My toddler loves this show! The mini-episodes are only 11 min long. It is far and away his favorite of the few different shows we've tried out. He literally starts laughing as soon as I start up a new episode. Unlike so many other cartoons I've come across with both him and my nieces and nephews, this one is actually (more than) bearable for the adults in the room to watch, as well. It is cute and educational for young kids. It goes over the different names, functions, and properties (shininess, reflectiveness, shape, sound, etc.) of everyday items, and it's a really cute premise. For instance, in one episode Fig (the main character) discovers that round things roll more easily on smooth surfaces, by playing with a round item on different types of surfaces. These are the sort of little details in life that parents get so used to, that we might not think to point them out to our kids. To us, they are just obvious details, but to little kids, everything is a brand new lesson, and Tumble Leaf writers do a great job of going over various items and their properties, as if they are also seeing through the children's' eyes, for the very first time. We've gone through the first season and begun to cycle back through, again, so I'm definitely looking forward to the second season!
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amanda-purington22 January 2015
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Sherrill77720 October 2017For a toddler or preschooler this is probably one of the best shows you can find! This has some serious quality and dedication put into every show and you can really see it. It's so cute that, although perfectly acceptable for the youngest set, I'd actually recommend it for older kids (and kids at heart) too!
Let me start with the animation. It is stunning! The detail is incredible, the colors vibrant, and there's an unbelievable amount of variation in scene sets. It would have been so easy for the animators to re-use a handful of scenes for each episode, but, except for the opening act, it felt like every adventure was in a new area. In addition to that, in the third season, you can see the animation has expanded to have more movement in the camera angles, panning and shifting the viewpoint through the episodes - it is truly a work of art. And, from a parental perspective, the transitions are slow (meaning you don't flick from a close-up to a distant view, to a different face, and back in the space of two seconds like so many modern shows do). This is better for a child's brain than rapid transitions which can train the brain to expect rapid-fire stimulation.
For season 1 & 2, each small episode (less than 15 minutes) has a problem to be solved and a solution to be found. As I write this review, there are 3 seasons available, and I want to note that the third season varied the formula somewhat - there might not be a problem that is 'figured out', it may just be a fun adventure. However, the overall focus is on taking a science concept and making it clear to a child. Things like: how does a spring work? Or, how do you make paper? Or what is camouflage? It's educational and a whole lot of unexpected fun! For adults, the solution may be obvious, but for young kids, the discovery may be amazing and the best part is the process of getting to that end point. The answer to the problem is not always discovered on the first try, but the characters keep trying until they figure it out! And sometimes something new and fun is discovered along the way that had nothing to do with the original problem! Science that feels like play!
So problem solving, science concepts, beautiful animation... with all that praise, why didn't the show get 10 stars from me? Well, it's perhaps a small insignificant detail to most people, but... there are so many made up words. For example, there is a pumpkin- like squash that shows up in a few episodes which is called a 'puffilump'. And many of the solutions to problems are completely unrealistic (like knitting a flight-suit to get something out of a tree). Since my little toddler sponge is absorbing so much about reality, I'm not a fan of too much 'unrealistic' in an otherwise educational show. Again, it's just my own personal preference and others might not find it irritating. Other than that quibble, it's a fantastic show and highly, highly recommended! -
Although it's aimed for a younger audience, I recommend this show to people of all ages. The art and animation is done very well and has a "old-school" feel mixed with some 3D elements that makes the end result AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL!
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mgrzyb-1788113 November 2017Stumbled across this show after realizing there was free programming with a Prime membership. After searching through what was available, we found Tumble Leaf. After a few episodes my child became hooked. Now its the show requested and watched right after school. He's totally glued to it and is learning some awesome skills in the process. Amazon really hit it out of the ballpark with this show!
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laurasusanne30 November 2018The tiny details, the art, the story. It's all so beautifully done. The people who work their magic to make this show happen are true artists. I am blown away by it all!
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constancekarcher16 January 2019My son watches this show and I secretly love it! Reminds me of something I would have watched as a child.
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eddie_scsa13 August 2019My 6 year old has been watching since he was 2 and he loves it. My 2 year old loves it as well. Great animation and voice acting.
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Zeb2331 December 2019I struggled for a quality kids show I was comfortable with my daughter (3.5 yrs old) watching from time to time. I wanted something that was educational but also wasn't set at the same, spastic/fast pace a lot of the kids shows are nowadays.
I stumbled upon Tumble Leaf quite by accident. I was perusing the shows on Amazon and read the summary and gave it a try. I was immediately hooked and I have nothing but praise for this show. The thought, time, and care that the makers involved with the show put into each and every episode is evident. This show - simply put - is magical and enthralling.
I wish I could find another show on it's level, but after Tumble Leaf Set such a high bar, I doubt it's possible. I hope more of this show will be made but after watching the last episode, I believe it has come to an end (had a series finalé feel to it). -
venividivictoria18 December 2020I'm a very tough critic of children's television. I've been a preschool and kindergarten teacher for over a decade and don't approve of the majority of children's television. This is by far, the absolute best content being produced for children today. Not only is it an incredibly beautiful animation, but each story was very thoughtfully written and produced. The characters cooperate to discover solutions to problems or new ways to play through trial and error. Every episode ends with the words "Go play!" encouraging children to go out and have their own experiences. And the main characters are all voiced by children which I think the young viewers really respond to. The pacing is gentle and age appropriate. I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. It's perfection.
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frankietwofangs1 February 2020This is an amazing show with sweet characters and a very positive viewpoint that teaches kids through innovative and creative ways.
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taylor-jonathan-d12 January 2020A work of art, Tumble Leaf is engaging and visually magical. Our three year old twins love it. And I enjoy watching it with them. Each segment develops a theme methodically, but the lessons are not heavy-handed or preachy.
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kieranrichardson-1261715 April 2019I hate this show, it is overrated, messy, and creepy.
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kev_coyne26 May 20198.5/10 IMDb. Really? Critics must be mad and be paid. This prime show is very overrated, & creepy.
The animation is pretty rough, stupid & messy.
The real IMDb score of this show is 6.3/10.
For me this is 1.3/10. -
bluelotus5013 August 2019My son has been watching for four years now. He loves it and I enjoyed watching the show too . I especially enjoyed how it sneaks educational material in a very entertaining story. I often find myself trying to figue out how they get certain effects since it is a stop motion filming. We love tumble leaf!
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My 3-year-old and I adore this show. The characters interact with their environment in such thoughtful and creative ways. The colors are so vibrant and the characters are unique and interesting to watch. This is solid stop action animation. Thank you for this quality show.
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edryer198931 August 2019My son absolutely adores the show and as a parent I really enjoy the content he is watching as well as how calm of an intro it has! Nothing like hearing a high pitched, head ache inducing intro over and over and over again lol Thankful this show is not like that!
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bulgerpaul11 August 2019I'm not a fan of most media aimed at children. It seems as though creators think they need to move at a frenetic pace to hold a child's attention, barraging them with a constant stream of words and colors and movement, such as Storybots on Netflix, for example. I don't hate Storybots, it's fine, and it actually is informative, but the major issue that I take with it, is how frenetically it moves from scene to scene to song to song at a lightning pace, so fast that I highly doubt the developing children it's aimed at will actually absorb any of the information they're being bombarded with.
Tumble Leaf, on the other hand, is very unique in that regard. It has the confidence to move at a very relaxed pace. Every episode ts main character, Fig the Fox, is presented with a new object. He takes the new object that he finds, he goes out with his friends, and he plays with it. Through his play, he gets into various situations with simple problems to solve. He takes time to trouble shoot, he comes up with ideas, and through trial-and-error, he finds solutions to the various problems that he encounters, and that's the basic setup for almost every episode, which is simple, but deceptively ingenious. Instead of bombarding its young audience with facts and information through songs so fast paced there's no conceivable way they could actually absorb any of it, Tumble Leaf takes its time, it lets concepts sink in, it walks through simple problems and allows room for error in its problem solving, all the while lovely, relaxing little tunes hum along in the background. This show really sneaked up on me when I realized just how genius its setup really is, and its varied, beautifully orchestrated music.
This all goes without even bringing up how much my toddler gets out of it. She actually learns new words from it, she recognizes the real world objects that Fig encounters in his playtime and immediately knows what they're used for, she gets new ideas from it to try out in her playtime, she quotes Fig's exclamations when she solves problems she encounters, and she discovers new ways to play with real world objects. This is a heck of a lot more than I can say for Storybots or Daniel Tiger or any of the other educational media I've let her watch, and like I said earlier, shows like these are fine and harmless, but they are so preoccupied with trying to hold a child's attention that they put hardly a thought into whether the children watching are actually absorbing any of the information, and as a result, I haven't observed my toddler actually using any of the information she's supposed to be getting from those shows in the real world. They don't seem to really impact the way she plays, learns, or problem solves, or at least, not anywhere near to the extent that Tumble Leaf has.
So, if you have a child aged 2-5, and you're already a subscriber to Amazon, I can't recommend Tumble Leaf highly enough. -
frankietwofangs9 March 2020Many children's shows are either sugary sweet or talk down to kids. This show has heart and treats children with respect. I love how they solve challenging situations by trying different things. The world they have created is great and the characters are positive and sweet.
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velexane4 April 2017This is the first children's show my almost 1yr old has really liked! (he's one of those babies we haven't been able to keep from watching anything we watch at 6mos+) So we were on a mission to find a kid's show that would hold his attention, and we found that in Tumble Leaf! It's entertaining enough for us to watch with him as well! We really enjoy it, and the fact that it's not annoying like other toddler/preschooler shows. The animation is very well done, and the attention to detail is well though out in this show. 10/10. Love the lessons, and how each episode starts with a new item to explore and learn with!
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discgolfjones7 August 2018The animation is awesome and the story line is equally impressive. Not many kids shows also catch my attention like this one. Well made!
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sharrington-0054631 May 2020We noticed the IMDb number went from 8.7 to 8.6. This motivated the family to join IMDb to leave this review. The show is incredible for the entire family. I look forward to watching it each night with my son. These days, we certainly need the magical world of Tumble Leaf.
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My 2 year old is completely enchanted by this show. The simple, colorful and calming nature this show creates makes for a great distraction for kids. My 2 year old will happily sit through 3-5 epsiodes in one sitting before losing focus which is fantastic for anyone trying to get dishes done and other chores completed with a little one running around. The show itself is fantastically whimsical and has this magical aura thanks to its music and atmosphere.
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itstonynarvaez24 March 2021My daughter is absolutely in awe of the adventures of Fig & company every time an episode is on. My only complaint is no more seasons. Amazing job to all the people that worked on this show.