Star Review -- Going Back to the Neighborhood

Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor?Most American children who grew up in the seventies and eighties know this song by heart and know the sweet faced man inviting us to be his neighbor -- Fred Rogers, of course. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was a staple in many American households and certainly that was the case in my home.The show represented a place of safety and kindness. A place where feelings mattered and everyone was welcome. Every episode, he would make his way through the door, change from his sports coat to a sweater and switch his dress shoes to his loafers. He would look into the camera and into my soul. "Yes, I would be his neighbor!"So when I attended the PBS Kids Event at SXSW, I was both excited and skeptical to here that PBS is returning to the neighborhood. But of course, the dear and amazing Mr. Rogers has passed on to a different neighborhood. So how will they do it?To start, they were wise enough to not try to replace the irreplaceable. Who would want to step into those loafers? No one! So working with the Fred Rogers Institute, Angela Santomero, from "Out of the Blue Enterprises" (the team behind great animated classics like "Blues Clues" and "Super Why") is taking the neighborhood in a different direction. Appreciative of the importance of Fred Rogers and his role in children's lives, she knew better than to even try to find "the next Fred Rogers".Instead, they are taking one of Fred's beloved puppets, Daniel Tiger. He has grown up and had a son of his own, "Daniel". Little Daniel is a pre-schooler and the show centers on him and his view of the world. He is a cutie, trust me.Santomero holds a Masters degree in Child Development Psychology and she is absolutely committed to pro-social story lines focusing on taking turns, sharing, and self-control. The values held so dear by Fred Rogers are alive and well as Daniel Tiger moves through his world. And it's not just any world, Daniel's world is the Neighborhood. All of the beloved puppet character have grown and had families of their own. The entire world created by Rogers has been animated from the castle to the tree house and the much beloved trolley.While there were some technical difficulties at the event which interfered with our seeing the entire episode, I liked what I saw. It is not Mister Rogers Neighborhood. But maybe that is why it works. Not only is it animated but there is a lot more music. When I showed my daughter the pictures and the clip available at PBSKids.org, she was definitely interested.Only time will tell if the magic of the neighborhood has truly been captured but I am cautiously excited. Please check it out and let me know what you think.