Animation
The Legend of Vox Machina
When it comes to being suitable for families, Amazon Prime’s The Legend of Vox Machina failed its saving throw.
If you stop on in at Fair Village, chances are you’ll run into Hop and his friends. The animal gang are always racing around town, having fun along the way. And whether they’re searching for sunken treasure or riding in a hot air balloon, the friends are sure to learn valuable life lessons—like not giving up just because things get difficult, gaining the courage to ask for help and how much work goes into raising a pet.
Made by the same minds behind the hit kids show Arthur, Hop brings a unique cast of character onto television screens.
“With Arthur, we occasionally introduced characters with disabilities, but they never became part of the ensemble cast in any meaningful way,” co-creator Marc Brown told Deadline. “But the characters in Hop reflect many kids who are underrepresented in the media. Some of our characters have disabilities, but they never define who they are or what they can achieve.”
Our froggy protagonist Hop, for instance, has one leg that’s shorter than the other. Another central character is neuro-divergent. And though the characters might have to deal with issues in unique ways due to their disabilities, the show focuses far more on them as friends and people, hoping to help your children understand and accept people with varying disabilities (and potentially help them navigate their own physical and mental challenges).
Hop is an easy-to-watch kids show with both a noble goal and helpful lessons to be learned by the end of its 10-minute episodes. Parents may wonder, however, if show creators decided to include LGBT elements into the show (elements which were added into the late seasons of Arthur). While we didn’t see or hear anything while watching, a fan page dedicated to the show alleges that Hop’s sister, Penny, identifies as nonbinary.
(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.)
Penny hears a legend of treasure at the bottom of a lake and sets off to find it. Alfred the beaver is excited to fly the family’s massive kite, but it may prove too big for him to handle alone.
A submarine is grabbed by a giant squid. The kite causes havoc, dragging Alfred along and causing a pumpkin to get stuck on his head.
Hop’s friend Filipa uses a magical purple crayon called “Grape Lightning,” which seems to be sentient and draws ideas in the air.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
When it comes to being suitable for families, Amazon Prime’s The Legend of Vox Machina failed its saving throw.
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