Dinosaur King (CW)

Based on a Sega card game, the anime DINOSAUR KING follows the adventures of young Rex, Max, and Zoe, who stumble on some mysterious stones and cards that give them the power to summon dinosaurs from the past. They soon find themselves caught up in a violent battle with Dr. Z and his Alpha Gang, who want to use the dinosaurs to take over the world. With the right combination of cards and stones, a player can bring to life a flesh-and-bone animal. When a card is found, both teams race to the site and the dinosaurs they already control do battle for rights to the newfound one. The challenges also include additional cards that can help the players and their dinosaurs escape sticky situations. Certain cards, for example, can re-energize wounded dinosaurs or give them additional power.

If all of this sounds a bit too familiar, you're not alone. Dinosaur King bears plenty of design and plot similarities to the ubiquitous Pokemon conglomerate, so parents who are averse to the connections between TV series and seemingly endless marketing machines may want to steer clear of this one. There's little of substance here anyway, with mostly weak adult characters, no strong positive messages to speak of, and high levels of unrealistically bloodless violence.

TV Rating: TV-Y7-FV
Network: CW
Cast: Darren Dunstan, Rachael Lillis, Veronica Taylor
Genre: Kids' Animation
Where to watch: CW