Wunderkind Little Amadeus
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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 animated series aims to educate kids about classical music while entertaining them with cute cartoon antics. There's no iffy content to worry about. That said, although the producers do seem to get a lot of the details about Mozart's life correct, they also take some liberties with his story so that it works with their ongoing series.
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What's the Story?
The real Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy who wrote his first symphony at the age of 4. He was also reportedly quite the prankster, a fact that this series -- which aims to interest children in classical music -- runs with, making a genial 8-year-old scamp out of the historical figure. In each episode, Amadeus, as he's known to his family and friends, gets into scrapes and faces off with the jealous Lorenzo Devilious while using his musical ability to save the day.
Is It Any Good?
WUNDERKIND LITTLE AMADEUS is fairly standard animated fare, with a regular villain and fun-but-spunky heroes (the soundtrack, provided by one of the world's greatest composers, lifts things up a notch). The good news is that it seems to have a strong footing in the actual history of the day, in spite of the odd anachronistic language -- it's a bit jarring to see someone in a wig and knee breeches refer to something as "lame," for example.
The only question is whether kids addicted to Pokemon, Batman, and the like are going to put their cards down for this gentle little show about a type of music that plenty of folks (both old and young) find boring. Which is too bad, because both the music and the show are worth enjoying.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how accurate this series is. Do you think all of the characters in the show really existed? How could you find out more about the real Mozart? Why do you think TV show and movie producers sometimes bend the truth? Families can also discuss what kids learn from watching this show. Kids: Do you think of this series as more of an educational show or more of an entertaining one? Why?
TV Details
- Premiere date: September 7, 2008
- Cast: Marc Silk, Robert Tinkler, Samantha Reynolds
- Network: PBS
- Genre: Kids' Animation
- Topics: History, Music and Sing-Along
- TV rating: TV-G
- Last updated: September 19, 2019
Our Editors Recommend
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Jack's Big Music Show
Rockin' puppets teach toddlers the joys of music.
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Little Einsteins
An artistic adventure packed into each episode.
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