Three months into 2023, and aside from “The Last of Us,” great TV is still finding its footing, with plenty of great new and returning series slated for much later in the year. But surprisingly, one of the most buzz worthy new shows of the year isn’t a prestige drama or binge-ready Netflix miniseries- That honor belongs to Disney Channel’s latest cartoon in collaboration with Marvel, “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.”
Loosely based on Marvel’s comic characters of the same name, the series follows Lunella Lafayette (voiced by Diamond White), a 13 year old prodigy, always cooking up new and dangerous inventions, one of which opens a portal to the prehistoric past, where a bright red dinosaur emerges into Lunella’s secret lab. Of course, the duo become the neighborhood superheroes and tons of creative, child friendly antics ensue, but if that sounds too familiar for your taste, don’t worry. “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” has much more beneath the surface than most cartoons of this ilk.
The most noticeable element about the series is just how enjoyably peppy and hyper stylized it is from first minute to last, complementing ordinary dialogue scenes with speech bubbles above the characters’ heads containing emojis that summarize what they’re saying that very moment. That may sound like an annoying gimmick, especially given how often it’s used, but the show pulls it off so well that it’ll be hard to go back to ordinary cartoons without emoji bubbles.
The emojis used not only punctuate the dialogue, they enhance them with jokes and creative uses of imagery that tells the story. And it doesn’t stop there: Moon Girl’s goggles emote graphics that emphasize her emotional state, a-la EVE from “Wall-E,” clever sight gags are omnipresent, and even the graffiti on the city walls tells a story within the story. You’d be hard pressed to find an animated series with this much attention to detail and SO much going on per minute.
Beyond the slick presentation is a great story and lovable characters that even adults will want to watch. Lunella is a lively presence; sassy, passionate and an overall fun character to watch, especially with White’s energetic voice acting. The villains Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur face week after week, while not mainline threats on the scale of a Marvel film, are unique and serve the stories of the episode to a pitch perfect note- “The Borough Bully” is a highlight, pitting Moon Girl against a literal internet troll.
But as with most Disney projects, it also sends an important message to the little ones watching. A major piece of the series is Lunella’s dynamic with Casey, her social media savvy BFF voiced by Libe Barer, sister of fellow Marvel star, Ariela Barer from “Runaways.” Casey is far from a conventional Disney character; She’s just as passionate and magnetic a personality as Lunella, but is there to support Lunella’s super heroics.
Their friendship looks like it shouldn’t work, but it does, as both girls support and complement each other perfectly, making a perfect team that isn’t solely focused on girl power. It’s a friendship focused on women supporting women, making Lunella the yin to Casey’s yang. It’s the kind of friendship that everyone should have, making the show hyper relevant to young girls, especially in this era of division.
It sounds crazy that a Disney Channel cartoon would be one of the best shows of 2023 thus far, but “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” earns that credit. A hyper pop confection of entertainment for children and adults alike, it would seem that “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” has some serious competition.
“Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” airs on Disney Channel and is streaming on Disney+.