Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum

Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum is a Brazilian children's television series, broadcast by TV Cultura during the 1990s. The show centers around Nino, a 300-year-old boy living in an ancient castle surrounded by the buildings of a modern city, owned by millennia-old sorcerers Victor and Morgana, Nino's uncle and aunt, respectively. Never leaving home, Nino interacts with friends Pedro, Biba, and Zequinha, regular visitors to the castle, supported by a larger group of recurrent characters that includes, among others, a friendly, shy alien and a TV newscaster dressed in pink fur. The castle is home to many mascots, most of them represented by hand puppets, and stores a number of interactive magical artifacts. Those, along with the distinct personality given to each character and mascot, enable plots filled with scientific and historical references in an easy to grasp and enjoyable way.

I was surprised to see how bad this was rated! This is a wonderful and original TV show and, even though its target audience is children and preteens, everyone can enjoy it! It's engaging, fun and educational altogether. In just one episode, the viewer may learn about arts, music, literature, math, science, world culture, etc. Speaking of culture, there are also some aspects of the Brazilian culture in it, like a folklore mythical creature as a character and footage of indigenous life. It is also moralistic - without being preachy - and full of fantasy. What else can you ask of a children's TV show? When I was a child, I used to watch this show religiously and, as many other young Brazilians I know of, it made my childhood more magical, so to speak. Even to this day I occasionally watch it for nostalgia's sake and I still find it quite enjoyable.

I gave it a 8 because it is sometimes overacted and has bad special effects.

The series is excellent, very well produced, with great actors and spectacular itineraries. The director has managed to use perfectly the theme of magic, and special effects are impressive for its time (1994). The soundtrack also leaves nothing to be desired, with excellent compositions, all educational. Despite being aimed at children (educational series) it is very appealing to adults as well. The themes are taught in a fun way both for children and for adult audiences. The characters are interesting and well interpreted and the series is packed with educational sketches that add to production. The scripts are well developed, addressing to perfection several important issues for the education of children. No doubt it is a high quality series.