The Adventures of Young Gulliver
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this vintage adventure cartoon is classic '60s stuff, with stereotypical heroes and villains, dumb sidekicks, and a token cheerleader-type girl. Adventures consist mostly of running from larger creatures or other people, and while there's some peril, ther'es little real violence or injury. There's also little or no link to the real Gulliver's Travels -- and certainly no educational or literary message.
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What's the Story?
THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG GULLIVER, which originally aired in 1968, follows Gary Gulliver (voiced by Jerry Dexter) as he and four Lilliputian friends search Lilliput for his father. He has a map to guide him -- but the evil Captain Leech (John Stephenson) believes the map will lead not to Pop Gulliver but to treasure. Most episodes consequently center around Gary and the Lilliputians fleeing from Captain Leech.
Is It Any Good?
By today's standards, both the animation and the plotting of Young Gulliver are pretty lame. Characters are wooden and two-dimensional, and there's no real back story or sense of growth or relationships. It's classic three-commercial-break fare: The set up, the chase, the rescue/escape, the brief humorous moment followed by all of the characters laughing merrily together before the credits roll.
That said, young kids will accept the simplicity of it all, and for some it could be a welcome break from some of today's frenetic cartoons. Still, when all is said and done, Young Gulliver is devoid of any educational, social, or emotional value, making it nothing but a couch potato moment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how they think producers came up with the idea for the show. Do you think it would be fun to take a favorite book and imagine what might happen to a character after the book ended?
Kids: What would it be like to be the size of a Lilliputian? What would be the coolest thing you could do -- or the scariest thing you'd see?
TV Details
- Premiere date: September 14, 1968
- Cast: Don Messick, Ginny Tyler, Jerry Dexter
- Network: Boomerang
- Genre: Kids' Animation
- Topics: Adventures, Book Characters
- TV rating: TV-Y7
- Last updated: September 19, 2019
Our Editors Recommend
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Scoob and the gang are on the case! Families AOK.
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The Herculoids
Vintage '60s sci-fi superhero action is only OK.
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The Pink Panther
Parents can breathe easy with this clean classic.
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