Zig & Sharko

This is one of those baby shows that is free on YouTube with episodes posted every week that you have probably never seen air on actual TV. You would expect it to be bad based off of that, but it's actually a really good baby show. The visual style is... okay. It does what it needs to. It is probably the best animation you can get out of a show with this level of obscurity and disposability. Xilam, the studio responsible for it, seems to specialize in taking shows with passionate creators that aren't quite working with the big names yet and giving them a good and just treatment.

This show is about a mermaid, her shark boyfriend, and an animal that attempts to eat her. It is reminiscent of slapstick comedy like The Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry. Humor wise, it is surprisingly funny. Sometimes it can get a good laugh out of you and have unexpected (and somewhat offbeat) turns. It has a handful of creative bones in it, and you can tell at least a few of the people making it cared about it at least little bit. There is a sharp increase in general show quality in season 2, and season 2 and 3 are the best of the show.

It is very hyperactive and attention grabby, though. The constant, FOP style of music use and sound effects can be a turn off for some. Also, I'm not sure what was trying to be achieved with the theme song.

It is a show for very small children, but it has a certain simplistic charm, and I ended up admittedly liking it after watching. Compared to the sludge that's on YouTube nowadays, it is one of the best things your kid could mindlessly click on.

This cartoon makes me laugh so hard! So far, this is one of the best Xilam productions, in my opinion. I was amazed to discover it's a French cartoon. I'm not too fond of French productions, but "Zig & Sharko" is an exception. I can easily "get" this type of humor (slapstick), even if I'm used to American and British comedies. The inventiveness of the team working on this cartoon is so impressive: they always come up with incredible ideas. In addition, I really like this type of animation, it's more similar to what I was used to in my childhood (e.g. Wile E. Coyote). I love the visuals, the sound effects, the narration and directing style.

Two seasons of "Zig & Sharko" have been released, each season consisting of 26 episodes. Due to the nature of the stories, I would recommend it to kids ages 7+.

Borrowing heavily from the classic Looney Tunes and MGM animation tropes, this series will elicit nostalgia for a bygone era of animation. This series is the classic scenario of might over cunning, although neither Zig nor Sharkolo are particularly ingenious. Lots of prats and big booms, and violence invariably causes and solves all the problems on this show. The helpless mermaid adds even more tropism as the damsel in infinite distresses. On the rarer occasion where Zig and Sharkolo have to work together, it reminds me of those episodes of Tom and Jerry where the two would set aside their obvious differences to solve a shared dilemma, only to be back at each other's throats as soon as it's resolved. The art direction relies a little too much on Ren and Stimpy and Spongebob Squarepants, but even still, it manages to stand on its own. Non-verbal, so translation won't be a problem to any global audiences.

I watch zig and sharko with my kids and it gives me the classic cartoon laughs, season 2 and 3 are amazing and funny and im waiting for season 4.

I dislike this show because it portrays women and girls as helpless beings, who always need to be rescued by men when in trouble. I don't want my daughter to watch this show.