Rainy April days are going to happen. What’s good online? There is an overwhelming amount of options(Check out our guide to Netflix categories). Kids will always push the boundaries with what’s appropriate. It’s your jobs to make sure they don’t push it too early. Violent cartoons are pretty easy to filter, but how do you know if a show is too snarky?
Snarky characters have invaded many of the best produces animated shows. Pokemon and The Deep captivate our kids but when it’s over and they call each other ‘loser’ or ‘captain obvious’ we need to rethink what they can see.
The number of talented writers hasn’t increased as quickly as the computer programs that can illustrate them. We’re looking at you Netflix. It is for that reason we can only recommend two Netflix original shows- Puss ‘n Boots and Puffin Rock.
Here’s our Springtime Snark Free Viewing guide.
Netflix
Kubo and the Two Strings is wonderfully written and animated film. Made by the same production company that created Boxtrolls and Coraline. It was lost in theaters but is every bit as good as the next movie on the list that came out around the same time.
Zootopia is fun with exceptionally well-written characters. Having a range of characters is normal, but nailing the emotions is incredible.
Puss ‘n Boots is the one or two Netflix original animated shows we have on the list. The others like Dawn of the Croods, Home, Dragons Race to the Edge, suffer from lazy writing and are produced too fast. Netflix needs to push content so quality suffers. There are a few we haven’t watched like Justin Time we can’t comment on yet.
Julie’s Greenroom is a Netflix Original but it’s not animated. It features the lovely Julie Andrews and a crew of puppets brought to life by the Jim Henson Company. It’s perfect for PreSchool aged kids. It’s warm and nostalgic feel is the cure for the snark fest that is almost everywhere.
Smurfs and the Magic Flute – Somehow the kids watched this twice. This movie is pre-Saturday morning Smurfs. It is almost meditative. The smurfs don’t even show up until halfway through the movie.
Octonauts has been a favorite for years. Watch a little and learn a lot about the ocean.
Little Einsteins feature Classical Music and for that, it garners our praise. Classical music needs a place in every home.
Rescue Bots has a little bit of snark but relegated to just one or two of their smaller characters and not the leads. It fills the void for those days when the kids want to watch the actual Transformers.
Amazon Prime
Tumble Leaf is a beautiful slow-moving poem. It’s stop motion and I don’t think it would work in any other format. Amazon shares a full episode below.
Wild Kratts has been the boys favorite for years. They cite info they’ve learned from the show daily. They watch on PBS but it’s nice to know it’s available 24/7 via amazon. The Kratts previous show Zoboomafoo is also online.
via GIPHY
Creative Galaxy is a bit like Little Einsteins but solving problems with art. Also like Little Einsteins, Creative Galaxy is geared more for the little ones.
Odd Squad is amazing. Here in Vermont, it airs on PBS during bedtime prep so we never see it live, but fortunately, it’s on Amazon Prime. The Odd squad solves seriously odd questions using math. It’s actually funny and along with Puss ‘n Boots worth watching even if you’re old.
