Roary the Racing Car - NR

Spunky speedster teaches kids social values.

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details

TV Rating: NR
Network: Sprout
Cast: Maria Darling, Sam Hornish, Jr., Peter Kay
Genre: Children, Cartoons, & Animation

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this lively, colorful series for preschoolers includes strong positive messages about topics like sharing, communication, making good choices, and problem-solving. Preschoolers will have so much fun watching Roary's adventures that they won't realize they're picking up important social lessons along the way, and parents can rest assured that there's no iffy content to worry about.

Families can talk about the problems that Roary and his friends encounter. Kids: What troubles did Roary face in this episode? How did his actions contribute to the problem? How did he show that he was taking responsibility for what happened? How did his friends help him set things right? Have you ever been in a situation like Roary's? Who do you ask for help when you need it?

Message
Violence
Sex
Language

Message

Social Behavior:

The series promotes positive values like friendship, helpfulness, problem-solving, creativity, respect for the environment, and healthy lifestyles. Characters are dominantly male.

Consumerism:

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Violence

Race cars sometimes spin out or crash on the track, but they're never hurt.

Sex

Language

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Emily Ashby

ROARY THE RACING CAR follows the antics of a young single-seater named Roary (voiced by Maria Darling) and his circle of friends at the Silver Hatch race track he calls home. Each day brings new adventures for Roary, Cici, Tin Top, Drifter, and Maxi, who discover that where there's adventure, there's opportunity to learn about themselves and their world. Roary's impulsiveness sometimes gets him into sticky situations, but he's always willing to learn from his mistakes and make things right for himself and his friends in the end.

Is it any good?

Preschoolers will love tagging along with this colorful cast of speedsters on their fast-paced escapades, and they'll relate to the kid-sized problems that pop up along the way. Roary's penchant for trouble allows plenty of room for learning lessons in friendship, courage, respect, making good choices, and other important social lessons. Plus, the fact that Roary often turns to paternal auto mechanic Big Chris (Peter Kay) for guidance when he's stumped shows young viewers that it's smart to ask for adults' help in a crunch.

With its fun stories and energetic music, Roary the Racing Car is sure to win big with little viewers. The series' only flaw is the disproportionate gender distribution in its characters. In a move that subtly reinforces stereotypes in the traditionally male-dominated field of racing, the show only includes two female characters: Cici, the pink stunt car, and Marsha, the race marshal.