Determined to avenge the death of his father at the hands of Kami, the diminutive Garlic Jr. hatches a dastardly plan to capture all seven Dragon Balls and wreck havoc upon his enemies by calling upon the Eternal Dragon to grant him immortality. After clearing the mighty, yet somewhat evil, Piccolo out of the way, Garlic Jr. dispatches his henchmen to Goku's home. Ginger, Nicky and Sancho capture Goku's son, Gohan, who wears one of the Dragon Balls as an ornament atop his hat. Goku returns to his distressed homestead, and sets out on a cloud to retrieve his son from Garlic Jr.'s castle in the sky.

At first, Garlic Jr. wants to kill Gohan, but after he discovers that the boy possesses mysterious powers, he decides to train him as one of his own warriors, buying Goku and Kami some time. When this duo arrives at the castle, Garlic Jr. assembles the golden Dragon Balls and receives immortality from the Eternal Dragon. The heroes, then, combine forces to assail the impish boss and his flunkies. And Piccolo makes a surprise return to take revenge on Garlic Jr., apparently for upstaging him as the leading bad guy in the Dragon Ball realm.

A fair fight proves too trying for the omnipotent dwarf and his rogues, so Garlic Jr. conjures up a Dead Zone (also known to astrophysicists as a "black hole"). But although the Dead Zone is one of the deadliest forces in the universe, the heroes consolidate their powers and, with the help of one of Gohan's temper tantrums, cast Garlic Jr. into the abysmal void. Thus, Garlic Jr. ironically suffers the same fate as his father did years before.

For younger viewers, "Dragon Ball Z - Dead Zone" is a lot of fun. Simple plot lines and easy to understand characters make this film accessible to the little tikes. Director Daisuke Nishio addresses parallel themes of filial respect and honor through the relationships of Gohan and Goku, and Garlic Jr. and his deceased father. Kids learn that they can display love and adoration for their parents in a variety of ways. Either by fighting side-by-side to rescue one another, or by casting their family's enemies in the nebulous perdition of a collapsed gravitational mass. Which is nice.

This movie also features characters with whom children can identify. The motley cast of creatures behaves very child-like, including the adult hero, Goku. This Peter Pan-esque regressive spends most of his free-time playing in the forest and sky surfing on clouds. His son Gohan displays puerile characteristics that end up saving the universe. His hissy fit in the final battle releases an inner power that turns Garlic Jr.'s Dead Zone against him. In this instance, kids learn that if they scream and cry loud enough they can overcome any obstacle. Which is an important lesson applicable later in life.

A proportionate balance of action and fight scenes keep younger viewers interested as well. Art Director Yuji Ikeda composes vibrantly illustrated battle scenes packed with a great deal of eye candy -gorgeous sunsets, back-lit mountain scapes, etc. However, although the combatants throw each other into exploding mountains and toss each other through granite pillars, the violence yields no blood or visible injuries. Dead Zone is more of a play-fighting movie than a hardcore blood sport film; obvious considering that the "Dragon Ball" series used to air Saturday mornings in the United States.

Tinkering with the DVD itself amuses. Other than the standard interactive features on the disc, which allow users to select different chapters in the story, this "Dragon Ball Z" disc contains an interactive biography replete with written and aural information about each of the film's major heroes and villains. These bio sheets lend themselves to be helpful for people new to the "Dragon Ball" series. The Eternal Dragon acts as the host while surfing through the disc, spouting, "Your wish has been granted," with each selection. A simple gimmick, but it adds an extra bell and whistle, and sounds great as a Windows desktop sound.

Although too tame for the more macabre anime fans, and most people over the age of thirteen, "Dragon Ball Z - Dead Zone" is still an entertaining film to watch with youngsters.