I'll never forget when I went over to my best friend, AJ's house one day, and we looked through one of his old coloring books. When we flipped through the pages, we stopped on one where he had colored Frederick Douglass white. Frederick Douglass. The great, Black abolitionist. White. And look, I don't blame him. As kids growing up in the '90s, it was just common to think that everybody of great importance throughout history was a white man. But now, we know better.
People of all shades and genders were great throughout history, and it's wonderful to even see that in our entertainment these days. Especially with shows and movies in the Representation Matters Collection on Netflix, like Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which all Jurassic Park fans should watch.
For those who don't know, the Representation Matters Collection features characters of color, many of whom were also created by people of color. In this way, kids these days can grow up to see that it's a great, big world out there, and it's full of all kinds of different people, which is wonderful. I've included five shows here, some animated and some live-action that are great for diversity and representation.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
Currently in its fourth season (its fifth and final season is set to debut on July 21st), Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is about six teenagers who all got the chance of a lifetime to check out a camp full of dinosaurs before it opened to the general public. But, since this is within the Jurassic Park universe, you know that Murphy’s Law comes into full effect, since anything that can go wrong, does go wrong, and the dinosaurs get loose. Because what would Jurassic Park/World be if the dinosaurs actually just stayed in their pens?
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which, I’m not going to lie, is pretty suspenseful and violent for a kids show, is exciting, sure, but what I love most about it is its diversity. The six teenagers are of various races and genders, and they all work together to escape. Our lead is Darius, a Black video game/dinosaur expert, and he’s joined by Kenji, Sammy, Ben, Brooklynn, and Yasmina, who are not only of various races, but also voiced by people of various races as well (so no Hank Azaria voicing Apu situations here). If your kids can handle the tension, then Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is a great show to turn them on to.
Raising Dion
In this family superhero drama, which also sometimes features Michael B. Jordan as a recurring character, a little boy named Dion has superpowers, and his mom (Alisha Wainwright) does her damndest to keep those powers a secret, since nefarious forces may want to use those powers for evil.
Raising Dion is an action-packed show, and Dion (Ja’Siah Young) is likable as a hero just getting his footing in the world, but I just love Dion’s best friend, Esperanza Jimenez (Sammi Haney), who has brittle bone disease, as we don’t often get to see people with disabilities showcased as main characters. Dion and Esperanza make a good team as best friends, which only adds to the joy of this fun superhero show. Unfortunately, there won’t be a third season, but the 17 episodes available are pretty good.
The Unlisted
In this live-action show, two identical twins uncover the dark truth that the Australian government and a corporation are controlling the nation’s youth after implanting a device in their mouths. Now, the twins have to side with a group of other young teens to stop the evil group before the whole nation’s children are under their spell.
You know how people are always debating on whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not? Well, even though Die Hard is an action movie that stands on its own, it seems that some people will always now just consider it a Christmas film, and I can now say something similar about The Unlisted. Except this show starts on the celebration of Diwali, showcasing its two main Indian characters, Kalpen and Drupad Sharma, played by Ved Rao and Vrund Rao, respectively, in their element, before things go south.
It’s awesome to see two Indian leads, but the rest of the cast is also quite diverse, making for a show that anybody can see themselves in, which is amazing. The Unlisted has one season, and as of right now, there’s no word on whether there will be a Season 2 or not, but here’s hoping.
The Dragon Prince
Set in the fantastical world of Xadia, two royal half brothers must work with an elf to take care of the titular dragon prince, while also trying to stop an all-out war between magical creatures and humans. So, Willow meets Lord of the Rings, with a dash of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Game of Thrones (Azymondias, the dragon prince in question, is just so cute!). Does that sound good to you?
It should, especially the Avatar: The Last Airbender part, as the series co-creator, Aaron Ehasz, was also a head writer for Avatar. With that being the case, diversity, from the soldiers to the magical creatures, is an important part of this series, with the ultimate lesson of course being that everybody shares more similarities than differences, and we should stop fighting each other and just get along. Add to that the excellent humor and art, and you have a show that anybody of any color or gender could love. There are three seasons, and the show has been renewed for a fourth.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power
And lastly, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, is similar, but different, from the She-Ra of old, and it’s much better for it. In this series, a young woman named Adora who fights for a group called the Horde, discovers a sword in the woods, which transforms her into She-Ra. But, in the process, she learns that the group that she has been fighting for is actually evil, and she bands with a group of liberators to defeat the Horde, which puts her in direct conflict with her best friend (and love interest?) Catra.
I put a question mark behind “love interest,” but that was really just for dramatic effect, since there really is no question, as there are hints that Adora and Catra have emotional feelings beyond friendship for each other from the very first episode. In fact, She-Ra won a GLAAD Media Award for its LGBTQ representation, as it’s a show that promotes gender fluidity and a gay romance. My daughter loves the show, and I do, too! The series ended with a satisfying five seasons.
So, that’s just five shows in the Representation Matters Collection, but there are also other movies and shows on Netflix, as well, that aren't in the Representation Matters Collection that I would also recommend, like We Can Be Heroes, which was a huge success for Netflix. And, of course, Avatar: The Last Airbender, which will also one day get a live-action show on Netflix with a POC cast, as well as the animated series, The Legend of Korra, which I love even more after re-watching it for about the millionth time. For more Netflix news, make sure to swing by here often!
