The fourth Pokémon feature follows the pattern set by the previous three-and falls into the same traps. The TV series depicts the modest adventures of Pokémon trainer Ash Ketcham and his friends Brock and Misty as they roam an imaginary world, fighting matches and making friends. The features add elaborate CG effects that don't mesh with the flat, drawn characters, and over-scaled threats that feel beyond Ash's abilities to resolve. Forty years ago, Sam, a young trainer, meets the 251st Pokémon, Celebi (it looks like Tinkerbell with a goldfish for a head). To escape a mean hunter, Celebi brings Sam to the present day, where they meet Ash & Company. They also meet the evil Iron Mask Marauder who's supposed to be a member of Team Rocket, but who's much nastier than the comically inept Jessie, James, and Meowth. The Marauder corrupts Celebi with a "dark ball" and forces it to create a monster out of trees, branches, etc. , that is blatantly copied from the Night Walkerin Princess Mononoke. Ash and his friends eventually save the day, the Pokémon, and the forest-but it all feels like we've been there/done that. -Charles Solomon.

It took a while for Marvel Comics' X-Men to make it onto the big screen, but in retrospect they were always an obvious target for kids TV. Theirs is the classic tale of teenage alienation, given a comic book twist: when puberty hits, as their peers grow hair in funny places and discover the joys of the opposite sex, certain young people begin to manifest strange super powers. Dubbed "mutants", they find themselves with any number of abilities that set them apart from their human peers. Some can fly, some can fire force-beams from their eyes, some can read minds, some are super-strong, some sprout wings; there are as many different powers as there are mutants. However, normal humans are jealous of mutants, and mutants find themselves hunted and/or ostracised by society. In order to fight this prejudice, the heroic X-Men were brought together as teenagers by the telepathic Professor X and trained to use their powers for the good of all humanity. The animated X-Men series, which first debuted in the early 1990s, remained fairly faithful to the classic comic book series, inheriting several of the more popular characters (Wolverine, Cyclops, Rogue, Gambit, Storm, The Beast, etc) and, for the most part, leaving their personalities intact. Wolverine is still a surly little thug with a heart of gold, although his razor-sharp claws are now mainly used to slice up robots and other machines (less blood that way); Cyclops is their relatively square leader; The Beast is a bookworm, prone to literary quotations at random points in his conversation; and Gambit is the charming Cajun rogue. Unfortunately, the animation of X-Men is, quite frankly, just not up to scratch, especially when judged against the much more stylish Batman: The Animated Series, which was on televisions at the same time. Moreover, the pacing of X-Men is, at times, painfully slow, so the action sequences plod along at a speed that would probably bore most Pokémon addicts. [+]

When The Fimbles arrived on kids TV in 2002, it unfairly drew comparison with The Teletubbies. Beyond the furry man-sized suits, there's actually a lot more going for the show. It's the perfect successor in many ways, featuring just a few more characters and situations to appeal to children beginning to form and follow words. Within each episode, something is found by one of the three Fimbles (Fimbo, Florrie or baby Pom) who populate the Purple Meadow. Near the Tinkling Tree, they experience the excitement (Fimbling Feeling) of discovering something new and eagerly share it with their friends. This allows for the soothing tones of Roly Mo to relax everyone with a story tailored to the found object. More often than not, the group is joined by the fluffy Mummy and egg family of Bessie and Ribble, whose wise observations always lead to a safety warning or two. The show's real star is left to last: the irrepressible Rockit the frog bounces all over the place causing chaos and hilarity simultaneously. As a format, Fimbles is familiar enough for the kids to know what favourite bit to look forward to. It's also significantly different enough to distance itself from any previous show. [+]