Moral Orel

What’s the Story?

MORAL OREL is created by Dino Stamatopoulos, a regular contributor to adult comedy shows like Late Night with Conan O'Brien. This sinfully clever stop-motion series packs a wallop of a message in a short amount of time -- and that's part of the problem. So much controversial humor peppers the show's 15-minute run that the shock value of the humor could overshadow the program's subtle message. Borrowing its distinctive animation style from classic Rankin-Bass shows like Davey and Goliath, Moral Orel follows the often-shocking misadventures of 11-year-old Orel Puppington (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence), a devoutly Christian boy who tries his best to live by "the book" but often misinterprets God's teachings. Orel's good intentions lead to disaster.

Is It Any Good?

Parents should be aware of the types of "lessons" kids could inadvertently learn from watching this show. For example, in an episode chronicling Orel's brief addiction to crack cocaine, his father cautions him that crack "is a gateway to slang," prompting the boy to solemnly vow: "When I do drugs, I'm going to speak properly." So while adults are more likely to see Moral Orel for what it is -- a biting social satire mocking religious fundamentalism and hypocrisy within the Christian church -- kids (even some older teens) probably won't appreciate the sophistication of the humor. (And in case you were wondering, young children definitely won't get the joke.)