Storm Hawks - TV-Y7-FV

Heroes' high-flying adventures will thrill tweens.

TV Rating: TV-Y7-FV Network: Cartoon Network Cast: Chiara Zanni, Sam Vincent, Scott McNeil Genre: Children, Cartoons, & Animation
Available on: DVD

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that action-adventure is the name of the game in this cartoon. The characters are constantly getting knocked off their aircraft in mid-air dog fights (aided by the fact that they often ride them standing atop the wings), being clobbered by enemies' hand-held weapons, and surviving life-threatening collisions -- none of which result in any visible injury. A male character's interest in the opposite sex refreshes when a new girl is introduced, but the mild references don't amount to more than a few longing looks. Aside from that, there's little here to worry about.

Families can talk about the presence (or lack thereof) of role models in TV shows for kids and tweens. Which adults, if any, make an appearance in this show? What roles do they play? Can any of them be considered role models for the teen heroes? Why or why not? What's implied by the significant age difference between the Storm Hawks and Cyclonis, Dark Ace, and the Talons? What message does it send when the youthful good guys always outsmart their more seasoned adversaries? Kids: Can you think of any other series with similar plots?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Emily Ashby

STORM HAWKS is an action-adventure cartoon that follows the high-flying efforts of five mismatched teens to stop an evil empire from world domination.

Dispatching minions throughout the land to capture the residents of Atmos, Master Cyclonis (voiced by Lenore Zann), the Queen of Cyclonia, looks to expand her malicious reaches until the entire world is within her grasp. But battling her every move are the daring Storm Hawks, who specialize in daring rescues and mid-air duels with the queen's gang of thugs, the Talons.

Led by 14-year-old Aerrow (Sam Vincent) -- whose youth belies an inner strength and fearless talent for flying -- the Storm Hawks take to the skies atop their Air Skimmers, which transform from aircraft to motorcycles with the push of a button. Hand-to-hand combat specialist Finn (Matt Hill), stealth agent Piper (Chiara Zanni), gadget-guru Stork (Scott McNeil), and strength-infused Junko (Colin Murdock) round out the team of five, which travels Atmos on the heels of Cyclonis' henchman, Dark Ace (Vincent again), and the nefarious Talons. Aerrow's co-pilot, Radarr, gives the team a second line of defense when their fearlessness takes them a little too far.

The adventurous team welcomes the reckless and seemingly impossible tasks that accompany the job of warding off Cyclonis' advances -- so much so that even when recklessness isn't really a necessity, they often throw it into the mix just for fun. Which is easy to do when your battleground is actually the sky, hand-to-hand combat takes place on the wings of your aircraft, and you and your adversaries can use crystals to change the weather patterns to get your enemies off-balance.

Tweens -- especially thrill-seeking boys -- are sure to enjoy the Storm Hawks' high-flying adventures, and parents can rest assured that, aside from the prevalence of typical cartoon peril (extensive falls, mid-air collisions, etc.) that never seems to cause lasting injury, there's not much to be concerned about. That said, there aren't too many overwhelmingly positive messages or strong role models. But on the whole, it's a cartoon vacation for the brain that kids and tweens will welcome and parents shouldn't fret over.

Fans may also like Oban Star-Racers, Transformers: Cybertron, and Ben-10.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content A male character fancies himself a ladies' man, so there are occasional references to him being attracted to a particular girl, but that's as far as it goes.
Violence It's an action-adventure 'toon, so mild peril is common and includes falls from heights (usually broken at the last moment by a teammate's lucky interception), mid-air plane collisions, characters being flattened by falling doors, and brief hand-to-hand combat. No one is killed; mostly they're knocked out or -- in the bad guys' case -- the scene cuts away as they fall into an abyss.
Language
Message
	Social Behavior The characters always resort to brute force to solve differences. Female characters are outnumbered (within the Storm Hawks squadron, only one of the five is a girl), but they can hold their own with the guys in both strategy and strength.
	Commercialism
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco