Animal Mechanicals
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The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that preschoolers will love Animal Mechanicals, a colorful, upbeat series about a group of friends who team up to help other. They’ll also benefit from the show’s great messages about self-awareness, problem-solving, and having a positive attitude. The characters often make mistakes in their adventures, but each error teaches them a lesson and helps them attack the challenge in a more productive way. The animals put their individual skills to work when their friends are in a jam, which offers positive lessons about the importance of self-respect and appreciating your own talents.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
Too simple for older kids
Great show for little engineers
What's the story?
In ANIMAL MECHANICALS, Rex (voiced by Jim Fowler), Unicorn (Leah Ostry), Komodo (Shannon Lynch), Mouse (Abigail Gordon), and Sasquatch (Ian MacDougall) join forces when trouble knocks for one of their neighbors. Each day presents a new challenge for the friends when Island Owl (Lenore Zann) shows them who needs help and they set off to lend a hand. Unfortunately, their adventures usually include some missteps, which compound their obstacles, but when they put their heads together and activate their individual super skills, there’s no challenge that these go-getters can’t handle.
Is it any good?
Preschoolers will delight in this energetic series that’s set in a colorful world made of blocks, tracks, and cogs. The fact that every part of the Animal Mechanicals land can be disassembled and reconstructed is reflective of one of the show’s most positive themes: Mistakes happen to everyone, but with some patience and ingenuity, we can learn from them and start over again. The characters’ adventures are full of pitfalls, but it’s their positive attitude and ability to work through the challenges as a team that will stick with kids.
Alongside these lessons about cooperation are some equally satisfying ones about self-awareness, and these unique characters are great models of respect and self-esteem. Not only do they all look vastly different from one another, but they also have individualized skills like strength, flight, and speed that save the day at different points throughout the stories. Sure, kids can’t boast the same transformational abilities as Rex, Sasquatch, and the rest of the gang, but with parents’ encouragement, they can start to identify their own special talents and discover how they can put them to good use.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the challenges the characters in Animal Mechanicals face. Who was in trouble in the story? How did the animals try to help? What mistakes did they make? Did they learn any lessons from their mistakes? When have you learned important lessons from a mistake you’ve made?
Kids: What are your special skills and talents? How do you work to improve or practice these skills? How do you put them to good use?
Kids: How do you define a hero? Who are some of your heroes? Why do you look up to them?
How do the characters on Animal Mechanicals demonstrate teamwork? Why is this an important character strength?
TV details
- Premiere date: September 1, 2008
- Cast: Jim Fowler, Leah Ostry, Shannon Lynch
- Network: Discovery Family Channel
- Genre: Kids' Animation
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, Wild Animals
- Character Strengths: Teamwork
- TV rating: TV-Y
- Available on: DVD, Streaming
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