Just launched: free lifetime premium for the first 1,000 members to activate their account.

Log in Start free

Slick Moves

Insufficient

Recommended age Unlock

Stimulating

Exact score locked

Watch on

Prime Video

Save

Slick Moves

See the exact scores

The review is yours to read. Create a free account to reveal the exact SlowScreen score and every pillar score.

Create free account

This program is stimulating. It actively demands attention and can feel intense. For the recommended age, this may be on the more intense side. The pacing is fast. Images follow each other quickly, leaving little time to pause and take in what is happening. The sound is soft and supportive. The visuals are calm and well-organized.

One thread carries the episode: Slick wants to dance, Jeff wants peace, and the two keep colliding until they end up on stage together. The beginning, middle and end are recognisable, and the cartoon logic mostly holds up, dancing into a library shelf makes the books fall on him. The limitation is density: each vignette stacks several new actions and props on top of each other, and the episode also cuts away to other characters at home for short gags that do not feed the main thread. A four-year-old will follow the broad arc but will miss a fair amount of the detail packed into each short scene.

Frustration and irritation drive most of the episode, and the shifts are abrupt: Slick is delighted one moment and furious the next, while Jeff swings from patient to fuming within a single scene. The humour also leans on humiliation, with sad-face reactions to Slick's video and a stage audience booing and throwing fruit at him while he performs. Characters annoy each other repeatedly with little acknowledgement of how it lands, so the modelling of how to treat someone is thin. The ending does repair things, Slick and Jeff dance together and the crowd cheers, but that comes only after a long run of unresolved irritation.

Slick drives nearly everything himself: he practises his moves, films himself, spots a dance poster and puts himself on stage, without any adult pushing him. What is missing is the thinking in between. His attempts mostly fail through slapstick accident rather than a plan he tests and adjusts, and the eventual success comes when Jeff happens to join him on stage rather than from a worked-out idea. A child sees plenty of persistence and initiative, but very little of the reasoning that turns a failed attempt into a better one.

There is essentially no spoken language in this episode. The characters communicate in gibberish, grunts and single exclamations such as 'Whoa!' and 'Yeah!', and the only readable words on screen are the title and credits. Nothing is confusing, and the physical acting makes intentions clear, but there are no sentences, no naming of objects and no explanation of what is happening. A child gets no new words, no sentence patterns and no model of how to use language to make something understood.

The world is a recognisable suburban street with houses, gardens, a library, a tennis racket and a stage, so the setting itself connects to daily life. The social situations also land: wanting an audience, being annoyed by a noisy neighbour, and finding out that two people together get further than one. The catch is that almost every activity is a set-up for a gag rather than something shown through to the end. Sweeping, gardening and reading all get interrupted within seconds, so a child sees the joke rather than how the task actually works.

More information

The cast is a group of colour-coded creatures with no human ethnicity, no families, and no adults, so the everyday variety children recognise from real life is largely absent. The story runs almost without words and turns on two personalities, Slick the dancer and Jeff the tidy one, while the rest of the group mostly watches from the sidelines. Both characters carrying the story read as male, and the two characters coded as girls, pink Newt and yellow Bubbles, stay in reaction shots and crowd scenes. What the episode does well is separate character from category: the differences between the friends come from temperament, not from belonging to a group.

The world is a normal neighbourhood with houses, front gardens, a library, a television and a laptop, and the everyday activities of raking leaves, tidying up and dancing are things a child recognises straight away. The characters themselves are invented, colourful creatures who speak in sounds rather than words, so a child watches a familiar world populated by figures who could not exist. Nobody is set up as bad: the friction between Slick and Jeff comes from one wanting to dance while the other wants quiet, and both take turns being unreasonable. The slapstick does stretch what bodies can survive, with falls and collisions that leave no real trace, which is the main thing that pulls the episode away from what a young child can take literally.

This episode runs on wordless slapstick: Fuse discovers a dance video online, tries to out-move Jeff, and the rivalry builds to a stage dance-off in front of the others. There is enough of a story here for an adult to follow from the couch, and the animation is genuinely well made, with expressive faces and confident timing. The catch is the noise: constant squeals, yelps and a repeated chant carry the whole soundtrack, and the cutting rarely sits still. Pleasant to look at, tiring to listen to from the next room.

Themes

Music

Slick dances to a boombox through most of the episode and performs a routine on a lit stage.

Perseverance

After a poor reaction to his video, Slick keeps practising his moves in the street, the library and the garden.

Disagreements

Jeff repeatedly tries to garden, read and carry a potted tree while Slick's dancing gets in the way.

Slapstick

Recurring

Slick knocks a stack of library books onto himself and the two collide during a street chase.

Learning to work together

Jeff joins Slick on stage and the duo routine finally wins the audience over.

Everyday life

Recurring

The action moves through a suburban street with gardens, a library, a garage and front lawns.

Disappointment

Slick's face falls when sad-face reactions appear next to his dance video on the tablet.

Activities

Dancing

Slick's routines with the boombox fill most of the episode.

Music

A boombox is carried from location to location and plays throughout.

Reading

Jeff sits with an open book in the library before the shelves are disturbed.

Gardening

Slick and Jeff work on a lawn with a rake and a mound of soil.

Watching tv

Zee and the others watch the stage performance on a set at home.

Sports

Jeff hits a ball against a wall with a tennis racket.

Cleaning

Slick sweeps the pavement with a broom while wearing headphones.

Emotions

Frustration

Jeff scowls and clenches his fists when the boombox interrupts his reading.

Joy

Slick grins widely while dancing with his headphones on.

Determination

Slick keeps setting up his boombox in new spots after each interruption.

Disappointment

Slick stares at the sad-face reactions on his screen and slumps.

Anger

Jeff bares his teeth and shouts silently at Slick during the chase.

Surprise

Jeff's eyes go wide when a car speeds past him on the street.

Behaviour

Dancing

Slick performs routines with sunglasses and headphones on the pavement, in the library and on stage.

Practising a skill

Slick repeats his moves in one location after another before the stage performance.

Teasing

The stage audience boos Slick and throws fruit at him, leaving banana peels and melon on the stage floor.

Perseverance

Slick returns to dancing after every failed attempt and bad reaction.

Chasing

Jeff and Slick run after each other down the street past the houses.

Teamwork

Slick and Jeff perform a synchronised routine together in the final act.

Celebrating

Slick and Jeff throw their arms up together after the crowd cheers.

Social lessons

Conflict

Jeff's quiet activities are interrupted by Slick's music again and again.

Teamwork

The duo routine on stage succeeds where Slick's solo act failed.

Conflict resolution

The two stop chasing each other and end up performing side by side.

Perseverance

Slick keeps working on his moves despite the poor reception.

Teasing

The audience jeers and pelts Slick with fruit during his solo performance.

Respecting boundaries

Slick plays his boombox next to Jeff without asking, and Jeff carries it away.

Mild violence

A stack of library books topples onto Slick and the two crash into each other while running.

Mild conflict

Jeff and Slick argue and chase each other through the street after repeated interruptions.

Loud sounds

The boombox blasts at close range and crashes land with sharp bangs.

Teasing

Slick is booed on stage and sees sad-face reactions to his dance video.

Minor injury

An Oddbod appears wrapped head to toe in bandages after the stage act.

Screen use

Characters watch and rewatch Slick's dance clip on a tablet and a laptop, with the view counter climbing to a million.

Slick spends his days dancing to a boombox in the neighbourhood, wearing headphones and sunglasses wherever he goes. His music keeps landing on top of whatever Jeff is trying to do, from reading in the library to raking the lawn, and the two end up chasing each other through the street. When Slick performs alone on a talent stage, the audience boos and throws fruit at him. Jeff steps on stage, the two dance as a pair, and the crowd cheers.

Season 1

21 episodes

Oddbods

Oddbods

It's My Party

recommended age

Jeff, the purple Oddbod, counts the days down to his party on a calendar hanging by the door. He prepares everything himself, a cupcake with one candle from the fridge, a tray of sandwiches cut into squares, a table laid with plates and cups, and he waits with a wrapped gift while his housemates throw a loud party of their own around him. Each time he tries to join in he is bumped aside, left out of a photo or simply not seen, and at one point he sits down to a tea party with a suit of armour and a doll for guests. The episode ends with the disco at full tilt and Jeff flattened on the floor, his own party never happening, followed by a short gag after the closing logo.

Oddbods

Oddbods

A Good Heart

recommended age

After finding Zee collapsed in the street from chasing an ice cream truck, Newt straps a heart monitor on his wrist and puts him through a home fitness routine of vegetable smoothies, a punching bag, dumbbells and an exercise bike. Zee resists, and one night he climbs out of his bedroom window to follow the ice cream truck down the road. Newt catches up and both end up racing after the vehicle, which hits a ramp and overturns. The episode closes with the two of them standing amid ice cream scattered across the road.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Marooned

recommended age

Pogo and Zee take a hot air balloon ride that goes wrong when the balloon is punctured over the sea, and they crash onto a small, empty tropical island. They spend what looks like a long stretch there, working out how to get coconuts down and open, building a bamboo shelter, fishing, and marking the passing days on a rock wall. A pufferfish they encounter puffs up large enough to lift their basket, and they finally float away from the island. From the air they spot the other Oddbods lounging on a nearby beach.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Parental Instinct

recommended age

Fuse is chopping firewood outside his cabin when he knocks a nest out of a tree and an egg drops to the ground. The chick that hatches decides Fuse is its parent and follows him everywhere, taking over his couch, his food and his bed. After a long stretch of feeding, cleaning and sleepless nights, Fuse rescues it from a larger bird and helps it learn to fly. The bird joins a flock on a wire, and in a closing gag Fuse's living room fills up with birds.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Sheriff of Oddsville

recommended age

Jeff finds a sheriff helmet and star badge and appoints himself the law of Oddsville. He patrols the town on a small scooter and plants prohibition signs on everything his neighbours enjoy: the ice cream van, Slick's boombox, Newt's painting, watering the garden and Zee's monster truck, until red circles line every street and a metal cage is towed in for offenders. After dark he sneaks into a shed and does all the banned things himself, blowing bubbles, wearing a sombrero, skateboarding and setting off fireworks. The others catch him in the act, and the episode ends with Jeff behind the bars of his own cage while the neighbourhood goes back to normal.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Alien Abduction

recommended age

Oddbods

Oddbods

Slick Moves

recommended age

Slick spends his days dancing to a boombox in the neighbourhood, wearing headphones and sunglasses wherever he goes. His music keeps landing on top of whatever Jeff is trying to do, from reading in the library to raking the lawn, and the two end up chasing each other through the street. When Slick performs alone on a talent stage, the audience boos and throws fruit at him. Jeff steps on stage, the two dance as a pair, and the crowd cheers.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Perfect Night's Squeak

recommended age

Fuse, the red Oddbod, is kept awake in his own house by a mouse squeaking behind the skirting board. He tries a baited trap, chases it through the kitchen with a pot, swings a wrecking ball through his living room and builds a wheeled launcher, and every attempt fails while the damage grows. In a final attempt he wires explosive charges to the outside of his house and detonates them from the street, destroying the building while the mouse walks away unharmed. The episode ends at night with Fuse asleep in bed and the mouse curled up against him.

Oddbods

Oddbods

A Newt to Remember

recommended age

Fuse smartens up in his car and drives to collect Newt for an evening out, leaving Slick standing in the road with his keys. Slick chases them through the neighbourhood, to a drive-in cinema showing a black-and-white wolf film, and on to a roadside burger stand. Out in the forest under the full moon, Newt grows fangs, pointed ears and claws, and Slick, after fleeing and then photographing her, comes back and stays. The night ends with the characters heading home in the car, yawning.

Oddbods

Oddbods

One Two Many

recommended age

Bubbles builds a machine in her attic workshop that copies whatever it points at, testing it first on a green apple and then on a small figure. Pogo climbs in through her window to see what she is doing and ends up duplicated, and soon a crowd of identical Pogos spreads across the neighbourhood playing tricks on Fuse, Zee and Jeff. Bubbles and the original Pogo spend the night tracking the copies down and firing the machine in reverse to remove them. The episode ends back at the workshop window with the neighbourhood quiet again.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Pogo the Poltergeist

recommended age

Pogo sees an advert for a ghost gadget on television, orders it by phone and starts haunting the neighbourhood in disguise. Newt is his main target: her teddy bear and household objects move on their own until she flees her house. Bubbles builds goggles and a detector, and the two search the pink house together, wrecking the kitchen and leaving Newt needing a first aid kit. The episode ends at night with Newt and Pogo standing on the street as a real ghost floats up beside them.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Robobuddy

recommended age

Fuse is worn out from hauling his loaded trike around the neighbourhood, so when he sees a television advert for a Robobuddy he phones in an order. The robot arrives in a box, takes over his work, plays badminton with him and provides the music at a garden party, but its eyes keep flashing red and it starts wrecking gardens and turning on the other Oddbods. It ends up chasing everyone through a smoke-filled street, firing beams from its eyes. Fuse flies a kite in a thunderstorm so the lightning strikes the machine, Zee and Newt finish it off, and the group gathers around him afterwards.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Pain in the Arts

recommended age

In an art class, Jeff knocks over a pot of blue paint and the splattered canvas is hailed as a masterpiece, launching him into billboards, trophies and a television interview. Zee, watching from the sidelines, buys fresh paints and a beret and works late to produce a carefully painted apple, but at the outdoor exhibition nobody stops to look and Pogo eats it. Furious, Zee drives his car straight through the display, flattening every easel and canvas into a smoking heap. The crowd declares the wreckage brilliant, and the other Oddbods immediately grab blank canvases to copy the new style.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Zeellionär

recommended age

Zee is sitting in his junk filled yard when black oil suddenly bursts out of the ground and makes him instantly rich. He buys out a hot dog truck, a mansion, a sports car and a couch that flies, wears a crown and gold sunglasses, and throws a party while Pogo, Slick and the other Oddbods try to get close to the money. The oil well blows up in a huge black cloud and everything he bought is hauled away again. Zee ends up back on his old brown couch with a few loose banknotes around him and his friends gathered beside him.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Bad Medicine

recommended age

Zee sees Newt cooking and fakes a collapse in the road outside her house so she will take him in and look after him. Newt carries him to her bed and waits on him with soup, sweets and cake, but Zee keeps ringing for more, orders pizza and turns her bedroom into a party. Newt works out what he is up to and sets up a mock examination room with a spotlight, an X-ray and a tray of instruments. Zee panics, bolts out into the night and runs home, and a closing gag leaves him bandaged after another accident.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Fuse Ruse

recommended age

Fuse notices his friends slipping away without him and sets out to find out why. He trails them through an art gallery, a field, an outdoor cinema and a diner, at one point putting on glasses and a moustache so they will not recognise him, growing angrier each time they give him the slip. His search leads him to a house at night, where the group is revealed to have been preparing a party for him all along. He is handed a framed photograph of everyone together and the episode ends with the whole group celebrating.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Narco Klepto

recommended age

Belongings start vanishing from homes across the Oddbods neighbourhood, and Bubbles decides to find out who is responsible. She installs cameras, studies the recordings, pins up photographs of every neighbour and crosses them off one by one until only Zee is left. Following him at night, she discovers he is taking everything while fast asleep, and she trails him into a large building to get proof. The security system catches Bubbles instead, and the episode closes on Zee dozing on his sofa with the missing remote in his hand.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Bubble Trouble

recommended age

Pogo sneaks into Bubbles' attic laboratory and starts fiddling with her age-changing machine, and a stray beam turns Bubbles into a baby. She crawls off, gets behind the wheel of a buggy and tears through the neighbourhood while Pogo chases her, eventually catching her and keeping her in a pet carrier with a lollipop. Pogo then rewinds the lab footage and works through the machine's manual until he can reverse the setting and restore her. Once Bubbles is back to normal, she turns the same ray on Pogo, leaving him first old and then a baby.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Double Date Trouble

recommended age

Fuse invites both Newt and Bubbles to dinner on the same evening and seats them at separate tables in the same restaurant. He spends the night sprinting between the two, hiding behind doors and improvising distractions, while an escaped lobster adds chaos in the kitchen. The two eventually find each other and corner him outside. The episode closes on Fuse screaming as they advance on him, with no apology or resolution shown.

Oddbods

Oddbods

My Hero

recommended age

Slick wants Newt to see him as her hero, so he quietly creates the emergencies he then solves: he lets her pet mouse out of its dome, unscrews a wheel from her scooter and carries her cat up a tree. Each time he appears at the right moment and is thanked for saving the day. A photograph that would reveal what he has been doing turns up, and he tears it into pieces before Newt can look at it properly. The episode ends with the two of them standing outside her house together, followed by a daydream in which a caped Slick flies to her rescue.

Oddbods

Oddbods

Florence Newtingale

recommended age

Newt calls Fuse over to her pink house to deal with a cockroach in her kitchen sink, and the visit ends with Fuse gulping chilli sauce and storming home. After Newt turns up with apology flowers, Fuse has an accident at his own door and she wraps him in bandages. She then nurses him around the clock, feeding him, plumping his pillows and vacuuming up after him, while he quietly enjoys every minute and never admits he has recovered. Newt finally drops asleep from exhaustion, and Fuse rolls off to be looked after somewhere else.

Related media

Other series that fit this age group

Bluey

Bluey

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bluey follows two heeler sisters and their playful parents through everyday life and made-up games at home, in the park and at daycare. The tone is warm and imaginative, aimed at preschoolers, with social and emotional learning woven through.

The Berenstain Bears

The Berenstain Bears

recommended age co-watching from 2

The Berenstain Bears follows a bear family through everyday adventures at home, school and their small town. Warm and reassuring in tone, it suits preschoolers, offering a gentle life lesson in each story.

Jessica's Big Little World

Jessica's Big Little World

recommended age co-watching from 2

Jessica's Big Little World follows a young girl eager to do things herself, with her family and toys at home and around town. Warm and playful for preschoolers, with gentle lessons in independence and perseverance.

Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes

Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes

recommended age co-watching from 5

Explore more

From this series Oddbods

By age 4 years

Just launched: free lifetime premium for the first 1,000 members to activate their account.

Create your account

We use functional cookies and Google Analytics to improve our site. Learn more