Category: Television Reviews

Knowledge Kids is All Ready for Adventure Rangers Go!

Knowledge Kids’s long-time mascots, Luna the owl, Chip the beaver & Inkie the octopus are Adventure Rangers Go!

Luna, Chip and Inkie Adventure Rangers Go - PosterDebuting on Knowledge Network on April 4, 2022

Knowledge Kids‘ Luna the Owl, Chip the Beaver and Inkie the Octopus are the members of Adventure Rangers Go! They are this network’s mascots and it’s terrific they have their own animated series. Ever since their debut in 2008, they haven’t appeared in other forms of media. Other than a handful of shorts and a half-hour special for the Festival of Wishes in 2019, there wasn’t much. Producers knew there was interest. In this new series, they learn and extol about what’s important in life–having friendships, finding creative ways to solve problems and being kind to one another. 

Michele Paris, Senior Manager of Children’s Programming at Knowledge Network, and Pat Ellingson, retired head of TVO Kids leads the development of this show. Together, with Executive Story Editors Shelly Hoffman and Rob Pincombe (Ollie and Moon, Camp Lakebottom), Child Development Consultant Cheryl Gotthelf and Leo Award winning Musician Daniel Ingram (My Little Pony: The Movie), they have a great product for people of all ages to watch together. The latter’s contribution is important since each episode are nicely summed up with a song.

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About the Mysticism and the Myths You Need to Know Before Moon Knight

What’s done so far in Moon Knight is a delicate balance between what the mythology represents to moments of crazy superheroics.

Moon Knight Poster Released by Marvel and Disney+Disney+
Debuting: March 30, 2022

Oscar Issac is not only the supervillain Apocalypse but also the masked superhero Moon Knight in two (finally united) Marvel Comics Cinematic Universe properties. Both have very loose Ancient Egyptian connections, and this actor is terrific at making us believe he has multiple personalities. Technically, his character has a dissociative identity disorder, and just how many he has would be telling.

In the first episode. Steven Grant isn’t sure about what’s going on with his life. He’s prone to black outs and has to live in seclusion because he fears something is out to get him–or rather, dreads what happens when he’s asleep. He works at the British Museum as a gift shop clerk. His mates at work don’t pay him any heed, and more often than not, step all over him.

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Kamen Rider Zero-One & Real×Time in Revue

The Kamen Rider franchise isn’t meant to be compelling television. It’s silly anime-style fun realised as live-action.

Kamen Rider Zero-One: The Complete Series + Movie - Blu-ray :: Shout! FactoryShout! Factory
Available to order on Amazon USA

Kamen Rider is a beloved Japanese comic book superhero franchise that’s gone on just as long as a few sci-fi media empires, namely Doctor Who and Star Trek. Shotaro Ishinomori created this epic tokusatsu style series in 1971, and to distinguish between the many televised products, manga and films, it’s been categorised according to who was the emperor of the country, much like the Gojira films. 

The latest Kamen Rider Zero-One (仮面ライダーゼロワン) made its debut in Sept 2019, with Saber the following year and Revice in 2021. They mark the Reiwa era, and four years isn’t that bad of a wait for a home video release in foreign markets. Not everyone has access to TV Asahi or wants to search YouTube for the fan posts of the latest episodes. Each season is self-contained narrative-wise, and when I take interest, that’s because of the theme. I can’t wait for Saber because it involves fairies and Revice for its Devilman influnced narrative. Fans of Hideaki Anno are especially excited because he’s helming a Shin revival.

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Fraggle Rock’s Back to the Rock is an Updated Smash!

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock is a joy to return to. There’s a lot of updates to make it reverent to today’s generation.

Foo Fighters Go Full Muppet on New Song 'Fraggle Rock Rock'

Now on Apple TV Plus

Strangely, I don’t remember Jim Hensen’s Fraggle Rock as being heavy with its varied messages about saving the environment when compared to Back to the Rock. It’s a joy to come return to this world as there’s a lot of updates to make it reverent to today’s generation of children growing up with streaming services instead of television.

I absolutely loved the reintroduction with Rock On. These short form pieces focused on the tunes and the updates with talents like Jason Mraz (who appeared on Sesame Street), Neil Patrick Harris and Alanis Morissette, the remixes are excellent, and truly nostalgic. The music from the rebooted series is noticeably different; they’re more modern pop than the bubblegum of the past.

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Dragons: Only Finding One than The Nine Realms

This series synopsis says this latest is a continuation of HTTYD. There are a few nods, but I’m fairly sure none of the heroes here are reincarnations of Hiccup and crew.

Dragons: The Nine Realms (TV Series 2021– ) - IMDbAvailable on Hulu

When DreamWorks bought the media rights to Cassandra Cowell‘s How to Train Your Dragon, nobody realised how much of a success it would be. That book and cinematic series about a gangly hero who becomes best friends with a rare dragon is technically over, and the studio is continuing the saga as Dragons, which looks at other humans becoming a rider.

Rescue Riders is a pre-school non-canonical oriented version where each episode essentially teaches kids a solid core of values. It’s not a series for everyone. The Nine Realms is a modern-day take geared for the tween crowd. The latter is a decent watch as it puts the story in the present day. A comet crashed on Earth and created a fissure. Scientists are curious about what it has opened, and it’s literally a “Hidden World.”

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After a Return to Hogwarts, it’s Easy to be Wild about Harry Potter Again.

After seeing Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts, I’m inclined to rewatch the movies again, just because I that’s how inspiring this reunion is.

Harry Potter Reunion Special | Watch Full Film OnlineIt’s hard to believe 20 years have passed since the theatrical release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The personalities moved on to appearing in more demanding projects, but in the eyes of fans, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will always be Harry, Hermione and Ron. But there’s more people who made this film franchise what it is today. Also included are the directors–Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and David Yates–and supporting cast (the list is too huge to present here).

The Return to Hogwarts special shows the reasons they are beloved. It examines the legacy of the films from their perspective. Also included are all the key talents involved in making this version of J. K. Rowling’s books come to life. Evanna Lynch is one such person since she knew every bit of the lore. Although we don’t get to see everyone return to offer their five pence–like Warwick Davis, David Bradley and David Thewlis (actors whom I greatly admire)–I can understand why this work decided to make its focus on specific talents.

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