Review by Aaron Wallace

"That's So Raven": Disguise the Limit" comes to DVD mere days after the Walt Disney Company mentioned the possibility of box sets for the entire series in a quarterly earnings conference call, and a matter of weeks after the show shattered standard Disney Channel practice by becoming the first to be picked up for a full 100 episodes. Disney is ravin' about Raven and their viewers apparently can't get enough (there's even a Raven perfume on the way, courtesy of the Mouse!).

The show's popularity, which has eclipsed even that of Disney hit "Lizzie McGuire," is puzzling, given that it's clearly a weaker show than the Hilary Duff series or several other winning Disney Channel programs. The show's premise is interesting enough. Raven Symone (the format and spelling of her name changes with some regularity) plays Raven Baxter, a fashion-conscious high schooler who possesses a special gift: psychic power. Her brief glimpses of future events often prompt her to either prevent what she's seen or work toward it, usually donning wild costumes to achieve her goal. Of course, as the Raven-sung theme says, "It's not that easy"- the future she expects based on her visions rarely comes to pass. Helping her along the way are her two best friends: the lingo-hip and good-at-heart Eddie (Orlando Brown) and the environmentally friendly but often clueless Chelsea (Anneliese van der Pol). At home, her mom, Tonya (T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh) and dad, Victor (Rondell Sheridian) help guide her through her psychic woes, though most of their on-screen time is relegated to taking care of their younger son, Corey (Kyle Massey)- a regular Alex P. Keaton.

The only problem is that the episodes are extremely redundant, holding to a formula more rigidly than most of Disney's shows. That means "Raven" runs the risk of tiring its audience, right? Apparently not.

So what exactly makes this show such a craze with viewers? For starters, there's the show's ability to remain funny even when it's stale. That's largely due to Raven's (the actress, not the character) talents. Say what you will about the show itself or Disney's overexposure of it, but Raven commands an on-screen presence and sense of comedic timing that is rare in TV sitcoms. It's almost enough to drive a series on its own. Truth be told, the kid-pandering nature of "That's So Raven" is probably more a restraint to her abilities than anything else. Then again, the over-the-top humor that is the show's hallmark seems fitting for her talents and the show is certainly able to strike a chord with teenage viewers as well.

The cleverly-titled "Disguise the Limit" DVD that debuts this week implies a release highlighting some of Raven's (the character) most outrageous disguises. That's actually only the case with the first episode, "Art Breaker," though to its credit, it is one of her better costumed stints. The two-part "Country Cousins" does indeed have Raven in many different costumes, but it's Raven the actress who is dressing up and showing off her acting ability via many different characters... Raven the character doesn't actually don a disguise. The final episode, "The Grill Next Door," doesn't feature any dressing up of any kind, so its inclusion is a bit confusing.

Another confusing thing about "The Grill Next Door": it's purported to be a never-before-seen episode, both on the packaging and in the press release. It actually aired on July 8, 2005, so while it hadn't aired when this disc was first announced, its airdate came more than a month before the release.

This single-disc issue presents four half-hour episodes (or two normal episodes and one hour-long event, depending on how you look at it) with satisfactory treatment. Even though the set's theme isn't the most accurate, this grouping of episodes is noteworthy because they dare to stray from the aforementioned formula just a tad. Given that these are all recent episodes (in fact, you could see most of them in the week leading up to this release), and that Raven herself is set to step up as producer in the near future, there may be hope of refreshing this series yet.

Episode Descriptions

"Art Breaker" (22:33) (Originally aired February 25, 2005)
The school art teacher, Ms. Petuto (pop star Cyndi Lauper) takes an interest in Chelsea's work and asks her to create a new piece for an upcoming contest. Chelsea is thrilled by this chance for expression and turns to Raven for inspiration. The result is a bust of Raven as a raven, a tribute that is less than well-received. When Raven accidentally breaks the statue, she decides to dress herself in clay and feathers to take the statue's place in the competition. A few school grades down, Corey and his friend, William, profit from the school's decision to ban soft drinks by selling them in milk cartons instead.

"Country Cousins" (Parts 1 & 2) (Part 1 22:28, Part 2 21:52) (Originally aired July 29, 2005)
In a two-part event episode for the series, Raven and Chelsea leave San Francisco to call on Raven's cousins in the country. This side of the Baxters bears the family resemblance (as they should- Raven plays three of them), but their ways of life couldn't be more different. Cultures aren't the only things that clash, though. There's a reason that the two sides of the family haven't seen each other since Raven was a child, and Raven is determined to figure out why and reunite her family. Her efforts are complicated by the family's attitude of resentment, Raven's unfamiliarity with (highly stereotypical) country living, and the horror story subplot that keeps Chelsea preoccupied by a legendary scarecrow that steals souls. Back home, Eddie stays with the Baxters for a few days and comes to take comfort in the fact that Corey sees him as an older brother... until Corey takes advantage of their bond and uses Eddie to sneak out of the house.

"The Grill Next Door" (22:35) (Originally aired July 8, 2005)
A rip-off restaurant opens next door to Victor's Chill Grill, courtesy of Leonard Stevenson (James McCauley), with whom Victor has competed before. When Raven foresees her dad having to close the doors on his dream, she and Corey put their heads together and decide to book Corey's band at the Chill Grill in order to bring in business. To really attract the crowds, though, both the band and Raven will have to make some hefty concessions to Stanley (Bobb'e J. Thompson), the annoying kid who has captured the town's affection but holds his own feelings for Raven.

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