Most kids in the preschool age range associate learning Spanish with Dora the Explorer or her cousin Diego. After several years of witnessing Dora's conquest of preschoolers, Disney jumped on board with its own Latino, Handy Manny.

Voiced by Wilmer Valderrama (Fez from That 70's Show), Manny is a handyman who lives in the town of Sheetrock Hills with his trusty tools: Felipe (a Phillips screwdriver), Turner (flathead screwdriver), Rusty (wrench), Dusty (saw), Squeeze (pliers), Pat (hammer), Stretch (tape measure) and Flicker (a flashlight acquired by Manny in 2009 who only speaks Spanish). Each tool talks and has its own personality. For example, Felipe is a little flighty and Turner is his cynical, down-to-Earth counterpart.

Each 22 minute episode is broken into two segments with the same basic format. Manny gets a call from a townperson needing something fixed (the turnstile in the library, a leaky faucet, etc.), and Manny and the tools head out to fix it. There's usually a lesson of some sort along the way, whether it be that you shouldn't try to cut corners to get the job done, that every tool is important, even if they aren't being used for this job, or some kind of Latino cultural lesson.

The tools and Manny sing a couple of bouncy songs in each episode: "Hop up, Jump in" when it's time to get in the tool box before heading out, and "We Work Together" while working on the job. A couple of the tools know some Spanish, and Manny is bilingual, a necessary skill in Sheetrock Hills, so kids get a little bit of Spanish here and there, but I don't think it's as effective as Dora. While the practice of saying something in Spanish, followed by a direct translation is good to ensure that kids understand the meaning of the words, Handy Manny and co. need to use repetition in order for kids to really get the Spanish words in their heads.

Despite Manny's inability to improve my children's Spanish, he has improved my six year old's English vocabulary. When Manny doesn't have the tool he needs, he tells the tools that they will need to improvise. All of a sudden, my daughter has been throwing the word "improvise" out left and right -- correctly. I asked where she learned it and she said Handy Manny. Yesterday, she told me that she's learning "courtesy" from Manny as well.

The CGI animation in Handy Manny is appealing for kids, using bright colors and rounded features that border on "cutesy."

Recommendation
A couple months ago, I probably would have left Handy Manny with a three star "okay" recommendation. Now, however, I am impressed by the way Manny has stretched my daughter's vocabulary and by how much all three of my kids (ages almost two, three and a half and almost seven) enjoy watching him. I definitely recommend it as viewing for preschoolers, as it teaches cooperation and teamwork concepts.


This is an entry in carstairs38's Second Annual All Things Disney Write Off.

Recommended: Yes

Type of Program: Cartoon or Animated
Program Quality: Entertaining, but not intellectually or emotionally engaging
Best Suited For: 3 to 5 Years