Kids love dinosaurs—that’s just scientific fact. So, a kids’ show about a kid with a pet dinosaur? A license to print money, my friends. As proof, we invite you to check out Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, which is now streaming on Disney+.
The “kid” side of the equation is Lunella Lafayette (Diamond White) a 13-year-old genius living with her parents and grandparents in the Lower East Side of New York. When she accidentally opens a portal to another dimension, out steps the “dinosaur” element—Devil Dinosaur (Fred Tatasciore), a bright red Tyrannosaurus Rex. The two bond and, since this is the Marvel Universe or some variant thereof, Lunella resolves to take up the superhero identity of Moon Girl, with help from her Instagram influence friend, Casey Calderon (Libe Barer). And we’re off!
Looks like fun, doesn’t it? Originally created by comics god Jack Kirby, Devil Dinosaur has been stomping around Marvel Comics since 1978 having all kinds of weird adventures over the years. This version, however, seems to be aimed squarely at the younger set, but the animation style is definitely giving us Teen Titans Go! vibes, and if that series is anything to go by, there’ll be plenty for weary parents and carers to groove on as well.
And if there isn’t, you can always enjoy the voice cast, with such luminaries as Alfre Woodard, Laurence Fishburne, Craig Robinson, Luis Guzman, Alison Brie, Daveed Diggs, Maya Hawke, Jennifer Hudson, Asia Kate Dillon, Wesley Snipes, and Method Man all lending their larynxes to the project.
This one looks like a slam dunk for Disney/Marvel, the exact kind of gateway drug for the kids that’ll see them earnestly arguing points of Marvel continuity 20 years down the track. If you’re ready for some Moon Girl Magic, point yourself at Disney+.
