Jane is an educational animated series created by JJ Johnson, starring Ava Louise Murchison, Mason Blomberg, Jazz Allen, Sam Marra and others in prominent roles. Moreover, the series is divided into 10 episodes with an average runtime of 25-30 minutes.
Notably, the series is produced under the banner of Jane Goodall Institute and Sinking Ship Entertainment.
The synopsis of the series reads as
Jane, a young and budding environmentalist, embarks on exciting missions with her two best friends, David and Greybeard the chimpanzee, to safeguard wildlife across the globe, inspired by her role model Dr Jane Goodall.
-Jane Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
This live-action and animated series starts with a thrilling Polar bear chase in the North Atlantic, featuring our protagonist for the journey, Jane (a nine-year-old with a hyperactive imagination), and her best friend and neighbour David. Even though the Avalanche escape feels surreal at first, we soon get familiar with the pretending game, which forms the complete crux of this educational series.
The budding environmentalist plays a game of pretend in each episode, with the basic premise of tagging and exploring different sub-species of the planet. Furthermore, each episode dwells on the larger goal of educating us about the mentioned species, their declining habitat, and the different ways of conservation.
All these instalments are interlinked with Jane and her character interactions that eventually end up being a part of the final lesson. Moreover, this hybrid nature of the series also hints at our individual role to sustain the environment (with a direct conversation with Marine biologists, zoologists etc).
From what you can guess, the series attempts to pack a detailed amount of information in a span of 25-30 minutes. Although the heavy dose of environmental studies might be a little too much for the target audience, it is something that suits perfectly for an adult like me. It’s hard to describe the series as a “children-oriented show” when the subject matter concerns literally everyone on the planet.
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The show has a kind of mature element to it, which doesn’t confine the theme to certain age groups. For instance, the idea of learning a great deal about Great White Sharks will never be mundane or lifeless for anyone, irrespective of their age (assuming you have an intrigue to learn in the first place).
The show travels through with a purpose and humanizes the concept with utmost curiosity. It has an innate calibre to speak directly to you, at times, and even make you wonder in awe of polar bears and sharks. Perhaps, the only thing that doesn’t fit well with the series is the rapid runtime.
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Jane Final Thoughts
If you have a knack for explorations (or if you had one in your childhood) then this new hybrid education serial is the perfect usage of time. It will assist you in imagining things on a broader scale, and also leave you with a plethora of thoughts about the planet.
The series also does a great job of highlighting Dr Jane Goodall’s mission and translates her efforts into a pathway of understanding nature and its different elements. All in all, it was sweet, simple and a fun ride from start to finish.
You can stream the series on Apple TV+. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.
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