 | 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. |
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
- ABC Family, Disney XD
- Genre: Kids' Animation
Common Sense Media says
Classic superhero cartoon consistently entertains.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a decent, entertaining, and fairly wholesome series featuring the adventures of three Marvel Comics superheroes. Although each episode features at least one battle between superheroes and villains, the violence is mild and not likely to disturb kids, as it usually involves people being temporarily disabled rather than killed.
What's the story?
The classic early-1980s superhero cartoon SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS features the famous web-slinger teamed up with his super-powered pals Iceman and Firestar. Together, the trio keeps New York City -- and the rest of the world -- safe by battling a variety of bad guys, from mutants to "normal" villains. In their everyday, non-superhero lives, Peter Parker (voiced by Dan Gilvezan), Bobby Drake (Frank Welker), and Angelica Jones (Kathy Garver) -- Spider-Man, Iceman, and Firestar, respectively -- are students at New York's Empire State University, living together in one house with Peter's Uncle Ben and Aunt May. After teaming up to foil one of The Beetle's evil plans, the three decide to make their do-gooder partnership permanent. In addition to The Beetle, some of the well-known villains Spidey and his friends face off against include Dr. Octopus, The Green Goblin, Scorpion, The Chameleon, and Mysterio; they also fight Marvel universe baddies such as Magneto, Dr. Doom, and The Red Skull, as well as a set of brand-new villains created just for the series. The friends also occasionally join forces with other Marvel superheroes, including Sunfire, Captain America, and The Hulk.
Is it any good?
For any tweens out there who are fans of comic book superheroes and don't mind the flat, old-fashioned look of traditional animation, this cartoon won't disappoint. The series, even through its many incarnations, has always had an excellent balance of action, humor, and suspense, with the occasional touch of romance. Even though the show has that slight whiff of 1980s cheesiness at times, at least you won't find any intolerably goofy or superficial characters here, as you would in modern superhero cartoons like Kappa Mikey and Martin Mystery.
Better yet, you get fabulous, cheer-worthy superhero action with no visible bloodshed and little or no gunplay -- which usually can't be said of today's interpretations of Marvel Comics serials. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends takes you back to the (admittedly a bit black-and-white) days when the baddies were portrayed as super-bad and the good were super-good, the good set an admirable example, and you truly believed they were invincible.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the theme of each episode and the responsibility of having a special power. Who was the villain in this episode? What was his evil plan, and how did he intend to carry it out? How did Spider-Man and his friends foil the plan? If you had a special power, what would it be? How would you use it to help people?
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- Parents
- Teens & kids
Kid, 7 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
A must read book for every 8 year old
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
What ever
I remember watching this show and thinking it was really lame. Spider-man was cool for being a lone wolf and his sidekicks are kinda stupid anyway.
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Parent of 7 year old
April 9, 2008
AGE
Much better than most school-age cartoon fare
My 5 yo has recently discovered that there are other channels on the TV besides PBS, TLC, and PlayHouse Disney. This is the ONLY cartoon I let him watch that's geared to a school age audience. There's mild violence but no one inflicts deadly or life-threatening injuries (no getting squashed flat by anvils, for example). The bad guys are clearly bad and clearly not real. The heroes are occassionally in "peril" but the tension resolves quickly. The 3 characters work together and Firestar is not treated differently b/c she's a girl. All in all, pretty good for non-educational TV. My biggest issue is the commercials!
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Kid, 10 years old
August 31, 2009
AGE
Waa...Waa
Kind of lame Spider-Man working with two other heroes what he needs two heroes backing him up now! Spectacular Spider-Man is WWAAYY better.
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Teen, 13 years old
July 27, 2010
AGE
Cheesy but Fun
The series is different from the other Spider-Man series. I know it was made a long time ago and that times have changed, but it's very, very cheesy. But it's kind of funny and makes for decent entertainment. There is very little violence in this series; although the characters are superheroes, no one really fights aggressively or gets seriously hurt.
What other families should know:
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Parent
October 26, 2012
AGE
Be aware: Throwback to 80s gender stereotypes
While I agree with the main review (and other reviewers) that the show is rather harmless in terms of violence or violent messages, I do find there is a certain level of gender discrimination (a throwback to 1980s gender stereotypes). Firestar is a strong female character, but a lot of comments are made about her appearance and who she "belongs" to. Other female characters are quickly judged on their appearance by Spidey and Iceman. I think parents need to be aware of this if they think their children might be susceptible to developing gender stereotypes.
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| Topics: | Superheroes, Adventures, Friendship |
| TV rating: | TV-Y7 |
| Networks: | ABC Family, Disney XD |
| Cast: | Dan Gilvezan, Hans Conried |
| Genre: | Kids' Animation |
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