Parents' Guide to

Maneaters

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

When animals attack...plus safety, environment message.

TV Animal Planet Educational 2009
Maneaters Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

For most people, the zoo is about as close as they ever get to wild animals. But this reality series goes out to the jungles, swamps, and oceans to meet real predators on their turf, and explains how these beautiful and fearsome creatures can become MANEATERS. The series features interviews with people who recount real-life encounters with dangerous beasts, ranging from crocodiles and sharks to wolves, bears, and leopards. The show re-creates these harrowing attacks, showing how a simple hike in the woods can suddenly become a survival situation. It also features plenty of footage of wild animals hunting and feeding, and makes it clear that in a fight, man is definitely the underdog.

Is It Any Good?

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

The animals are definitely the stars of Maneaters. Watching them run and swim and track prey is amazing. The survivors are less compelling to watch, and though their stories are terrifying, the re-creations are not that exciting, mainly because of the editing. There's plenty of footage of the animals in nature, but for good reason, it's impossible to film re-creations of the actual attacks. Instead, the show features clips of people acting scared then cuts to shots of threatening beasts -- it's clear that the sequences are cobbled together.

This flaw doesn't mute the message of the series: that we underestimate wildlife at our peril. The show is exciting to watch at times, but can also be seen as a how-to survival guide. It explains how people can come into contact with wild animals, and takes pains to point out that the ever-expanding human population is encroaching more and more into their natural habitat.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about interacting with animals. What would you do if you faced an animal attack? Do you think you would be able to fight for survival? What do you think these survivors did right, or wrong, in these cases?

  • As the world's population expands, and wild areas shrink, do you think there will be more dangerous animal-human encounters? Do you think the animals should be blamed for these attacks, or are they just obeying their own nature? Should people make an effort to preserve natural space for wild animal habitat?

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 suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

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