What is this program? wildlife travelogue for children
When and where? premieres June 9, 5 p.m., on Discovery Kids
Who should watch this program? animal-rights activists, necrophiliacs
So how is it? What could have been, and is clearly intended to be, an upbeat, environmentally aware program for kids to learn about animals instead comes across as a disturbing lesson on human hubris. Bindi: The Jungle Girl stars Bindi Irwin -- 8-year-old daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin -- as an Australian girl who educates viewers on the wonders of wildlife from her jungle treehouse, where she tends to a menagerie of exotic pets, including an iguana ("Peru"), a koala ("Jaffa"), and a black-headed python ("Blackie"). Fans of the Crocodile Hunter know that his specialty was acting awestruck at the majesty of wild animals, all the while taunting them to the brink of attack. Fans also know he was killed in 2006 by a pissed-off stingray. So when Dad appears in cameos on Bindi's show (like when he's a smiling, disembodied head illustrating the size of a human skull compared to an elephant's), the proceedings quickly turn macabre. Even peppy musical interludes by Bindi's dancers, the Crocmen, can't obscure the odd truth that this girl is sleeping with snakes. Maybe the preteen target audience won't realize or care how the Crocodile Hunter met his demise, but the creep factor is way too high for anyone who knows the end of the story. Crikey!
Do you want to save this program or delete? DELETELabels: DISCOVERY, documentary, kids |
