As a parent to a couple of toddlers, it is hard to find a suitable television program that doesn’t turn into a drill to the skull after 20 minutes (I’m looking in your direction Blippi) and my Bluey limit is around 14 hours.
Luckily, Marvel has stepped up in the last few years to provide some young kids cartoons that parents can also secretly enjoy. Spidey and his Amazing Friends is a recent example that features some of your favorite Marvel characters in adventures that is appropriate for the youngest of kids (plus it has a great theme song by Fall Out Boy).
Now, Disney and Marvel aim to recreate that magic for an older group of kids with the animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: A fresh twist on a Jack Kirby original.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur first appeared in comic form in 2015, which starred a teenage super genius who transports a but the original premise came comic book legend Jack Kirby, who produced Devil Dinosaur #1 in 1978 which feature a duo of Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur and their adventure in prehistoric Dinosaur World.
Production on the animated series began back in 2017 with MCU alum and avid comic book fan, Laurence Fishburne as executive producer. The animation was led by Flying Bark Productions; the same studio behind Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Six episodes give a taste, but viewers will be back for more
The first six episodes of the series were released on Disney+ in early February and it gives a good primer of what to expect from the show. The first thing to note is that this show is about a teenage girl who lives in the Lower East Side of New York City so there is not a lot that our readers will directly relate to but also, many of us don’t have a dinosaur from a different dimension so it shouldn’t be that big of a thing to get past.
The episodes released so far are fairly timid; mainly dealing with teenage problems that are compounded by the responsibility that comes with being a superhero. The third episode is the highlight out of the bunch, with Moon Girl facing a barrage of supervillains, including a too brief battle between Devil Dinosaur and a giant baby that is deserving to be in the MCU. That episode shows you how great the series can be with an amazing animated fight sequence, paired with a killer soundtrack, helmed by Raphael Saadiq.
Not a classic…yet, but it could get there!
This series wont hook everyone that watches. Diamond White voices Moon Girl perfectly but her upbeat persona can wear on bitter adults. It is clear though that the animation is the star of the show and it’s exciting to envision some of the scenes when more established Marvel characters join the fold. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur has much potential and has already been picked up for a second season so it looks like this dad will have a new show in the rotation.
