Parents' Guide to

Adventure Time: Elements

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Jake and Finn's return to Ooo takes an absurd turn.

TV Cartoon Network Kids' Animation 2017
Adventure Time: Elements Poster Image

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What's the Story?

When Finn (Jeremy Shada) and Jake (John DiMaggio) return from the adventures encountered in Adventure Time: Islands, they find that Ooo is very different from when they left in ADVENTURE TIME: ELEMENTS. All their friends have different names and are now made of candy, and all of Ooo is composed of the four basic elements of life: candy, ice, fire, and slime. Can Finn and Jake reverse the terrible events that caused their magical kingdoms to transform? Will their friends stay mindless zombies? Did something mysterious in the Ice King's past cause all this to happen? And if so, can our heroes team up with the Ice King (Tom Kenny) and Betty (Lena Dunham) to turn back the clock?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Less emotional than the Islands adventure that preceded it, this entry into the Adventure Time canon returns to cheerful silliness. We're clued in that something is different this time around when instead of promising that we'll go to "very distant lands," the theme song tells us we're on the way to "very messed up lands." Indeed. Fish are now made of gummy, the tree house is made entirely of candy, and instead of being her sweet, charming self, Princess Bubblegum is now a giant elemental monster who wants to transform Finn and Jake into candy, too.

It's the same sort of absurd adventure fans are used to seeing, which asks the question of why this particular outing is a miniseries rather than a regular season. No matter, Elements is classic AT fun, with Jake pausing in the middle of a quest to explain to Finn why he should always have a phone: "You'll think it'll make people want to talk to you more, but they just forget to invite you to stuff." Later, Ice King pooh-poohs the possibility of a second date with a woman he excitedly describes as possibly some type of exotic bird: "I don't want to be that guy who's always hanging out with his girlfriend and doesn't have time for his friends." Then he pauses and says softly "I so want to be that guy.' It's silliness, but with a heart, which makes it the best kind of whole-family viewing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Finn and Jake show courage and compassion in Adventure Time: Elements by trying to rescue their friends even when they themselves are in danger. How do they use teamwork to get through obstacles? Why are these important character strengths?

  • Adventure Time has released many miniseries. How are these series different from seasons of the show? How many episodes are typically in a season of Adventure Time? Do all TV shows have seasons of this length, or are some longer or shorter? What would be the advantage of putting out a separate miniseries rather than just telling this same story on a regular season?

  • Though Finn and Jake frequently are at odds with other creatures they encounter in Adventure Time: Elements, they almost never battle. Why not? Why are battles such a common element on many other animated shows?

TV Details

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