Parents' Guide to

Zak Storm

Zak Storm Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Joyce Slaton By Joyce Slaton , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 7+

Animated hero's journey has rude language, lots of violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 7+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 11+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 6+

Great show to watch

Zack storm was an amazing show to watch as a kid and it hooked me to watch all 39 episodes. Sad that it wasn’t renewed for a second season, but it is a great show nonetheless. You should definitely check it out.
age 18+

ONE PICE COPY!!!!

THIS SHOW COPIED ONE PIECE!!!!! I AM VERY ANGRY AT IT!!!!! AS IT SAYS IT THE BOOK OF REVELATION "Act broke to stay rich!" STOP ACTING RICH!!!! ONJE PEIVE COPEY!!!

What's the Story?

All ZAK STORM (Michael Johnston) wanted to do was borrow a necklace from his dad to go surfing, because it'd look cool on his internet surfing video. But his dad's mysterious amulet opened a portal to the Bermuda Triangle, and now Zak's stuck there, sailing on the pirate ship Chaos, until he can find a way out. Worse, the evil Skullivar (Keith Silverstein) wants the amulet, and he commands an army of talking skeletons who are after Zak and his crew. Legend says that a hero will come to unite the seven seas and open the Bermuda Triangle. But until then, it's Zak and the Chaos crew, boldly sailing straight toward adventure.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (4 ):

The gadgetry is cool, the characters relatable and interesting, the animation zesty -- but parents won't appreciate the violence, weapons, or language. Zak Storm reads as something of a throwback -- the same sort of swords, sorcery, magic, and supernatural villains that parents might remember from cartoons of the '80s like He-Man and Thundercats. Unfortunately, the levels of violence are also undiminished from that era, with Zak wielding a magical weapon and attacked by faceless henchmen who are easily knocked over yet always spring back up for the next battle, and shoot lazy laser bullets that Zak dodges on a surfboard, flinging quips over his shoulder.

The real problem is that Zak is just a regular teen, yet he's constantly told by the other characters that he's special. What's a young viewer to make of this? That heroic qualities are something you're born with, something innate you either have or don't have, not something you can develop? Other messages parents would probably prefer kids not to absorb: that battles are "adventures," that might makes right, and that villains are easy to spot and fun to spar with. For these reasons, even though young kids will be attracted to Zak's derring-do and cool sword/armor/ship, parents may want to watch first to make sure this series is right for their family.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why so many animated series take place in worlds with magic. Why is this an appealing setting for cartoons? Why don't more live-action shows take place in magical worlds?

  • Zak has a lot of confidence in himself. Can you name times in Zak Storm when he displayed confidence? Does his confidence ever lead him into tricky situations?

  • How many female characters are on this show? How many characters appear to be people of color? Is it important that cartoons show diversity? Does it matter? Do you notice, or care, if the characters on the shows you watch are diverse?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

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

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