 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Moral Orel
- Cartoon Network
- Genre: Comedy
Common Sense Media says
Older teens can tackle this 'toon's adult themes.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that while this satirical Cartoon Network comedy is animated, it's part of the Adult Swim lineup for a reason: It's rife with graphic humor and isn't appropriate for young children. (For example, when the 11-year-old Orel takes a drag from his very first crack pipe, he snaps at his talking Jesus figurine and tells him to shut up.) Troubling content aside, however, the show can serve as a way for parents and older teens to talk about the pitfalls of religious fanaticism -- although families who are deeply religious may find the program offensive.
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 each episode'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" that 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.)
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the ways in which religious dogma can be misinterpreted by those with good intentions. Does a person who is considered to be religious always act morally?
What statement are the creators of this series making about the state
of modern-day Christianity?How does this cartoon compare with Davey and Goliath, the early 1960s animated series it parodies?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Food for thought, a peek at the road to unhappiness.
It has to be said right off the bat that the first season is a very different thing than the second and third, the third being the darkest but also most powerful. Also, while alcohol use is abundant it is in no way glorified and the viewer is made to feel sorry for the characters reliant on it (especially Orel's father). The sexual element is not graphic, and exists largely as a means to talk about repression of human nature, and of course that sexual repression's effect on the citizens of Moralton (again, most especially Orel's father, who serves as the secondary main character.)
Orel lives in a town of good moral protestants, or so they would have you think. In reality they are for the most part depraved hypocrites. Religion in the show serves as a means of deceiving themselves and others into believing they are good and happy people. Orel himself is a good person, and as a devout Christian, tries his hardest to please God. His comical failings stem from a combination of him being boundlessly naive and having very poor guidance. While the show does have a hostile attitude towards religion it doesn't attempt to show that religion makes people bad, only that it does not make them good and that a lot of bad can come of even completely earnest attempts at doing good under its guidance. As a student of philosophy, I take the show to be a very strong critique of a very popular moral theory, divine commandment (though I feel it can be extrapolated to other rule based theories).
Aside from the religious aspect that so rules the earlier parts of the show, the citizens of Moralton are all explored in some depth, dealing with the issues they seek to cover up. These issues are not exclusive to the religious, they are very real human situations that arise from social pressure, formative experiences, and basic human emotions.
It's a show for adults and kids a bit older. 13 can handle the "bad stuff", but maybe not get the messages. The older the viewer, the more it is likely to resonate with them. The younger the viewer, the more useful the show could be. It's claymation, but it's not a happy show. It has some uplifting moments, but they are outnumbered by depressing ones, which is not at all to say that the show isn't also very funny.
Watch it if you want something that will make you think, not if you want a carefree laugh, a positive role model, and positive messages. As for religious viewers, some of the humor may offend you, as religion is the sort of thing people are quick to take offense about. To my recollection God or Jesus are never made fun of, only people and dogma. If you can watch with an open mind you might have a few laughs and maybe find yourself having a long think about something you otherwise might not.
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AGE
this is the worst show
if you are a christian or believe in god or jesus at all don't watch this show it's purposs is to make fun of religion that's the punchline this is like the least funny show on the planet it makes me sick pleas heed my words.
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AGE
some people might like it...
i didnt think this show was all that great,because its not for everyone.if you get offended by stuff against religion you shouldnt watch this.it also has some comic violence and drug use.it shold be noted though that the sexual content contains stuff like masturbation and peircings (all done by a curious not-knowing kid).overall its an okay show,but it should be for 16+ or so.
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AGE
Maturity is a must, watch yourself before deciding if your kid can handle
This is a doozy, the first season is a lot cheaper stabs at religious humor, some in poor taste, and others were home runs.
The second and third seasons serve as an intense analysis of faith, mostly the bad aspects of blind dogma (which can make great discussion points) - And later in the series you see Orel come to terms with balancing his naive, well-meaning, but extreme interpretation and adherence to the bible and the warped stories given to him by the adults of Moralton.
I think the writing is brilliant, there's more low-brow humor of slapstick, and some plain crude moments. But one of the biggest deciding things on the show is the nuance it can take really appreciate the show, it says a lot of things with the actions - Not some end-of-episode preachy moments. Dino did a great job on the show.
Summation:
-Immature Children (and Adults for that matter...) can watch it, but there's a lot of deep subject material there for other people too.
-Other people bash this for having poor role models, and frankly that's the point of the show! Dino's writing focuses largely on the hypocrisy and how flawed the adults of moralton are!
-The second and third seasons serve as brilliant character analysis; The Christmas specials in particular had me in near tears at a moment when Orel looks up into the sky, having faith in god...and all you can hear is an icy winter wind.
Flip side of that coin also has me cracking a grin as Reverend Putty gives a voice over at the end, and a montage show's despite Orel's mistakes, and the terrible things he grew up around. 'Miracles can happen...'
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AGE
Unique and powerful
I've never seen a show like this before. A fun laugh for anyone with a sense of humor when it comes to religion, but also very entertaining for those with a darker sense of humor. Moral Orel is very involved in the lives of all of it's characters. The show uses their problems to make a unique blend of comedy and serious issues that really gets the viewer attached to the people of Moralton. And, on top of all that, it's a wonderful example of good animation and voice acting.
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AGE
Love this, the first time I saw it I thought it was ridiculous which it is lol a little kid playing with his jesus figure then smokes crack and the jesus says "i hope you love it as much as I love you" hahaha and Orel goes "shut up Jesus" and throughs him its sick and twisted but I cant get enough.
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AGE
People misunderstand what this show is.
While it is perhaps not the best example of a show that could provide good religious discussion for families, it is not "anti-religion". The focus of the show is to serve as criticism for the fanaticism of religion, and how being religious does not entail that a person has decent morals. In the end, the show even supports religion, as we see Orel in the future having settled down and maintained his religion despite a crisis of faith, but also making sure to not be like his parents, who they themselves were made into what they were from their own abusive parents.
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AGE
(Judging from seeing only 1 episode,)This is a hilarious show! I love it! I am 12 years old, and love [adult swim]. Although, this is very inappropriate, and not for kids. There are very bad messages, including mixing pleasure with pain. The church that Orel goes to portrays sex, drinking, gambling, swearing, self pleasure and about every other thing to be the work of the devil. He says you will be damned to hell if you do any of these things, and that if you do, you should punish yourself. Orel does this, since he is, well, a dumb 11 year old. (Not that all 11 year olds are stupid.) The shocking situations are hilarious, but this show is NOT for kids.
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AGE
Good for some, but way to difficult for others
This show may not be for kids, but i am 12 and frankly I thought the show was genius. The way it missinterpeted christianity was brilliant. However, i understand this is an adult show and by watching it you can cleary tell. The jokes are someimes very offensive but it has shown me the flaws in Chirstianity. Like for instance how parents of christians can be. My friend is a huge example. His parents hate eachother but they always are together. The reason that I love this show is that its just what i think about and ponder into a tv show. I do not reccomend watching it with your family. If i was a parent I would let my kids watch it at 14. They are old enough to get the jokes and old enough to handle it. I get the jokes but some of the episodes (numb,best christmas ever,alone) are incredibley hard to watch. Check it out some time.
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AGE
Wasintended for adults
Good and lessonsble,for big kids
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| TV rating: | TV-MA |
| Network: | Cartoon Network |
| Cast: | Britta Phillips, Carolyn Lawrence, Jay Johnston |
| Genre: | Comedy |
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