayne starts to slack off.  When a huge snow storm prevents Wayne and Lanny from preparing Timmy’s house creating a problem for the little boy, the two elves set up a plan to make good

In the second story Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice, centers on a problem created by stolen technology involving Santa’s list of children.  The coal brigade has been listing those that were naughty this year and passing them on to Santa’s list.  A computer hacker Jinglesmell has made of mess of the system and must be stopped. Teaming up with Noel (voiced by Bob Riggle), a naughty child expert of the Coal Brigade, they go on the hunt for Jinglesmell.  When a booby trap set by Wayne goes awry, things start getting out of hand.

Both short films are hilarious and although they are directed at the youngsters, I found them to be very amusing.  I like the way the subject matter gets handled that even the smallest tyke can understand.  The messages from both are clear and heartwarming with creative animation and a fine cast to deliver them.  The voice cast includes Dave Foley who voiced Flick in A Bug’s Life and Derek Richardson who plays Patrick Bachelor in TV’s Men in Trees.

There are some very good bonus features that are on both the Blu-ray and DVD in the combo pack:

• “Operation Secret Santa”- an animated short featuring Wayne and Lanny who have to go into Santa’s office to get a mysterious item.
•  “Tiny’s Big Adventure”- another animated short featuring Tiny making coffee in this fun and hilarious skit.
• Behind the Jingle- features Grace Potter performing in-studio and her views on voicing Carol.
• Kringle Academy- Are you ready to become one of the few, the proud and the Merry?
• North Pole News- Cool Christmas news that’s hot off the press.
• North Pole Commercials- a fun look as some creativity

The Video Quality with the 2D animation is extremely good, much like you would see on the Disney Channel when the two shorts were aired.  Presented in Blu-ray with 1.78:1 aspect ratio the features and bonus material fill the whole screen making for an even greater presentation played through a Blu-ray player on a HD television.  The DVD has been mastered with a widescreen 1.78:1 enhanced for 16×9 televisions with the presentation giving the best quality possible for viewing on that level.

The Sound Quality on the Blu-ray disc with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is crystal clear played on a HD television.  The DVD has been set up using 5.1 Dolby Digital with competitive quality based on your sound system. I found no imperfections or extraneous noise to detract the two shorts or the bonus material.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  Fun for the whole family with some very good messages. ★★★★★★

Specifications and additional film information:

• Cast: Dave Foley, Derek Richardson, Sarah Chalke, and Rob Riggle,
• Directed by: Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers
• MPAA Rating: TVG
• Genre: Comedy, Animated, Family
• Running Time: 46 min (Both Films)
• Street Date: November 6, 2012
• Original Television Release Date: Prep & Landing (2009), Naughty vs. Nice (2011)
• Language: English
• Format: Blu-ray/DVD
• Audio: Blu-ray- 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, DVD- 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Video: Blu-ray – 1.78:1, DVD- Widescreen 1.78:1 Enhances for 16×9 televisions
• Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish
• Number of Discs: 2 Disc set
• Distributed by: Walt Disney Home Entertainment