Ridley Jones
By Ashley Moulton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Museum comes alive to teach preschoolers life lessons.
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Ridley Jones
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Based on 12 parent reviews
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LGBTQ friendly show with endearing protagonist
What's the Story?
RIDLEY JONES is the story of Ridley (voiced by Iara Nemirovsky), an adventurous 6-year-old girl who lives in a children's museum. Ridley's mom (Sutton Foster) and grandmother (Blythe Danner) work at the museum and take care of the exhibits. One night, Ridley learns that Mama and Grandma Jones have been keeping a big secret from her: The exhibits come alive at night. Ridley is eager to explore and go on adventures, but she learns that she'll need help from her museum exhibit friends. She forms the "Eyes," a team that will keep their eyes on the museum. The "Eyes" are clumsy surfer-dude dinosaur Dante (Tyler Shamy); Dudley the dodo bird (David Errigo Jr.); young Egyptian queen Ismat (Ashley Madden); monkey space explorer Peaches (Larraine Newman); and baby bison Fred (Iris Menas), who's overconfident in their strength. Ridley and the "Eyes" travel across time and space to protect the museum's priceless exhibits, teaching preschoolers about different places and cultures along the way.
Is It Any Good?
This lovely series borrows a premise from the 2006 movie Night at the Museum, but it uses the museum-coming-alive storyline to help viewers learn positive lessons. Kids will live vicariously through Ridley Jones, who gets to play with dinosaurs and other talking animals once the museum patrons leave. Ridley herself is a real treat: She's adventurous, curious, and funny, just like her cinematic namesake Indiana Jones (and she wears a matching fedora to boot).
It's especially inspiring to see a smart, brave girl as the lead. Ridley is an extremely positive role model who admits when she makes mistakes and takes responsibility for her actions. The series also features preschool TV's first non-binary character, Fred the Bison. While Fred's presence is groundbreaking, what's notable about them is that their gender is simply explained ("not a boy or a girl, just a Fred") and not dwelled on. Overall, Ridley Jones is a fun preschool series that will teach viewers a little about the world and a lot about how to treat others.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the fantasy elements in Ridley Jones. If you lived in Ridley's museum, what would you most want to come alive? Dinosaurs? Mummies? Something else?
Ridley is so curious and wants to learn all about the exhibits in the museum. Is there anything you saw in an episode that you're curious about? How can you learn more about it?
Ridley has a lot of courage and wants to go on adventures, even though she's just a kid. When do you feel brave? Can you remember a time you were afraid to try something but did it anyway?
Ridley and Fred both live in non-traditional families. What do you think of their relationships with their parents and Fred's non-binary gender-identity?
How do the characters demonstrate courage, curiosity, and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?
TV Details
- Premiere date: July 13, 2021
- Cast: Sutton Foster , Blythe Danner , David Errigo Jr. , Ashlyn Madden , Iara Nemirovsky , Laraine Newman , Tyler Shamy , Ezra Menas
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: Dinosaurs , Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Great Girl Role Models , History , Science and Nature , Wild Animals
- Character Strengths: Courage , Curiosity , Teamwork
- TV rating: TV-Y
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: February 26, 2024
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