Dinotrux is a fun animated series about construction vehicles which somewhat look like reptoids from the imagination of Chris Gall. They live in the biomechanical Mechazoic age and build structures which could explain the origins of places like Stonehenge. New episodes were released March 11, 2016, on Netflix.
Continuing where the last season left off, D-Structs (voiced by Paul Dobson) is exiled from the valley through no fault of his own. He’s the antagonist of the series. In the premiere episode of season two,”New Tail,” he is desperately in need for a new stinger. Before, he had a spiked wrecking ball to bash fellow dino-mechanoids around. Now, he has none. No longer seen as a threat, he still wants to make life miserable for Ty Rux (Andrew Francis) and the dino-mechs who made the Flatirons their home. One reptool, Skrap-It (Skrap), remains loyal to this bully and just why he continues to take the abuse is a mystery. He helps this villain gain a new tail.
In “Night,” the other reptools show that they can take care of themselves instead of being dependent on the “constructicons” for their continued survival. Perhaps that’s why Skrap is always close to D-Struct since he is always a few circuits short of a full board. His eccentric nature makes him a wild card and the repairs he offers to his commander is not as perfect as the gang that sides with Ty. This episode shows how working as a team makes them a very resourceful bunch. If they do not, as Skrap-It’s gang has shown, repairing their larger cousins can be problematic. One great episode is “Battering Ram,” where the wrench tool, Ace (Cree Summer) giving Skya (Ashleigh Ball) a battlefront upgrade.
But there are also lessons to be learned in this series. Revvit (Richard Ian Cox), Ty Rux’s faithful companion, shows that even he must learn how to overcome fear in “Rollodons.” The words of wisdom from him in “Lair” shows that this series is not just another kid’s show. Ty Rux and D-Structs’ conflict do not have to escalate to total war. This concept helps escalate this series to a tale not just for children to thrill to. they can learn from it too.
On the opposite end, the humour found in this series is simple. The laughs come more from a bit of slapstick and the performances by the supporting cast of Skya a brachiosaur and crane hybrid, Ton-Ton (Matt Hill) an Ankylosaurus and dump truck combo and Dozer (Brian Drummond) a Triceratops and bulldozer half-breed.
Watching them interact is like witnessing a day in the life at Mayberry (The Andy Griffith Show). While this program has no sheriff, just how this group of bots maintain order is at the heart of the show. The village they live in has to grow, and one such episode, “Water” shows how it must grow if the citizens are to survive. Ultimately, most of the conflict they see are over who has control of the resources. When D-Structs was in charge, he owned it instead of sharing it.
In a series designed to be simple, the hidden nuances buried in DinoTrux is more appealing to make this series a worthwhile watch.. The soundtrack is energizing, and it’s tough not to feel happy at the end when witnessing these mechanoids build.
