Animation
Over the Garden Wall
Balancing the warm feeling of a fall cider with chilly spookiness and humor, ‘Over the Garden Wall’ is a niche autumn tradition for some. But for kids, this miniseries has some skeletons in the closet.
The best pirates are always up for a sea-fearing adventure. Just ask Santiago, Tomas and Lorelai. Together, these three sailors work alongside one another to protect the people, places and creatures they love.
With a sprinkle of magic, Santiago’s ship, El Bravo, mutates into a mystical vessel. A stroke of cousin Tomas’ guitar harnesses the wind. And a simple Spanish phrase is all Lorelai needs to transform into a mermaid.
Using their sea-smarts, these special shipmates do whatever it takes to protect their beloved, Caribbean hometown, Isla Encanto, from pesky enemy pirates. And they do it all with a smile on their face and a solid moral compass.
Santiago of the Seas sailed onto Nick Jr. in the fall of 2020 with a TV-Y rating and a handful of educational components.
Each episode is divided into two, 12-minute parts where kids learn the value of teamwork, honesty and kindness. They also learn about the parts of a sailboat and some facts related to marine biology. Oh, and they get to learn Spanish. It’s sort of like Dora the Explorer, just on the ocean.
A few “nefarious” pirates make some silly exclamations and sport the occasional bad attitude. But Santiago, Tomas and Lorelai show young viewers that these things aren’t right. And that good pirates work together and always do what’s right.
In the first half of the episode, Santiago, Tomas, Lorelai and pet frog, Kiko, work together to rescue baby turtles from the enemy pirate Bonnie Bones. In the second half, Santiago and his friends compete in a pirate ship race against a notorious cheater.
Bonnie calls her cat sidekicks, “lazy slobs,” “mangey felines,” “clumsy” and “bumbling furballs.” Lorelai calls Bonnie as “dastardly diva.” Pirates exclaim, “ay, curses!,” “cackle fish!” and “shiver me timbers!” A mean-spirited pirate tells Santiago that he is “so annoying.”
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
Balancing the warm feeling of a fall cider with chilly spookiness and humor, ‘Over the Garden Wall’ is a niche autumn tradition for some. But for kids, this miniseries has some skeletons in the closet.
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