Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur takes a lot of inspiration from the comic books, and brings the lovable duo to life on the screen. While this certainly could have worked as a live-action series, the choice to go animated is a brilliant one (can you imagine how much a CGI dinosaur would cost?!). As a reader of the comic books, we can confirm that it delivers a lot of the same vibes that they do, while also bringing something new to the table.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur tells the story of a 13-year old girl named Lunella Lafayette who is beyond smart. She accidentally opens a portal and through it comes a big red dinosaur named Devil. The two team up to fight crime, and in the animated series, her newfound friend Casey helps them with their PR — she is an online influencer, after all.

Representation On The Screen

Without getting too much into spoilers, there are some truly emotional and heartwarming moments in this series, as well as some much needed representation. One of the episodes focuses on Lunella’s hair. Kids at school make fun of her natural Black girl hair, and it causes her to start to second guess herself.

The results, and the remainder of the episode, are hilarious, but it also forces some important conversations with the women of her family. There are several times she mentions Black Girl Magic as well, and we can only imagine what this will mean to a whole lot of little girls tuning in.

The first episode focuses on the origin story of how these two met. In order to do it justice, it clocks in at double length — just about 45 minutes. This allows the viewers to get to know Lunella (and her strengths and weaknesses) before introducing Devil. This big cuddly T-Rex might look terrifying, but he is anything but. Devil gives off some serious Clifford the Big Red Dog vibes (which Casey notices as well, since she flat-out calls him Clifford).

The two make the perfect pair. Lunella’s brains and Devil’s brawn gives them everything they need to fight crime. Luckily for those watching the series, they won’t have to wait long for the first encounter. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’s premiere episode not only delivers an interesting origin story that shows off Lunella’s smarts, it sets the tone for an action-packed, and hilarious, series. This show is one that parents and children can enjoy together.

The actors who voice these characters all do a fantastic job. They are believable and will cause viewers to instantly connect with them all — even the baddies.

Stunning Animation

The best thing about Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is not how fun it is to watch. It isn’t the humor or the Marvel ties. Instead, it is the gorgeous animation that is used to bring these characters and their world to life. This series is absolutely stunning, and the animators should be applauded ten times over.

It pulls inspiration from the comic books, and sometimes even feels as if the viewer is watching one, with details like little dots in certain scenes. Not quite as “comic booky” as Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, but close.

Do You Need To Already Know Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur?

So do you need to know anything about the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur comic books (or Marvel at all, for that matter) before diving into the series? The answer is absolutely not. This series is easily a gateway into the wonderful world of Marvel. Everything you need to know in order to understand the characters, the world, and the premise is explained very early on.

The first episode answers nearly every question that newcomers might have, and then throws viewers headfirst into some truly epic action sequences.

Is It A Part Of The MCU?

Of course, this is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that means a whole lot of Marvel Easter Eggs and name-drops. It doesn’t take much time before The Avengers are mentioned, and Marvel fans will be screaming internally (and perhaps even externally) when some character show up (the Beyonder, anyone?!).

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur might only be loosely linked to the MCU, however. We don’t know yet how much of what we see in the series will bleed over to the live-action films, if anything at all. That being said, it is really fun to hear and see Marvel mentions and characters throughout the series.

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur premieres February 10 on Disney Channel and shortly thereafter on Disney+.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tessa Smith

Tessa Smith AKA Mama's Geeky, is a journalist that covers geek and Disney culture on her own website, as well as freelances for other sites such as What's On Disney Plus and Screen Rant. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Marketing and loves all things geeky. She is a Disney Vacation Club member and a Founders Circle Member of Disney+. She is also an approved critic for Rotten Tomatoes and a member of the Critics Choice Association. Tessa lives in Upstate New York with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs named Sansa and Khaleesi.

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