Skylanders Academy

My husband my son my daughter and I have watched the show from season 1 and we all really look forward to seeing season 4 and more can't stop rewatching have rewatched at least 500 times

I have played all but a few of the Skylanders games (the one I have not played being Superchargers and the mobile entries), but I was surprised when I heard Activision and Netflix were teaming up to do a Skylanders cartoon.

Like most cartoon adaptations of video games, this is a spin-off separate from the games, as it has Spyro, Stealth Elf, and Eruptor, who, under the watchful eye of Master Eon and Jet-Vac, go on various adventures to stop foes like Kaos and the Doom Raiders, while learning important lessons about what it's like to be a Skylander.

The series is a good combination of adventure and comedy. While most of the characters have been recast, they did manage to get some of the VAs from the games to reprise their roles (especially Richard Horvitz, who voices Kaos). And Crash even makes an appearance (although he actually speaks, which can be good or bad for some viewers). It is a Netflix exclusive worth checking out if you are a fan of Skylanders, Spyro, or just want something new to watch.

I will admit first and foremost that while I personally have never played a Skylanders video game, I have played some of the older Playstation titles that some characters that appear in this show originate from.

So with this small knowledge of what the games are like, combined with the knowledge that most of Netflix's previous shows (even those made for kids) have been pretty decent in the past, I approached this cartoon with middle of the road expectations.

The first episode stole my interest right off the bat with some legitimately funny jokes, a musical earworm of a theme song and fantastic animation. At first the characters appear rather ordinary and uncomplex, but over the course of the show we learn more and more about them and they become far more compelling to watch.

After looking into the backgrounds of the creators; voice actors and writers of this show, it's obvious a lot of talented people have come into this show from all sorts of backgrounds, and that talent is not misguided or inappropriate, it all works in creating a special kind of animated children show that's elevated way above the level of quality we usually come to expect. Highly recommended.

I really love this series. One thing I wish is that there were more episodes in every season for me to rewatch until the next seasons come out. Rewatching them helps to build more understanding of what's going on, and the episodes are like a timeline so you have to watch every one.

Recommended for young Skylanders fans, and 16+

I watched this in Hebrew to improve my language skills, so I'm not really their target audience, but I actually ended up quite enjoying it. The voice acting by the Hebrew cast is really good. The animation is solid, better than a lot of modern kids shows. The story keeps the series moving and gradually, although sometimes annoying, I grew to quite like the characters, and some of the plot twists in the show are interesting and keep you watching.

The minor complaint would be that often the story is bit ridiculous, stuff often being 'convenient', but this could be considered as part of the humour of the show, which I think often knows that it's being stupid- it's just a bit of fun.

Decent tv show, especially if you're using it to improve language skills.