Television plays in homes now more often than ever. Parents can make this a positive experience by carefully selecting shows for their children, like the new Apple TV show ‘Stillwater.’ This animated series is based on a Scholastic book series “Zen Shorts” written by Jon J. Muth.
Yesterday, I received an exclusive invitation to watch a live screening of the show. My children and I had a day filled with power struggles, lost assignments, and messy rooms, but this gave us a reason to put aside our frustration and sit down together.
Calm music played on the screen as the show loaded. Immediately, we began to relax.
In the opening scene, absolute stillness greeted our eyes. Calmly, a panda bear painted on a blank canvas. The setting was serene and lush with greenery. Next to the panda bear, a young boy sat and asked advice. He had dreams of going to outer space, but he doubted himself.
Wisely, the panda bear gave advice, and he made sure that an outer space adventure was able to happen for the boy. Dreams really do come true when you have a wise panda by your side.
As the show ended, it gave us a Mindfulness Moment. During this time, we remembered to center ourselves and become calmer before going about our day.
Although this show was too young for my children, I adored its positive messages and friendly characters. They both approved of it, and they said it was very cute.
One thing I enjoyed was that the show incorporated realistic features with imaginary features. While the setting was realistic, many parts of the plot also felt realistic, except for the panda bear. When the boy finally succeeded at taking his space ship into space, it was not his imagination. He felt that he soared in space, but that experience was more concrete and real. It was the bear offering his friendship and guidance that lifted the cardboard spaceship up and made it seem as though it flew in space.
Seeing the power of friendship matters. With children’s imaginations being so big, the show could have inserted a dream sequence that was more visually impressive. However, I preferred seeing the realistic concept of a friend helping you achieve your goals. This theme can be applied in anyone’s lives. Adults can remember how valuable their guidance is. Children can understand that others are always there for them.
Although I only screened the first episode of the series, it was a positive experience that brought stillness and calm to our day. Lately, stillness has become a part of our every day. We go no where. Not much happens, but it can feel that we are attempting to do everything.
Each day is packed with a virtual class schedule. Our household responsibilities that would usually only greet us for hours each day are in front of us every moment. This show was a helpful reminder that in the stillness, we must search for calmness.
From Apple TV:
Siblings Karl, Addy and Michael have a very special next-door neighbor: a wise panda named Stillwater. His friendship and stories give them new perspectives on the world, themselves, and each other.
‘Stillwater’ is executive produced by Sidonie Dumas, Christophe Riandee, Nicolas Atlan, Terry Kalagian, Iole Lucchese, Caitlin Friedman, Jef Kaminsky and Rob Hoegee. Produced by Gaumont and Scholastic Entertainment, the cast that includes James Sie, Judah Mackey, Eva Binder, and Tucker Chandler.
Stillwater releases on December 4, 2020 exclusively on Apple TV.
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