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Animal Armageddon

(Rated TV-G, Educational, Starring Peter Ward, Jared Morrow, Where to watch: Animal Planet, DVD)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 9; suggested age 9.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Fascinating, sometimes intense tour of Earth's history.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 9 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The series illustrates Earth's ancient geological evolution and speculates on some of its long-extinct inhabitants. While it presents scientific theories (such as a gamma-ray burst that scientists say wiped out nearly all life 450 billion years ago) as fact, it does acknowledge that there's no definitive evidence to either support or debunk these or any other theories.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Some scenes of CGI animals fighting and tearing each other to pieces. References to violent future extinction events could upset kids -- one segment includes repetitive terms like "gamma ray bursts incinerate the earth's surface," and "rocketing death rays," and an entire episode analyzes possible future extinctions.

  • Sex:

    Occasional mention of animal mating rituals and reproduction, but nothing is shown.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Animal Armageddon

Parents need to know that this fascinating series explores controversial scientific theories about Earth's evolution and the cyclical extinction of its inhabitants. Kids could be confused by the speculative nature of what they hear and potentially frightened by the narrator's constant references to impending doom and death. Some scenes show CGI animals attacking and eating their prey, and others illustrate how changing atmospheric elements could have killed some species. It's not for young kids, but the show's stunning CGI makes ancient geology and evolution as enticing as any thriller, so it's a great choice for parents, tweens, and teens.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the methods that scientists use to develop and support their theories. How do they gather data so long after the actual event? How has modern technology changed how we can analyze ancient evidence? What do you think of the theories presented in this show? What alternative explanations for the same events have you heard? Does any theory seem more plausible to you than another? Why or why not?
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