The Amazing Digital Circus Age Rating & Parents' Guide: Is It Appropriate For Kids?

Summary The Amazing Digital Circus is not for young kids, featuring dark themes and horrifying imagery.

Some characters in the show may be disconcerting for young viewers.

Alternative shows like Gravity Falls, The Magic School Bus, or Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends are more suitable for young children.

The Amazing Digital Circus doesn't have an age rating, but the content may surprise some caretakers if they only see the title card of the animated web series. At first glance, with its colorful art, cute characters, happy voice-acting, and bouncy, PBS cartoon-style music, The Amazing Digital Circus appears to be made entirely with young kids in mind. However, that's not the whole story, and after only a few moments watching the series, it's clear the show is not intended for the same audience who consume Paw Patrol, despite how similar the animation may appear.

The 25-minute series pilot premiered on October 13, 2023, from YouTuber Gooseworx and the GLITCH team. A second episode premiered on May 3, 2024, titled "Candy Carrier Chaos!" In the show, a cast of humans has become trapped in a virtual reality game, "The Amazing Digital Circus" led by an AI gamemaster named "Caine" (Alex Rochon), who has a set of teeth for a head. The show follows a newcomer to the realm, Pomni (Lizzie Freeman), who is horrified to find she can't escape it. The Amazing Digital Circus' themes may not be the most suitable for younger viewers.

Related 15 Scariest Kid's Shows Of All Time - Ranked Creepy To Downright Terrifying Obviously children's shows are supposed to be family friendly, but some shows made for kids are downright terrifying.

The Amazing Digital Circus Is Not Rated, But It's Appropriate For Older Children & Teenagers

This Series Has Existential And Dark Themes That May Frighten Young Viewers

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The Amazing Digital Circus operates in a unique space of animation. An unrated web series, The Amazing Digital Circus is not as demonstrably horrifying as similar "children's" web series like Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, but the show still deals with existential questions about reality and nihilism that will certainly go over younger viewers' heads. There isn't any cursing — the AI blocks foul language with sound effects and black bars over characters' mouths — but there's a sense of impending doom and dark absurdism that hangs over the series. Young viewers won't know what to make of these ideas.

More concerning for some guardians is the frightening imagery in the episodes. It's nothing worse than the numerous terrifying characters who have popped up in animated kids' shows before, but several of the main characters in The Amazing Digital Circus may be disconcerting for young viewers who may only be familiar with recognizable characters, like a dog in Bluey or a monkey in Curious George. Add on the many scary-looking smaller characters like a shrieking mask and a giant multi-eyed glitch creature, and it all may be too much for young children.

There does seem to be a clear storyline with The Amazing Digital Circus and the characters are kind and helpful to Pomni, making the dread seem like it will end. Many of the jokes are aimed at a younger audience as well, so older kids and young teens can certainly watch the show without any issues.

The Amazing Digital Circus was nominated for an Annie Award in the Best Character Animation – TV/Media category in 2024, losing to Blue Eye Samurai​​​​​​.

Alternatives To The Amazing Digital Circus That Younger Kids Can Watch

There Are Plenty Of Other Kids Shows For Young Children Interested In Similar Themes

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There are plenty of shows with similar thought-provoking themes that would be more suitable for younger viewers to watch if The Amazing Digital Circus is too mature. Gravity Falls has big themes as well and includes ideas about other universes, but it's far more kid-friendly. The Magic School Bus series would also be a great, comparable series for younger folks to watch. It investigates larger, sometimes abstract ideas but is completely made for children. The Magic School Bus Rides Again is a revival series on Netflix that interested parties can check out.

The best series for young children to watch that's comparable to The Amazing Digital Circus, however, is Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

The best series for young children to watch that's comparable to The Amazing Digital Circus, however, is Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. The character design between the two is very similar, there's a wacky ensemble cast, and the show is filled with existential themes that are made palatable for young audiences.

Gravity Falls Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available When Dipper and Mabel Pines are dropped off to spend the summer with their uncle in Gravity Falls, they discover that all is not as it seems in this small town. When Dipper discovers a strange journal in the forest, the twins team up to solve the town's mysteries. Cast Jason Ritter , Kristen Schaal Release Date June 15, 2012 Seasons 2 Network Disney Channel Directors Alex Hirsch

The Magic School Bus Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Cast Lily Tomlin , Malcolm-Jamal Warner , Lisa Yamanaka , Danny Tamberelli , Daniel DeSanto , Tara Meyer , Erica Luttrell , Maia Filar , Stuart Stone , Amos Crawley , Max Beckford , Andre Ottley-Lorant Release Date September 10, 1994 Seasons 4 Directors Lawrence Jacobs , Charles E. Bastien