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Danny Phantom

(Rated TV-Y, Children, cartoons, & animation, Starring Kath Soucie, Rob Paulsen, David Kaufman, Where to watch: Nickelodeon, DVD, Online)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 5, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Teen with phantom powers offers laughs, battles.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 8 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Diverse group of friends; women are basically treated as equals, except the mom, who is brilliant but subservient.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    Danny fights ghosts without hesitation; prolonged battle scenes with scary and sometimes gross violence.
  • Sexy stuff:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Some potty humor.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Danny Phantom

Parents need to know that this series is funny, but it's often violent and may be too much for sensitive kids. Death threats, torture, knives, and violence against women are commonplace. The main character suffers from bullying, shyness, and being the odd one out.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the amount of violence in this cartoon. Why does such a clever show need so many battles? Is Danny's dad oblivious to what goes on in his house? Why does Danny choose to hide his powers from his mom and dad? Do you think it's easy to keep secrets from your parents? What's the benefit of keeping parents in the dark?

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Our Members Say

Have you seen it? Review It!

  • What did you think about Danny Phantom?
  •  I think this show is

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See all 138 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in Massachusetts
    I rate this title on for age 7 and give it 1.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    This show is lame!

    This show is lame!

  2. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in New Hampshire
    I rate this title on for age 5 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

  3. I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 0.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Negative message

    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

  4. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    I rate this title on for age 5 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    My Problem with this Review

    This review has some aspects that I don't agree with. Danny Phantom is less violent than A LOT of stuff in T.V. nowadays, and A LOT more entertaining. Honestly, I don't think this show is very violent. It came out when I was six, and even though the slightest thing scared me back then, I enjoyed it. I only remember being a bit scared during The Ultimate enemy (TUE) and that was only once. I DO recall a couple death threats, but those are very rare, and this IS a cartoon about a superhero! Torture? Wrong. The only thing I've seen is electric shocks for a few seconds, and I've seen every episode at least twice! I do recall a knife, and it was never used. There has been only one sword fight, and that only lasted about ten seconds, and no one was hurt. Violence towards women? So if a ghost is trying to destroy the world, and Danny attempts to stop it, there's a problem if it's a female? The men and women are treated equally by all characters. If the ghost attacks, Danny captures it and sends it back into the Ghost Zone wheather it's female or not. You're right about one thing. There IS no opportunity to work things out. That's because some ghost is trying to kill someone!! If some guy was about to kill you, and you have no weay to escape, would you smile and say "We can work this out, buddy!", or would you fight back!? Something that you wondered about is why Danny hides his powers from his parents, because they are paranormal experts. That's true, but you missed something. His parents want to DESTROY ghosts they capture. They're his parents, but Danny's a kid. Put yourself into a kid's frame of mind. He knows that they love him, but he's still afraid that they might only see him as a ghost. Everyone's mind goes through the worst case scenario, and his seems too likely. Danny is different in his phantom form because he obviously feels more confident. No one knows who he is, and he can use many different powers. It's similar to how I'm talkative at home because I'm sure that people will listen but I'm not in public places. A weird comparison, but it'll do. To quote "Ultimately, the show suffers for giving into the violent mainstream." I don't believe this. Haven't you noticed how many kids shows seem too afraid to even be close to violent, and instead market towards little kids? I believe that Danny Phantom is a step in the right direction. Many people believe that cartoons are for kids only, but by adding more action and less mind numbing silliness, less people would have this opinion. Danny Phantom took that risk, and that's what made it so popular! Plus, you need to give kids more credit! Some kids may be scared, but most aren't. Do you think that the only thing kids enjoy is silliness without a plot? You're wrong! I was reading complicated chapter books when I was 7, and watching nothing but Animal Planet when I was five!!! In short, this show isn't that violent, you has false points in your review, and kids are smarter than you thin. Now, I shall leave this site that encourages age descrimination.

  5. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 7 and give it 4.0

    The first two season are more intelligent...

    Original and entertaining (depending on the episode). I really like how the early DP episodes had Danny/Sam/Tucker THINKING THROUGH their problems (it's nice to see a normally intelligent character in a cartoon once in a while). Maybe parents would have a problem with Danny/Jazz/Tucker/Sam's frequent lying problem, but I think that Danny's parent's reaction (Hey, look! They HATE ghosts, but still love and accept their son (and are willing to forgive VLAD!!!, up to a point) after they learn he's a half-ghost. That's rather unusual for 99.9% of 'child-hides/has-fantastical-secret/power' entertainment. Harry Potter/Neverending Story, I'm looking at YOU.) makes it OK for some children. 'Misplaced aggression' could also be a problem for some parents... Danny DOES have frustrations and problems like any other child, and will sometimes take them out on unfriendly ghosts. Luckily, this is usually not portrayed positively.

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