Reasons "Molly of Denali" is a Great Show

Recently I discovered a television show called “Molly of Denali.” As I mentioned before on this blog I am an English teacher, currently living abroad teaching little ones a second language. Sometimes I’ll use clips from television shows in my lessons, whether it’s from a cartoon or a commercial from America; I do this to make the lessons more interesting and to expose them to culture outside of their own. One day the Almighty Youtube Algorithm suggested an episode of “Molly of Denali” to me and I checked it out, figuring that maybe I could show a clip of it to my kids.

Immediately I found myself really liking this show. It focuses on a young Native Alaskan girl named Molly Mabray and her life living in a small Alaskan town called Qyah. For one of my lessons I downloaded a clip of an episode in which she and a few other kids perform a dance, and my students enjoyed it. 

Here are just a few reasons to appreciate and check out “Molly of Denali.”

        1. People are Always Doing Things

The characters on the show, whether they’re young or old, are always doing something. One episode might show them observing birds with a scientist. Another episode might feature the main characters picking berries together or fishing. Some other episodes might feature the characters learning to canoe or search for a hidden hot springs. 

        2. Shows Kids Who Read

Most of the characters are shown reading and using books at some point, especially the kids. When the kids aren’t exploring the outdoors, they can often be found in their local library. One of the recurring adult characters is even a librarian. 

The show shows that books can not only entertain but also be incredibly useful. In an episode where Molly and her family go out to search for berries, they realize that they didn’t bring their bug spray with them. Molly calls her friend Tooey and asks him to look up a recipe for making bug repellent from nature in a survival handbook. They discuss what a table of contents and an index are (thus letting the children in the audience know what they are) and find a recipe. 

        3. Shows Kids Using Technology (Usefully) While Not Being Addicted to It

The great legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki has a love/hate relationship with technology, being an old curmudgeon when it comes to computers. This is the same man who once compared using iPads to masturbation. I would be curious to see what the legendary animator would make of how the kids on this cartoon show use computers.

Molly and her friends are almost always outdoors and are not seen playing hours of video games inside. However, Molly is often shown using her phone and laptop because her character keeps a vlog about her life in Alaska. Thus we see a child using technology in conjunction with life in the great outdoors, something that isn’t showcased much. We see a girl using modern-day technology not just for entertainment but to inform people.

        4. Good Kids

The children on this show are overall good, decent people. None of them are bratty or spoiled by any means. If they do get into mischief, it’s not mean spirited and is the type of mischief one might expect an average child to get into. Also they’re endlessly curious and adventurous, hungry to learn and experience new things. They’re basically the types of kids a lot of parents might hope to raise.

        5. Good Adults

It seems that a lot of programs for children, whether they be animated or live-action, feature adult characters who are dumb, stupid, or at least ineffectual. The adults on “Molly of Denali” are not like that at all. All of them are competent, smart, talented people who truly have the welfare of their children in their best interests. A couple notable examples include Molly’s grandfather Grandpa Nat who is a volcanologist, and her mother Layla who is a bush pilot.

Perhaps part of the reason that the adults on this show aren’t dumb is because they’re living in a small town in the middle of Alaska, and thus can’t afford to be stupid or ineffectual. In one episode when visiting another sparsely populated place one of the characters who works as the town’s airport manager states that she’s also, “the postmaster, the yoga instructor, and the kindergarten teacher.” In small towns in Alaska and other parts of the world, one might end up having to work as a jack of all trades or a Renaissance person.

There are other reasons for the greatness of this show that I could probably mention. I could mention that the quality of both the animation and the voice acting is excellent. I could also mention how it’s gotten a huge reception in Alaska, especially amongst indigenous people who often haven’t seen themselves represented in media much (at least not without stereotypes). Also there’s the fact that while it’s definitely targeted towards children, a lot of parents watching with them could be entertained and learn something as well. One can watch a bunch of the episodes online for free on the PBS and CBC YouTube channels, so check them out.