Stanley

YMA recommendation

Approved as non-violent media, with caution. Slapstick comedy

Most suitable age range:

2-4

Availability

At time of review, screening on Foxtel.

Many items on the list of non-violent media may be available for either purchase or hire. Click here for some ideas of where to look for them.

About the program

Year of production	2001-2005
Classification advice
Rating	G
Consumer advice lines	None
Duration	12 minutes

Other information
Country of origin	USA
Production Company	Cartoon Pizza & Jumbo Pictures

Synopsis

Stanley and his friends use the advice of his wise pet fish and his big book ‘of everything’ to learn all about the world, generally through the examples of animals. Jumping through the pages of the book they are taken to the farthest corners of the globe where they see first hand the attributes of peacocks or discover the truth behind the Indonesian Orang-utang.

Points to consider

Words of caution

Examples of slapstick comedy include:

a cat and dog each insist that the other go first and prod each other towards a fence, then both wind up tumbling through
a ballerina is having trouble balancing and bumps into people a number of times while learning how to dance.

Positive aspects

teaches interesting and unusual facts about animals
uncovers age old truths about human nature by using examples found in the natural environment and appliying them to common issues at hand, such as the pitfalls of believing in silly rumours
demonstrates the values of friendship, loyalty, helpfulness and believing in yourself

Questions to ask

Why were Stanley and his friends afraid of their neighbour?
What would have happened if they had gone on believing the silly rumour? What wonderful things did they learn about their neighbour once they got the courage to meet him?
Do you think they will be so quick to believe silly, unsubstantiated, rumours the next time around?