Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Animated hero's journey has rude language, lots of violence.
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Zak Storm
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
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?
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
- Premiere date: October 14, 2017
- Cast: Michael Johnston , Christine Marie Cabanos , Christopher Smith , Kyle Hebert
- Networks: Discovery Family Channel , Netflix
- Genre: Kids' Animation
- TV rating: NR
- Last updated: August 19, 2022
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