Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Secret Lab Meeting – Stealth Learning at Its Best
Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab is an all new animated comedy series from Genius International starring the greatest inventor of all time and a madcap cast of characters that allows kids to experience how fun science can be. Unknown to the world, Thomas Edison had a secret lab where he invented a virtual version of himself and a nearly completed robot to guide and inspire future generation of young scientists. The secret lab, Edison’s virtual alter ego, and his prototype robot remained hidden until a 12-year-old prodigy cracked the secret coded message that Edison left behind. This young genius named Angie and her science club friends move into the lab and the fun begins. Each episode covers fun scientific topics from dinosaur fossils to minerals to gravity and so much more! KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Benjamin P. comments, “Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Secret Lab Meeting is a fun, educational adventure that had me humming songs about science for days. I like this show because it makes science a lot more fun. It’s a series about four kids who solve problems using all kinds of science.” Abigail Zoe L. adds, “I just love this animated series. I found myself smiling, giggling and bouncing in my seat. I actually never left the couch because science is my favorite school subject and I didn’t want to miss a thing!” See their full reviews below.
Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Secret Lab Meeting
By Benjamin P., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 10
Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Secret Lab Meeting is a fun, educational adventure that had me humming songs about science for days. I like this show because it makes science a lot more fun. It’s a series about four kids who solve problems using all kinds of science. One of my favorite parts of the show is the relationship between the characters. I like that they would nearly do anything to keep each other safe throughout the show.
Secret Lab Meeting is a collection of different episodes from the television series that teaches children cool stuff. The main characters are the kids in the lab, Kent, Angie, JD, and Nicky. With the help of their hologram of Thomas Edison and their robot Von Bolt they can solve nearly anything, from a zombie virus to a slime monster and even stinky teenagers.
My favorite character is Thomas Edison because he is very smart and he is always willing to help the kids. He’s wise and stays calm during a crisis. My favorite episode is If The Fossil Fits because it’s about dinosaurs and dinosaurs are really cool and studying them can teach you a lot about archeology.
My least favorite episode is Dunkin Zombies. It’s the first episode in the collection but there is no introduction to the characters and I had trouble figuring out the characters and the story line for a while. I like the second episode No Volts For Von Bolt because of how they explain the elements by introducing a fake police department that specializes in cases involving elements from the periodic table. It’s a great genre flip from the modern-day setting to the feeling of an old school detective show.
In the third episode, we see the crew from the lab use the virtual reality room to travel back in time and meet someone who contributed to science. A cartoon Louis Pasteur makes a cameo appearance to teach the kids how to melt slime to destroy a monster. I like the balance between the history and the action scenes.
The history in this show is really cool and educational. The people the kids meet when they travel back in time have accomplished very interesting feats to help science and its progress. One example is Jonas Salk who created the vaccine for polio.
Each episode has a different topic from chemistry to agriculture and even cloning. At the end of each episode, there is a fun little song recapping all the major vocabulary from the episode. I recommend this series for ages 7 to 11. Younger kids might not understand the more complicated science lessons. I give Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab 3 out of 5 stars.
Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Secret Lab Meeting
By Abigail Zoe L., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 8
I just love this animated series. I found myself smiling, giggling and bouncing in my seat. I actually never left the couch because science is my favorite school subject and I didn’t want to miss a thing! I really like all eight fun-filled episodes that are about solving interesting scientific problems. I like the different animated characters, story line and upbeat music that make science come to life! I also absolutely love that we meet many very important scientists like Thomas Edison, Louis Pasteur and others that help the world be a better place.
Guided by a virtual Thomas Edison, each episode is packed with fascinating scientific information and vocabulary that entertain and inspire the young scientist in each of us! The Lab Team Angie, JD, Kent and Nicky jump into virtual worlds in each episode through a machine called, ALVA where they seek the advice of many important and famous scientists to solve scientific problems. The robot Von Bolt is a nice addition to the team and funny as he tries to attract a girl robot in one of the episodes. At the end of each episode a robot group, the Von Bytes, perform happy, upbeat, catchy, fun songs with pop up scientific vocabulary words used in that episode.
Elements, enzymes, fossils, fertilizers, cloning, animal behavior and even body odor are just some of the fun scientific topics we learn about in this animated series.
While there are many super fun episodes, my favorite is Dunkin’ Zombies because the character JD turns into a funny green donut craving zombie after he gets infected by a virus. There are several hilarious scenes in this episode alone like zombies not liking gluten-free donuts and craving donuts instead of brains. By the end of this episode we learn how viruses spread and also how they can be cured by a vaccine. Through challenge and perseverance the lab friends with the help of Thomas Edison and Louis Pasteur defeat the virus.
The only downside to this series are first, some viewers may find the animation kind of square and simple when compared to other more sophisticated animated shows. The other downside is that it would be better for the kid voice-over roles to be actual kids so that young viewers can better connect to the kid characters. At the same time, the kid characters are quirky and you can’t help but love them.
This film teaches viewers that science is not only important but fun. All the different episodes spark the imagination and, if you are not someone who likes science, you may just be by the end of this series, or at least you will have a better understanding of the world of science. Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Secret Lab Meeting is a great educational series and an entertaining way to introduce kids to many different scientific topics. I give this film 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 10.
