Parents' Guide to

Handy Manny: Big Construction Job

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Fix-it crew's big-city move teaches kids social lessons.

Movie NR 2010 67 minutes
Handy Manny: Big Construction Job Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

When Handy Manny (voiced by Wilmer Valderrama) and his tools are called away to Concrete Falls to lend a hand on a big-city building project, the residents of Sheetrock Hills must learn to fix things for themselves. Unfortunately for many of them, enthusiastic Mr. Lopart (Tom Kenny) moves in as the self-appointed substitute handy man, and his work just doesn't meet the standards the townspeople are used to from Manny and his crew. Meanwhile, Manny and the tools discover life on a busy construction job isn't really all it's cracked up to be.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2):

HANDY MANNY: BIG CONSTRUCTION JOB exemplifies the benefits of kids' TV done right. It starts with colorful characters, adds a sweet story, and mixes in multiple layers of positive messages illustrated in ways kids won't likely miss. From Manny's decision to leave Sheetrock Falls to the tools' fears that their new peers are better than them, the characters' troubles are relatable issues for preschoolers, giving parents and kids lots to talk about at the end.

As if these social themes aren't enough, the show also offers kids plenty of other content that feeds their need to understand the world around them. Manny and many of the characters are bilingual and routinely include Spanish words and phrases -- followed by their English translations -- in their conversations. Not only is the cast multicultural, it also challenges traditional gender roles by casting a female hardware store owner and gives female voices to a few of Manny's tools.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about making decisions. What difficult decisions did Manny have to make in this story? How would his decision affect others? How did he take their needs into account? What tough choices have you had to make? To whom did you turn for help?

  • Kids: What are your special talents or skills? How do you use them? In what ways can they allow you to help others? How do you feel when you encounter someone who's better than you at something? How do people's individual skills help strengthen a team?

  • What did you learn from this show? Did you pick up on any of the Spanish terms that were used? Were any of them familiar to you? What other shows use other languages like this one did?

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