The Disney+ Chronicles - What Are My Kids Watching Now?

When I first got the idea to watch everything on Disney+, I wasn't really thinking about all of the shows geared toward children that would involve watching.

Luckily, some of those shows give me some nostalgic feelings. Those are easier to get through.

Others of them truly appeal to my children, particularly my 3.5 year old daughter. Those aren't always fun to watch.

So I've decided to handle that in a few different ways. As I spend some time watching what my kids are watching or have watched - I'll chronicle several at a time in a post like this.

Without further ado, I present - "The Disney+ Chronicles - What Are My Kids Watching Now?"

Jake and the Neverland Pirates

One of the shows my daughter has been into is Jake and the Neverland Pirates. As best as I understand - these are good pirates who are constantly outwitting Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. 

What I at first didn't understand was the setting of the film. This takes place sometime after Return to Neverland (and I assume before Peter leaves for good in the Hook timeline). 

There are a few issues that I have with this show as an adult man who expects continuity. Sure, my expectations may be high - but cartoons were much better about this when I was a kid.

First of all, I was under the impression as a child that Disney villains were menacing. At one time, this was true, but the Captain Hook of Jake and the Neverland Pirates is...well...a buffoon.

Aside from that you've got at least one continuity issue that could suggest a dark ending for some of the other Pan-verse characters. The Lost Boys (at least as far as I've seen) are nowhere to be found. Peter Pan appears to assist Jake from time to time - but no Lost Boys.

Which begs the question -- Did Captain Hook get them? Did they meet a dark end?

Jake and the Neverland Pirates is a fine, kid-friendly show, but it's hard for me to leave dark questions like that out of it.

Muppet Babies

At first mention, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about a new Muppet Babies. Sure, I love The Muppets, but rebooting anything like this gives a child of the original era pause.

Turns out, Muppet Babies is pretty perfect for what it is: Muppets aimed at preschoolers. The biggest evidence is that my preschooler loves it.

As a parent, I like this one because I'm also familiar with the characters. But I have some questions about this one, too.

1. If the Muppets are babies in this scenario - why are Statler and Waldorf exactly the same as they've always been? Shouldn't they be middle-aged at best?

2. In another potential dark twist - if this presumes that the Muppets eventually grow up to become the adults known from the films and television, that begs the question...what happened to Summer? Is there a major fallout....or worse?

Surely, Summer just got tired of the internal Muppet drama and left to start her own life on Sesame Street or something like that.

Elena of Avalor

In terms of quality, Elena of Avalor is easily the best of the three here. It's a spin-off of Sofia the First, which is also a strong show, especially considering it's target audience.

Elena of Avalor has a strong sense of character, the lore is well constructed, and there's a great ensemble and group of recurring guests with relatively famous voices. 

Elena as a character is similar to Sofia (which is not on Disney+ yet, but I'm sure you'll get a post about it when it is). Both have strong moral centers who are concerned with justice and doing the right thing in the face of adversity. I worry a lot about role models for my children in their programming, but there are no concerns about Elena. 

Elena of Avalor is also easy to watch for adults. Some of these shows are tough to get through if you're over 16, but Elena is fun for the whole family.

This is one of the better kids shows on Disney+ (that I've seen). Your kids could do worse, trust me.

What do you guys think? Agree? What are your kids watching? Let us know!

Photos courtesy of Disney/ABC Press.