Why kids should watch Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

During the Pandemic, parents are pushing TV screens as babysitters so they can work from home. When searching for a fun show that entertains as well as educates, don’t look further than Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir now featured on Netflix. 

Each animated twenty-two-minute show is set in modern-day Paris and centers around teenagers Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste. Friends attending the same French high school, they have the powers of the Miraculous, a magical gem that transforms them into superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir. Ignorant of each other’s secret identities, they fight the evil Hawk Moth, who preys on people’s negative emotions. With his akumas (black moths) he evilizes Parisians into super villains to do his bidding and take possession of the powerful Miraculouses held by Ladybug and Cat Noir. 

Now in its fifth season, Ladybug and Cat Noir is comprised of 77 episodes filled with adventure and hidden lessons about friendship and relationships. Writers sneak in science, history, and the fine arts with more than one episode taking place near or inside the iconic Louvre Museum and Eiffel Tower. 

Marinette is an amazing lead character. She is a fifteen-year-old klutz, but as Ladybug she is confident and focused—an interesting contrast. Adrien, on the other hand, is an unspoiled rich kid suffocating under his father’s thumb and mourning the mysterious disappearance of his mother. As Cat Noir, he’s in love with Ladybug, not knowing she is his special friend from school. 

Marinette, on the other hand, is tongue-tied and hopelessly enamored by Adrien, who is also Paris’ number one boy model.  Little does she know he is her superhero partner who frequently annoys her to no end. 

Caitlin Donovan from Epicstream, an entertainment website, lists Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir as one of the top ten animated series for 2015.

During this epidemic, we are all learning very quickly how it’s so important to help each other and realize we are in this together. That’s one of the reasons I like Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir so much. It isn’t about me or I, but about we, us, and ours. On the show, Parisians often come together to help their super heroes to fight the villainy of Hawk Moth. During many high school scenes, Marinette often shows her friends that the best way to accomplish tasks is together as a team; and as Ladybug, every problem has a solution. 

Marinette isn’t perfect. She makes mistakes and struggles to overcome them. When Ladybug and Cat Noir are called to combat it isn’t about people beating each other up. To defeat the enemy, Ladybug thinks creatively overcoming evil with teamwork. The show also teaches that being a bully is never okay and that selfish people often miss out. 

Unlike too many super hero shows that are dark and violent, Ladybug and Cat Noir is emotionally educational, adorable, and fun to watch.

Though super heroes are a fantasy, hopefully, many young people will be inspired by Miraculous:Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir to also save the day in their own special way.