Comedian W.C. Fields once warned of working with children or animals, and he was largely correct, but Richard Linklater’s “School of Rock” avoids typical saccharine sweetness and predictable clichs in a film that proves as endearing as it is funny.

Paramount’s Special Edition DVD release of the film adds a vast array of extras to the package and successfully, and hilariously, milks the film for all it’s worth.

The film revolves around Jack Black’s Dewey Finn, a guitarist recently fired from his previous band for inane shenanigans. With rent due and his roommate’s girlfriend nagging at him, Finn eventually lies to take a job with a hoity-toity private school to earn some cash. It is there, however, where Black discovers his students’ musical abilities and decides he can use them to win an upcoming battle of the bands.

On paper, there is little to like about Black’s Dewey Finn. He is an egocentric, obnoxious control freak and a liar who takes advantage of children. Black, however, manages to breathe an air of innocent sweetness into the seemingly vile character as the film progresses.

The film is far more than a cute story about musical savants and the scheister who rears their musical development; it’s the story of a man finding his calling as a music teacher.

Throughout “School,” Black blissfully blurs the lines between himself, his persona in Tenacious D and Finn. Black’s best roles have always been those in which the character being portrayed may not be too far from an element in Black’s real life, and Dewey Finn isn’t all that different. While he is not as acerbic as Barry in “High Fidelity” or as whiney as Hal from “Shallow Hal,” the lovable Dewey finally mines Black’s sweetness on screen.

The rest of the cast- Mike White as Ned, Sarah Silverman as Patty, Joan Cusack as Rosalie Mullins and a horde of child musicians- are competent, but “School of Rock” is ultimately Black’s tour de force and the extras exploit this.

With a pair of commentaries- one from Black and Linklater and one with the kids- a pair of documentaries and Black’s MTV “Diary,” Paramount packs more than four hours of extras onto a 90-minute film. And while the film is fast paced and funny, the extras add nuance to an otherwise broadly-stroked film with simple archetypal characters.

The commentaries are funny as well as insightful, with Black and Linklater dissecting the plot, characters and the steady progression of the film. Likewise, Black begging for the use of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” or a segment of the kids’ journey to the Toronto Film Festival are interesting, if not useful, extras.

Like many DVD packages, the extras on “School” are as self-serving as they are entertaining. Paramount should be commended for the sheer amount of material thrown into the package; much of it is entertaining, but otherwise marginal at best.

“School of Rock” finally gave Black the opportunity to harness his uncontrollable Tasmanian devil schtick onto celluloid, and the film is a testament to his ability to carry a film. “School of Rock” may have its share of clichs and a cache of too-cute children, but the film was entertaining in theaters and is even better when laced with bonus material.