Charming superhero show shines; mild fantasy violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Mild fantasy violence and action. No real weapons like guns or swords, but some of Moon Girl's inventions are weapons (like mechanical boxing gloves that punch baddies, or a bubble gun that traps villains in bubbles). Villains threaten Moon Girl and friends, but it always seems like they'll find their way out of peril. Villains are clearly shown as wrong and suffer consequences for their actions. A character at Lunella's school engages in mild bullying behavior, teasing Lunella for being smart and other typical middle school antics. Lunella also experiences some social media "trolling" directed at her.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Main characters Lunella (aka Moon Girl) and best friend Casey are fabulous role models. They want to help others, and do so even when there's personal risk to themselves. Lunella is genius-level smart, and loves school. Equally important: Lunella and Casey are not perfect. They make mistakes and have negative feelings, they model what to do when life gives you lemons. Lunella lives with her parents and grandparents, and her extended family also models excellent social-emotional skills while still feeling "real."
Positive Messages
a lot
Emphasizes a lot of positive messages, such as importance of community and family and putting others before yourself. Explores a lot of social-emotional themes, like how even superheroes don't feel brave all the time.
Diverse Representations
a lot
Main character Lunella is a teenage Black superhero who is a strong female lead. She is a nerdy kid who loves school. Lunella's best friend is Latina. They live in the Lower East Side in New York City, and supporting characters are of various ethnic backgrounds. The setting also nods to a diverse environment, with halal shops and Hasidic Jewish extras in the background. The show implies racially relevant themes like gentrification but doesn't discuss them explicitly, so it's likely to go over kids' heads. Behind-the-scenes, the production team is very racially diverse and includes an all-female writing team.
Great modeling of social-emotional skills, but hard for kids to focus on with so much else happening in the plot.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is an animated series based on comic book characters. Laurence Fishburne is a producer and voice, and the episodes feature many celebrity cameos as well. Moon Girl (voiced by Diamond White) is a teen superhero, and there's some mild fantasy violence and peril. No realistic weapons are used, but Moon Girl invents fantastical gadgets like mechanical boxing gloves that punch villains and a bubble shooter that traps baddies in bubbles. Villains threaten Moon Girl and her friends, and some scenes are tense, but it never feels like Moon Girl is in actual peril. In Moon Girl's civilian life as Lunella, she experiences some mild bullying (getting teased for being smart) and social media "trolling." There's mild profanity like "butt" and "dumb" and gentle insults between Moon Girl and the villains.
This show is a real gem. My 5yo and 8yo adore this show and have watched the first season. There are plenty of jokes that go right over their heads, but they love the animation, quick pace, characters, and clever writing. I also enjoy watching it and can't wait for season 2. There is definitely some mild fantasy violence, especially near the end of the season, but my youngest seems unfazed.
Big dinosaur, cool gadgets, and emphasis of family & community? What else do you need?
TLDR; A really wonderful show with an interesting enough plot for kids a bit older, but engaging enough visuals, music, jokes, and story for youger kiddos too! It's obvious from the get go it's all about family and community. Lunella doesn't become a hero just because it's the "right" thing or she woke up with powers one day, but because she had already been trying to find a way to fix the problems her neighbourhood were facing. Now with a big red dinosaur to match her big brain, she can do that! Great pick for kid's of all ages :)
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A heads up, I'm not actually a parent, but am an adult with kids I look out for (hence my listed 11 year old, the main kiddo I take care of) and have done since I was a kid myself (eldest daughter with a big extended family thing I guess!). I also work in a bookstore focused on children's literature and am an artist studying animation, going into a career in children's tv, so it's safe to assume I'm pretty well versed in kid's media in general!
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur has 16 episodes roughly 25 minutes long a piece, excluding the first which is a double length special (about 48 minutes). It's currently on Disney+ but airs on Disney Channel, and the first episode can be found for free on Disney's youtube channel if you want to try before you buy!
The only reason for my putting 5 and up is it might be a bit much plot/story wise for a bub to follow, but honestly the art style, cute character designs, bright colours, and catchy musical numbers would probably be a lot of fun for younger kids too! It could very easily have been another classic children's show about a kid genius going on adventures with her best friends (which are a great time, don't get me wrong!) but MG&DD does a really wonderful job of adding a little more substance to that concept. It's obvious from the get go that the core themes are community and family, the value of using your voice and how one person can make a difference - but they can make an even bigger difference with people behind them. Episodes are short and punchy without feeling rushed, and have important lessons behind them; not letting trolls/bullies get to you, loving who you are even if it's different, asking for help when you need it, remembering that the people who love you will even if you make mistakes, and finding people who like you for you, are all some of the big kid's show classics, but it also goes into more complex topics like gentrification and how important culture and community are, how different people have different kinds of intelligence, and how Black women often face judgement for their natural hair texture, in ways that are simple enough for kid's to get but never feel dumbed down or, if it's something that concerns you, too "in your face". I sincerely recommend it, especially if your kids love their superheros!
What's the Story?
In MARVEL'S MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR, 13-year-old science nerd Lunella Lafayette transforms into a superhero in order to save her beloved Lower East Side NYC neighborhood. By day she's a super-smart regular teenager, but by night she works on inventions in the abandoned subway station underneath her apartment building. One night she fires up a device that breaks the time-space continuum, and a living dinosaur appears through the portal. When her neighborhood starts experiencing power blackouts and crime, Lunella decides to do something about it. Her social media-savvy friend Casey convinces her to officially become a superhero, and Lunella chooses the name Moon Girl for herself and Devil Dinosaur for her prehistoric sidekick. Can Moon Girl, Devil Dinosaur, and Casey save the day while keeping their teenage identities a secret?
For parents frustrated about the relative lack of quality content for tweens, Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur may be just the thing. The show strikes the perfect balance of imparting great social-emotional lessons that feel relevant to tweens without being too preachy. Lunella, her family, and her friend Casey feel like real people, imperfections and all. Moon Girl also has super fun and exciting superhero action scenes without getting too violent or scary. It's laugh-out-loud funny and includes some jokes for the grown-ups too. The music is superb -- R&B composer Raphael Saadiq's songs would sound right at home on a Lizzo album. The art style makes the vibrant NYC setting come to life while still hinting at the show's comic book origins. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is great superhero fun that kids and adults alike will love.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Lunella's courage in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. She says in the first episode that according to her grandma, real bravery is being scared to do something but then doing it anyway. When does Lunella/Moon Girl demonstrate courage? Can you think of an example from your life when you were brave?
Lunella and Casey have a bunch of compassion for the people in the Lower East Side, the neighborhood where they live. What are some ways they show they care about their community and the people in it?
Lunella's family gives some great advice. What are some things her parents or grandparents say that could be helpful in your own life?
Superheroes are not often girls, and are not often people of color. Why do you think it's important that Lunella is a Black girl superhero?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Ashley Moulton
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
