When Skylanders Academy and Netflix asked us to review Season 2 of Skylanders Academy, I had no idea what to expect. But after binging on the first season and some of Season 2, I would recommend it for anyone looking for a show that inspires believing in yourself, working as a team, and laughing every step of the way!
When my nephew was 9, he was the star of his soccer team, dribbling his way around everyone, blocking the other teams’ best players, and scoring the most goals. But, then he switched to a travel team, and the whole game changed. His skills, and being anywhere the ball was, just weren't cutting it, and the coach told him he needed to find his unique strengths and learn what each of his teammates also had to offer. It took him almost the entire season to learn to rely on the other kids, trust the coach, and to pass the ball, but by the end, he knew what it meant to be a team player.
As kids grow older, they learn to work with friends and teammates at home, in the classroom, on the field…everywhere. I really appreciate that Activision Blizzard Studios created Skylanders Academy to mirror the lessons that I want my children to learn: that everyone has their own inner power and something that makes them special and that everything is better when you work together—no one can do it alone.
Skylanders Academy follows the heroic adventures of several young warriors as they travel the vast Skylanders universe protecting it from evil-doers. Based on the popular Skylanders video game series, the action comedy centers on the band of heroes as they train together and learn how to keep peace. The storylines in the shows often involve the team members, Spyro, Eruptor, Stealth Elf, Jet-Vac, Pop Fizz and others, working together, with a balance of male and female heroes throughout all of the episodes. In Skylanders Academy Season 2, two new female characters are introduced, Sprocket, tech-head extraordinaire and Cynder, with a mysterious past. Because gender perceptions and beliefs start very young, I like that the show producers were very conscious to create very capable, strong female and male characters to inspire all children.
Because I realize I am not the best judge of shows targeting children ages 4-10, I invited boys and girls over to watch the show and tell me what they thought. The kids were immediately entranced by the team's action-packed opening battle
and they empathized with the leader’s very embarrassing moment.
As the characters worked to help their friends, they stumbled through some silly and hilarious antics.
And by the end, problems were resolved when the team worked together, and the kids were begging to watch more episodes! The children watching loved the show! They described it as “awesome”, “exciting”, and “funny”. As they talked about their favorite characters, many of them leapt out of their seats, pretending to battle one another, each feeling and acting like a hero saving the day! If you want your kids to be inspired to be a hero, to believe in their own special super powers, and to work with others as team, be sure to watch Skylanders Academy Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix! For more information, visit https://www.skylanders.com/academy.
I prescreened episodes of this show and received promotional items and compensation for the purpose of this honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Photo Credits: Gary Castaneda, Photographer
