This show, from the creators of Dora the Explorer, basically spits in the face of almost every Nick Jr cliche in the past decade, which is one of the many reasons why this show is so great. Let's break it down.
Plot: As we can tell from the very first episode, there's lore and somewhat of an overarching plot to this show from the get-go, unlike shows like Paw Patrol and Shimmer and Shine that jumped on it in season 2.
Characters: The lead isn't white, for once. Thank God. His friends are all people of color as well. While Santiago can seem a bit too perfect, at least he's more bearable than someone like Sunny from Sunny Day. His friends, Tomas and Lorelai are pretty cool as well. Each of them has their own distinct traits so they don't feel like carbon copies of one another. Bonnie Bones is also a pretty fun villain - she's not a petty, scheming adult like Mayor Humdinger, Zeta, or Preston Praxton, but rather a comical schoolyard bully who is relatively harmless since her plans don't work.
Educational Value: Unlike the other shows where they claim to teach social skills but really are 30-minute toy commercials, this show infuses Latino-Caribbean culture. It's somewhat similar to Dora, but this show doesn't feel nearly as patronizing as Dora did. Also, the show doesn't appropriate cultures like Shimmer and Shine did.
Animation and Music: While the animation doesn't look hyper-realistic, it doesn't really have to. It's good enough, at least it doesn't look like plastic. And the soundtrack has a nice mix of pirate rock and Caribbean music.
This show is better than almost every Modern Nick Jr show combined. This show is great along with Butterbean's Cafe, Corn and Peg, Blue's Clues and You, Bubble Guppies, and Paddington.
