Parents' Guide to

Dinotrux

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Creatures find friendship, fun in awesome animated world.

TV Netflix Kids' Animation 2015
Dinotrux Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 22 parent reviews

Elannora
Elannora Adult
July 25, 2021
age 7+

Built on Bullying

If you get past the constant fighting and put downs it's not generally a bad show. It's entertaining and has a lot of good positive messages. But what bothers me is the constant negative undertone. Ty is a bully. The first episode he comes into the crater and decides to make a home there. D structs already lives there and doesn't want Ty there. D structs isn't a good guy, but Ty isn't either. Ty is just like "you can share" and refuses to leave. It's like having a random person move into your house and then invite a bunch of people to live there with them and you can't get rid of them no matter what you try. And he has this outlook everywhere he goes. If someone says no, he forces them to do what he wants. And there's multiple times the main group decides to steal from others, including D structs or talk about destroying his stuff. It's just a really terrible undertone to what could be a really great show.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
Timothy W.
Timothy W. Parent of 7-year-old
May 24, 2021
age 8+

Who though this was a good idea for a kid's show?

How did they manage to take a book for preschoolers as cute as Chris Gall's book and turn it into a show as violent as this one? There's a lot of screaming and yelling, and various characters trade insults. After watching it, my son just wants to smash things. Also, there's a character with a pronounced verbal/physical tic that's played up for laughs.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 22 parent reviews

What's the Story?

DINOTRUX is the story of a group of dinosaur/construction vehicle hybrids who surprise themselves by becoming friends after a lifetime of believing they had nothing in common. The series opens with Ty Rux (voiced by Andrew Francis) fleeing his home after a volcano destroys it and settling in a new crater whose residents are tormented by a bully named D-Structs (Paul Dobson). Ty Rux befriends a resourceful Reptool called Revvit (Richard Ian Cox), and the two enlist the help of their neighbors -- Skya (Ashleigh Ball), Ton-Ton (Matt Hill), and Dozer (Brian Drummond) -- to team up against D-Structs.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (22 ):
Kids say (10 ):

This fantastic series blends two kid favorites -- dinosaurs and construction vehicles -- into a cast of exceptional characters who show viewers how deceiving appearances can be. The characters' home is a place where different species never interact, let alone work together, so when Ty Rux takes the time to get to know Revvit and the two become friends, it's the spark that inspires change and breaks down the barriers that have kept the characters separate for so long.

Each episode is packed with illustrations of friendship, teamwork, and creative problem-solving that draws on the unique skills of each character, from the tiniest Reptool to the most powerful Dinotrux, but that's not what will keep kids coming back for more. Instead they will be won over by the well-rounded characters and the remarkable animation and detail that went into bringing these appealing book characters to the screen.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why it's important to get to know someone before you pass judgment on him or her. What, if anything, can you tell about people by the way they look? Is it ever appropriate to make a snap judgment?

  • Kids: In what ways are you and your friends different from each other? Have you ever been envious of a friend's talents? When you're working together, how do these differences become an asset?

  • Kids: If you've read the Dinotrux books, does this show improve on their story? In general, do you like screen adaptations of books, or are there drawbacks to seeing how others interpret the characters? Which book would you like to see brought to life on-screen?

  • How do the characters in Dinotrux demonstrate courage and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?

TV Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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