1. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
    This fantastical anime-style Netflix series follows Kipo Oak, a 13-year-old girl forced to run away from the safety of an underground city to navigate the dangers of a dystopian world. Unfolding across three seasons, the episodes are clever, creative, seriously weird and completely wonderful. If your kid has a taste for out-there sci-fi, this is the show for them.
  2. Bluey
    An absolute gift to kids and parents alike, Bluey is the rare show that doesn’t talk down to children nor up to the adults watching with them, yet manages to charm and engage both demographics. Centred on the everyday adventures of a family of anthropomorphic blue heeler dogs, it also doesn’t try to shove life lessons down your tyke’s throat. Instead, its bite-sized episodes – usually under 10 minutes – emphasise the importance of play and imagination, while trusting the lil’uns to absorb the deeper messages hidden amongst all the goofing around. Its long-awaited third season arrived on Disney+ in America and the UK in August 2021 after premiering nearly a year earlier in its native Australia. 
  3. Hilda
    This wildly imaginative Netflix fantasy follows an indefatigably friendly little girl as she moves from the elf-laden woods of Scandinavia to the big city, where her love of nature helps her forge bonds between the human world and the magical kingdom. Steeped in Nordic lore and possessing genuine heart, Hilda often finds herself in scary situations, but her commitment to understanding and her inherent bravery are infectious enough that kids, like Hilda, will be able to handle the peril while learning to see both sides of conflict. 
  4. Gravity Falls
    Gravity Falls meets at the oddball intersection of Stranger Things, Twin Peaks, Scooby-Doo and The X-Files, but despite those adult influences, this is very much a show aimed squarely at kids. Following twins summering at their gruff uncle’s Pacific Northwest roadside attraction, the show has gained a grown-up following thanks to its whip-smart jokes, fantastic beasts and compelling storyline, but it never veers too far into the frightening as it explores the surreal.
  5. The Owl House
    Like a quippier cousin to Hilda, this hugely popular Disney series follows earthbound heroine Luz into a magical world of witches, where she trains under the tutelage of the aloof Edalyn Clawthorne. There are shades of Harry Potter as Luz enrolls in an enchanted academy, but the show is very much its own thing: A fantasia of hilarious jokes, genuine heart and boundless imagination.