Hemo the Magnificent

Actually, I would rate this an 8 for teachers of intermediate level students. I remembered watching it in elementary school and never thought I would be able to obtain a copy. Well I did. I watched it and decided to show it to my class of 5th graders, not sure of the reception since some of the animation was dated. The students thoroughly enjoyed it and asked to see another one like it. It made understanding the circulatory system so simple and gave much more information than the text book. There were one or two things I needed to update, but other than that it was great. I actually wish we had more films like this rather than those that barrage the students with so much at one time. It gave the children time to think about what they were learning. It would be great if someone would update these.

I watched this video in my Anatomy class and I was completely blown away!

I thought the animation was funny and I learned so much more than I would have if I just read from the textbook! Being aimed toward kids, it broke everything down (obviously so kids could understand)but even so, it is tremendously helpful when you are trying to learn about the systems of the body, the circulatory system in particular!

So many educational films are nothing more than mind-numbing drudgery, saved only by the fact that "MST3K" mocks them ("Why Study Industrial Arts?" comes to mind). "Hemo the Magnificent" is actually quite well done. It's all about blood, the heart, and the circulatory system. I admit that I don't remember everything from it, but it does a good job explaining everything, keeping it serious but entertaining. I guess that you can always count on June Foray (most famously the voice of Rocky the Squirrel, she plays a deer here).

Since "Hemo the Magnificent" itself may be hard to find, probably the best place to see it is in "Gremlins": a class is watching it while a gremlin is forming.

This was a delightful presentation. Hemo (blood) as a Greek god was so well played by the animation with vanity, arrogance, snobbish superiority and innocent wonder. The quote (or scene) I recall vividly is when Hemo tires of "all this plumbing ... you haven't learned my secrets at all" and threatens to storm out, the Scientist answers him in a single word "Thalassa" -- salt water which horrifies the Fiction Writer but mollifies Hemo and segues so neatly into the chemical aspects of blood.

Such a splendid blend of entertainment and information make this a classic as fresh and engrossing today as the day it was released. Stimulating the interest and imagination is fundamental to teaching kids to love learning.

I saw this production the night it aired on TV in 1957 as a 3rd grader. The first reason I was thrilled was because it was so different than anything I had ever seen on TV and was in such a smart style and content compared to the dreck that was on everyday. It was my first "special".

The second thrilling thing was that they used the fanfare to the first movement of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony which remains a favorite of mine 56 years later. It was the first I had heard it or any Beethoven.

Also, the content was so rich, complete and perfectly presented and some information still comes to me today. I had seen Dr. Baxter on the Today show, and Richard Carlson in corny horror movies. But here, they were participating in something made just for me! I'd love to see it again.