Parents' Guide to Ellen's Acres

TV Cartoon Network Kids' Animation 2006
Ellen's Acres Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Emily Ashby By Emily Ashby , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 4+

Imagination can't save Eloise wannabe.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 4+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

See all
 

 

age 18+

Based on 1 kid review

 

 

See all 1 kid review

What's the Story?

In ELLEN'S ACRES, Ellen travels the world, explores outer space, and leaps through time, all from her hotel home. She conjures adventures using her two favorite things -- a feather duster and a radial tire -- which transform into the ubiquitous tools of her trademark jet-setting. Hotel guests and staff provide inspiration for the characters she meets in her many travels.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say ( 1 ):

In theory, Ellen's adventures sound like lots of fun for kids -- especially those who like make believe themselves -- but some aspects of the series may raise parents' eyebrows. Though it's spun to highlight the advantages of imaginative play, Ellen's solitary lifestyle and complete lack of interaction with other kids (a la Eloise) is a little troubling. Because she's surrounded only by adults -- including parents whose involvement is limited to summoning her for an errand or responding to her tall tales with a distracted "That's nice, honey" -- Ellen is forced daily to create playmates for herself. Inventive and resourceful as she is, her actions seem to speak to an intense loneliness.

What's more, the constant transitions to and from the world of imagination add unnecessary chaos to the already jumbled show style, and Ellen's monotonous overuse of "actually ..." -- which cues viewers that she's taking them back to reality -- soon begins to sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard. Parents who watch with young kids may need to point out what's real for Ellen and what's pretend, since it's sometimes difficult to tell.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about imaginative play. Kids, what do you like to pretend? What toys or other objects do you use in make believe? Where do you get your ideas? Do you include your friends in your adventures? What do you like about playing with friends? What would you do if you didn't have any friends around to play with?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

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

Ellen's Acres Poster Image

What to Watch Next

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate