I used to love watching this show as a kid and since I found it again on DVD at the ripe old age of 25 I decided to give it another whirl! Jackie Chan Adventures follows Jackie Chan, his Uncle (Uncle), and his niece (Jade) as they try to protect the world against the forces of evil. What really sets this show apart from others is its villains usually have some sort of middle eastern background without falling into the trap of the typical white wrongdoer. It is probably the main reason why I still have so many distinct memories from episodes of this show, which gave me a major sense of nostalgia as I watched it.
I used to - and still - love Jackie Chan. He is such a brilliant actor, but also comes across as a guy who is down to earth, genuine and fun. This is something that really comes through in the TV show. The shows are well written and their plots are well-conceived. If any actor could be portrayed as a (super)hero in their own right, Jackie Chan is that guy! At the end of every episode we also have the added treat of the real-life Jackie being asked questions by kids. From 'what is your favourite food?' to 'how many types of martial arts do you know?', there are plenty of questions! What I also loved about it was that Jackie tended to go off on a tangent for most questions and never really answered them...
Of course, much of the humour is directed for a younger audience, but there were still many jokes that made me giggle! Indeed, there was even some adult humour littered across episodes that are probably for the benefit of many parents who end up watching it with their children.
Aside from their humour, many of the episodes have a few strong key messages, such as the importance of family, friendship, being truthful and so on. Again, many cartoons lack this element altogether, or fall on the opposite end of the spectrum and are no longer fun to watch. Jackie Chan Adventures somehow gets into this middle ground and this is another thing that really sets it apart from other cartoons.
Of course, this show is not perfect. Some of the jokes got repetitive and the goofy nature of Jackie sometimes put the episode a bit off-balance. I also felt that season 2 (demon doors) was a bit of a slump for the show as it really did not give each of the demons enough facetime. Since some of them were quite interesting, having them on-screen for 5 minutes before they were dragged back to their prison felt a bit lacklustre.
Taken together, Jackie Chan Adventures is a great show. It is not only fun to watch as a child, as I still enjoyed watching it as an adult! If you are looking for a cartoon for your child to watch this would be a great one. It is diverse, well-conceived and solves the dilemma of making cartoons educational without making them boring. As Uncle would say, 'Haaaachaaaaaaaa!'
