Alisa Knows What To Do! Season One
Alisa Knows What to Do! is based on the extremely popular Russian science-fiction novels by famous Russian author Kir Bulychiov about a young girl from the future, Alisa Salazar. This animated series weaves a tale about the adventures of a group of teenagers living at the end of the 21st century. The world has changed yet the burning questions that occupied people at the beginning of the century are still pertinent today. Alisa and her friends not only battle evil and injustice but they are also concerned with global problems like the natural balance, both on the planet and in space. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Lucia F. comments, “I like the animation because the special effects are very cool. Young children will enjoy this because it is filled with adventure and action.” Gerry O. adds, “There are not many animated kid shows that can teach important life lessons, entertain and spark the viewer’s imagination. Alisa Knows What to Do: Season One accomplishes all of this and more.” Calista B. wraps it up with, “This series is really enjoyable. I was honestly surprised by how much I was invested in the story and the characters. It is surprisingly solid.” See their full reviews below.
Alisa Knows What To Do! Season One
By Lucia Funaro, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 18
What I find appealing is that Alisa is everyone’s boss and, as the title says, she obviously knows what to do. I like the animation because the special effects are very cool. Young children will enjoy this because it is filled with adventure and action. One part I don’t care for is how strict the teacher is. I wish he was nicer to the young teens. At first I was bothered by the audio which is not in sync with the mouth movements and then I realized that the original language is Russian and this version is dubbed in 
English.
This DVD is a compilation of episodes from the TV show. Based on a popular Russian science fiction novel by Kir Bulychiov, the show follows a group of teens in the future who learn to solve problems with help from their leader Alisa. Alisa and her friends face many difficulties and they have to figure out how to fight the villains that are trying to defeat them. They are also concerned about the environment and how the earth will survive. They live near the end of the 21st century, so there is lots of advanced technology included in this show.
There are two messages in this show – every problem has a solution and teamwork is the key. I love that the person who usually comes up with the right answer is a girl. I also love how everyone helps each other out in complicated situations.
What really stands in this show is that each episode is self-contained. It has a beginning, middle and end. The animation and audio quality are also amazing. It took me a while to realize that this show takes place at the end of the 21st Century. Most episodes start out showing the kids at school doing class work or something funny. Then someone tells Alisa about a problem and she usually finds the situation. Her friends are her sidekicks so they help her when she needs them. Alisa and her friends are very concerned about the earth, the environment and how to protect it. They are constantly trying to save the universe. Everyone will want to root for Alisa and her friends!
I recommend this show to ages 5 to 10 and give it 5 out of 5 stars. I believe children will enjoy the action, adventure and problem-solving. It is fun and also educational. It is available June 13, 2019 on DVD so, go check it out.
Alisa Knows What to Do: Season One
By Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 15
There are not many animated kid shows that can teach important life lessons, entertain and spark the viewer’s imagination. Alisa Knows What to Do: Season One accomplishes all of this and more. Even though it is meant for kids, this animated series is perfect for the entire family.
The show has a core of a futuristic adventure with many different elements for viewers to enjoy. Throughout the episodes, viewers will find plenty of comedy that makes everyone laugh. It also includes quite a few of child-friendly action sequences and even some slight young romance between the characters.
Even though each episode has a different plot, the series follows the story of five teenagers living in the year 2090, where there are aliens, robots, spaceships and many advanced pieces of technology. Alisa is always there to save the day with her skills and quick wit to stop evil monsters and evil scientists, rescue her friends and preserve endangered inter-galactical animals.
Overall, this DVD offers a very entertaining collection of episodes with unique stories that always hav
e surprise endings. I also love the interesting perspective of the future. It feels possible but still makes you dream about endless possibilities. The animation itself is a quite different style than what is generally seen on TV, due to being produced in Moscow. One small issue that is very apparent throughout the show is the dubbing. Due to being converted from Russian to English, there are many times when the characters’ lips do not match the audio perfectly. The problem isn’t too noticeable most of the time, but there are scenes where it is distracting.
My favorite episode is Games without Rules. In this episode, a new museum about the history of the 
galaxy opens on Pluto. The top scientists, including Alisa’s father, attend the opening. Disaster strikes when an eclipse by a Pluto moon causes the release of “Zye” waves, which turns people into statues. Luckily Alisa and her friend find out about this and destroy a crystal to rescue the people. The animation of the museum and the dwarf planet is beautiful and the plot has unexpected and entertaining twists.
The show is meant for kids, but there are some darker aspects of some episodes. For that reason, I recommend it for ages 10 to 18. I give the DVD 4.5 out of 5 stars because there of the small issue with the dubbing, but other than that, the show is entertaining, has strong messages and is perfect for the whole family.
Alisa Knows What To Do! Season One
By Calista B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 13
This series is really enjoyable. I was honestly surprised by how much I was invested in the story and the characters. It is surprisingly solid. This is a show based on the popular series of Russian books by Kir Bulychlov. The story is about a young girl named Alisa and her friends who live in the future, in the year 2093. They go on adventures throughout the galaxy fighting crime and protecting the environment.
First, I want to talk about the main group of kids. To be honest, Alisa takes center stage a lot. But this 
isn’t a bad thing, because they switch the spotlight to the other kids every once in a while. And they try to develop the characters of the other kids, which I like. In terms of personality, the characters are pretty stereotyped. There’s The Jock, The Nerd, The Girly Girl who only cares about her looks and similar. As much as I disapprove of stereotyping in general, these are probably some of the best stereotypes I’ve seen. However, I will say that I found the girls way more likeable than the boys.
The most important aspect in any sci-fi story is how you use the futuristic setting to your advantage. The world you create has to be as impactful as the story and characters. And the sci-fi world in this series is really super cool! The other planets and environments the creators made up are really creative. The city where they live is very well designed as are the gadgets they use. This is one of the best instances of edutainment that I’ve ever seen.
In terms of the animation, it’s actually quite good. It is definitely clear that the creators put a lot of effort into the visuals. However, the close-up shots of the characters are a bit weird looking. It makes them look like weirdly made plastic dolls.
The voice-overs are also well done. IMDB only lists Laurie Hymes who voices Alisa and Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld who voices Natalie. Both of them are excellent in their voice-over roles.
I give this DVD 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. I can see some older kids enjoying this show as well. It is great for future environmentalists and scientists. This DVD is available now so, go check it out.
