The Surprising Disney+ Show My 5-Year-Old and 3-Year-Old Can Both Agree On

Parents of multiples love to warn you: “Whatever your firstborn was like, expect the complete opposite with your second!” And in my case—with a kindergartner and a toddler—that’s absolutely true.

One eats anything you put in front of them; the other subsists on beige food and air.
One is cautious, the other a speed demon. But I figured that the one area both kids would agree on would be screen time. Nope. Not even close. 

To be fair, my 5-year-old will watch pretty much anything. He’s equally happy with cartoons, documentaries or commercials for pet food. My 3-year-old, on the other hand, has discerning tastes. She won’t even watch Cocomelon (a blessing in disguise I know, except for when we’re on a long-haul flight and she won’t sit still). And forget about the shows her brother loves—if there’s a dragon or a Lego on screen, she’s out.

But recently my two kids have found common ground: Awesome Animals. Here’s why it's  become the one show they both genuinely enjoy—and why I love it too:

Made by Nat Geo Kids (available on Disney+), each 25-minute episode spotlights a single animal, exploring its behaviors and habitat—everything from ants to wolves to pigeons. It’s simple and engaging. Sure, some of it flies over my toddler’s head, but my 5-year-old is definitely taking it all in and will even recite fun facts later at the dinner table. And they’re both learning the importance of being kind to animals and our planet. 

OK, so there is actually another show that both my kids love and that’s Bluey. But my one gripe with the Australian cartoon is that each episode clocks in at just under eight minutes—great for waiting rooms and checkout lines, not so great when you’re trying to make dinner. Awesome Animals episodes run about 25 minutes—long enough to feel like a real break yet short enough to hold their attention. 

Parents know what I’m talking about. So much content for kids these days is… insane? It’s bright, flashy and completely over stimulating. Awesome Animals, filmed back in 2013, has a gentler, slower pace. It’s engaging without being high energy, meaning it won’t send your kids bouncing off the walls at 7 a.m. on a Saturday.

So if you’ve got little ones with wildly different personalities—and wildly different screen preferences—Awesome Animals might be just the ticket. It works for my kids, and honestly? I like watching it too.