A lot of things are changing in Hazel’s life. First, her older brother, Antony (who’s also her best friend), moves across the country for college. Then her dad takes a job as a parascience professor in Dimmadelphia, prompting her parents to move out of the suburbs and into the big city.
Hazel knows that these changes won’t be easy, but she’s prepared to handle them like the mature 10-year-old she thinks she is.
Unfortunately, things don’t go as well as she hopes. On her first day of school, nobody laughs at her jokes. She sits in wet paint at lunch. And then she comes home to find out that Antony’s flight got cancelled, so he won’t be able to visit until the holiday break.
Hazel’s had it. She packs her backs and prepares to run away. But that’s when she runs into her new neighbors, Wanda and Cosmo.
The pink- and green-haired duo immediately suspects that something’s up. They quickly realize that they can help Hazel—and that this kid needs them.
So, with a little magic, Wanda and Cosmo reveal their true nature to Hazel. They aren’t just retirees living next door: They’re fairies, with wands and wings and “floaty crowny things.” What’s more? They’re also godparents, and they’re prepared to make Hazel’s every wish come true.
The Fairly OddParentsgot its start on Nickelodeon back in 2001, when Wanda and Cosmo were helping a young boy named Timmy. After Timmy grew up, they helped out his cousin, Viv, as chronicled in The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder (which premiered on Paramount+). But now, this fairly odd couple is back on Nickelodeon in A New Wish.
Much like the previous incarnations, magic is one of the biggest concerns here. Cosmo and Wanda are from a fairy realm and, as already stated, can use magic to grant wishes. But, as Timmy, Viv and now Hazel all learn, magic isn’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be.
Sure, the godparents can make Hazel friends with her teachers or turn her into a fly so she can fly to visit her brother. But sometimes, those wishes have unintended consequences, such as making her teachers so immature the entire school nearly fails a test or getting caught in a Venus fly trap.
The good news is that Hazel learns from these wishes gone wrong. She realizes that just because she’s mature for her age doesn’t mean she’s mature enough to be an adult. And yeah, waiting for Antony to visit may not be fun, but there are other fun things she can do to pass the time.
Parents should also note that Cosmo and Wanda, who have been married for about 10,000 years, occasionally gender bend. In the original Fairly OddParents, Timmy wishes for the couple to have a baby; due to the way that fairy reproduction works, Cosmo becomes pregnant instead of his wife, Wanda. And that gender fluidity continues in A New Wish. While playing pretend, Cosmo dresses up as a princess so that Hazel (who plays a knight) can rescue him. So it wouldn’t be surprising if similar content shows up later in the series, too.
The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish is mostly cute, animated fun with some good lessons about growing up. But the concerns noted above might keep some families at bay until their kiddos are old enough to discern fantasy from reality.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Hazel makes a wish to fly so that she can visit her brother. Unfortunately, Wanda and Cosmo turn her into a fly instead. They also use their magic to fix broken objects, shrink a book, move obstacles and change things around Hazel’s home.
As a fly, Hazel is temporarily caught in a Venus fly trap with a bunch of dead bugs and an ant named Toni. Toni helps Hazel realize that just because her brother, Antony, lives far away doesn’t mean he’ll forget about her. Thankful for the advice, Hazel helps Toni to escape the trap and return to her colony. Hazel then wishes to be turned back into a human again.
There’s a reference to vampires. Hazel’s dad studies many magical and supernatural phenomenon since, as a parascientist, he believes these things are just unexplained science.
A few characters get knocked around in slapstick-humor stunts. A bully throws a kid into a locker using drones. Those same drones, we learn, are the bully’s nannies. (The child is also mean to Hazel.) When a stroller begins rolling down a hill, the owner is more upset about losing the expensive stroller than he is about losing his baby. Characters lie and purposely cause distractions to hide misdeeds.
Wanda and Cosmo stop Hazel when she tries to run away from home. And they spend the episode trying to return Hazel to her parents before they realize she’s gone.
Wanda and Cosmo must prove to their supervisor that they are fit to be Hazel’s godparents. Then, after struggling to make friends at school, Hazel wishes to be friends with her teachers instead.
Wanda and Cosmo’s boss takes them and Hazel to the fairy realm for “wish trials.” He strips Cosmo of his powers and drops the man from a great height, pressuring Hazel to make a wish that will save Cosmo’s life. Hazel succeeds, but Cosmo gets lightly injured in Hazel’s panic. Some other characters get knocked about in slapstick stunts.
During playtime, Cosmo dresses up as a princess for Hazel (who’s dressed as a knight) to rescue. In a wish trial, Hazel’s panic causes her to wish for a “death metal robot DJ” that ruins a party. Wanda and Cosmo’s boss challenges the bot to a dance-off, wherein he briefly waltzes with it before throwing it into space to destroy it.
Hazel says she’s going to kick Wanda’s rear end. Wanda is pretending to be an evil seahorse, and a discussion ensues about seahorses not actually having rear ends. When Hazel panics, her inability to make a wish creates a “wish fart” that reeks. Cosmo creates a “penny farting” bike when he mishears a wish. Stink waves emanate off an old sponge.
A fairy that replaces Wanda and Cosmo keeps interrupting Hazel, assuming what the girl wants instead of asking her. Children fall over while using VR headsets. Hazel’s school principal breaks several rules (she also tries to break a law but is stopped) to manipulate a situation in her favor. She’s also mean and demanding, stating that she likes see kids in distress. Hazel is rude to a few adults. She acts bratty when she thinks she’s “too mature” to make friends with her classmates.
A woman shouts, “Curse you!” at an old paperweight she’s tired of. There’s a bit of name-calling.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
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