Tad and the Magic Lamp: is it suitable for your child?

Story

Tad Jones (voice of Trevor White) and his archaeologist partner Sara (voice of Alex Kelly) have become the parents of a fearless toddler named Oli (voice of Erin Austen). Because Tad and Sara prioritise Oli’s needs, ‘Mummy’ (an ancient mummy from Tad’s previous adventures, voice of Joseph Balderrama) feels sidelined and useless.

While the family is in London, Sara tracks down the legendary magic lamp from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, discovering that it’s hidden in Buckingham Palace. Desperate to regain a sense of purpose and to become the centre of attention, Mummy seizes the lamp and makes an accidental wish that triggers a powerful spell, whisking him and Sara back in time to Peru in 1502, where they come face to face with Tupac (voice of Joseph Balderrama), the youthful version of Mummy.

With the space-time continuum at risk, Tad, Oli and their loyal sidekicks must find their way to the past to save Mummy and Sara. Their time-travelling rescue mission takes them from the jungles of South America to Ancient Greece and ultimately to the Middle East in search of the cave of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Along the way, they’re relentlessly pursued by the villain Suleiman (voice of Ramon Tikaram), a boy whose ancestors have spent centuries hunting for the legendary lamp.

Tad and his family must outsmart ancient historical figures, fix timeline fractures, and defeat their pursuers before history is permanently altered and the people they love disappear completely.

Themes

Corruption; jealousy; greed; overprotection; exploitation; the pursuit of absolute power

Violence

Tad and the Magic Lamp has some violence. For example:

Suleiman threatens a shopkeeper with a ball and chain. He chases Sara from the shop.
Suleiman tries to attack Tad and Oli with a spiked ball and chain.
Tad bursts through a tunnel and lands on train tracks where he and Oli are nearly killed by a train. Suleiman tries to attack them from another side.
An Inca man is about to be sacrificed on a stone altar. A jagged knife is held above his chest, ready to plunge in, when the ceremony is stopped.
A character is nearly crushed by falling scaffolding and rocks while he tries to get a churro.
Tupac shoots several characters with darts, rendering them unconscious.
Mummy smashes into a man and knocks out a tooth.
Two sailors are hit and stumble overboard.
Two soldiers threaten Mummy with a club.
Soldiers are hit with barrels.
A dog bites a soldier in the buttocks. Another soldier is attacked with a club.
Two characters have a sword fight.
A soldier threatens Tad with a sword.
A character accidentally shoots a cannon at a ship and the whole thing explodes.
Tad and his sidekicks are violently tossed around a ship during a storm.
A parrot is grabbed and squished.
A character is shoved, and a soldier is punched and attacked.
Mummy nearly crushes Oli with a statue and then accidentally destroys an ancient temple.
Characters are punched and shot at.
A chariot chases and nearly crushes a character.
A robot is shot out of a cannon to destroy a battle chariot.
A chariot is derailed and destroyed, Tupac is strangled, and Tad is nearly killed by a poison arrow.
A robot slaps a soldier in the face and knocks out his teeth.
Sara is attacked with a metal club and nearly crushed.
Tupac is knocked out.
A collapsing cave nearly crushes Tad and Tupac.
Tad is told he’ll be thrown to the crocodiles.

Sexual references

Tad and the Magic Lamp has some sexual references. For example:

A bird thinks a robot that’s covered in feathers is ‘so hot’. The bird performs a mating dance while encouraging the robot to marry him so they can have lots of chicks. Sexy music plays in the background while the bird struts around. He also says things like, ‘What is a bird like you doing in a jungle like this?’
A character is told, ‘Relax darling. You were just a summer fling’.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Tad and the Magic Lamp shows some use of substances. For example:

A character is told not to light a cigarette lighter.
There are drunk soldiers and drunk sailors in several scenes.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s no nudity or sexual activity in Tad and the Magic Lamp.

Product placement

Tad and the Magic Lamp has some product placement. For example, people refer to a social media platform called ‘Instazam’.

Coarse language

Tad and the Magic Lamp has some coarse language, name-calling and insults, including ‘little creep’, ‘bozos’, ‘snitch’, ‘idiot’, ‘punks’ and ‘freaks’.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Tad and the Magic Lamp is an animated, family adventure that loosely blends time travel, ancient history and archaeology in a fast-paced plot. Originating from Spain, this is the fourth instalment in the highly successful Tadeo Jones media franchise and is best suited to viewers aged over 6 years.

These are the main messages from Tad and the Magic Lamp;

Family is an unbreakable team.
Your legacy can have a powerful influence even when you aren’t physically there.
Unconditional love can work miracles.

Values in Tad and the Magic Lamp that you could reinforce with your children include teamwork, unity, ethical stewardship, love, loyalty, persistence and sacrifice.

Tad and the Magic Lamp could also give you the chance to talk about real-life issues like:

being jealous of siblings
doing whatever you want and recklessly disregarding consequences, despite the damage you might do
being overcontrolling or letting fear or anxiety rule your actions
using any means to seize power and have your own way.