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Susan Granger's review of "RECESS: SCHOOL'S OUT" (Walt Disney Pictures)
At "Preview 2001 and Beyond," last week in Manhattan, Disney made it clear that they wanted to "own" President's Day weekend - and this G-rated animated feature is this year's attempt. Based on the popular Disney Channel cartoon, the story begins at the start of summer when a lonely fourth-grader named T.J. Detweiler (voiced by Andy Lawrence) is left behind to pedal his bike alone as his friends go off to camp. But his life suddenly has purpose when he learns that "a rogue teacher" (James Woods) at the Third Street School plans to use a laser-like beam to alter the Earth's orbit and create a permanent winter, thereby eliminating summer vacation entirely. This calls for action! Quickly, T.J. hatches a plan that includes a S.W.A.T. team of pint-sized warriors, armed with Silly String, to battle this villainous former U.S. Secretary of Education who was dismissed for trying to abolish the June, July, August recess in order to raise grade scores. (This character is ob! viously based on real-life former Education Secretary William J. Bennett and his highly-touted "Book of Virtues.") The sympathetic adult figure is Principal Prickley (Dabney Coleman) who has a history of conflict with the smarmy bad guy and still keeps a '60s peace symbol hidden in his desk. The animation is of the flat TV-cartoon variety, and the soundtrack includes songs by Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night and the Strawberry Alarm Clock. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Recess: School's Out" is a kid-friendly 5 - and don't miss the psychedelic homage to "Yellow Submarine," called "Green Tambourine," sung by Robert Goulet over the closing credits.
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