Welcome to Lily’s Driftwood Bay! Lily is six years old and lives with her dad and her best friend, who is a seagull named Gull, in a little hut on the beach. Across the way is Driftwood Bay, a special island that exists in Lily’s imagination. Every day the sea washes up a new treasure which sparks Lily’s imagination about what might be happening on Driftwood Bay. Join Lily and her friends, Salty Dog, Bull, Nonna, Hatsie, Wee Rabbit and Lord Stag as they sail to Driftwood Bay where wonderful adventures await! Along with each adventure is a valuable lesson learned in each story from learning to tell the truth to saying sorry to asking for help. Embark on new adventures with Lily and friends as they travel to Driftwood Bay! KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Samantha M. comments, “This creative animated series made me feel like a little kid again. Lily’s imagination is so big, and she is so creative, which is exactly how I felt when I was younger.” Jolleen M. adds, “This hilarious animated series is very educational and cute. Lily has a great heart and sets a good example for children who watch this.” KIDS FIRST! Adult Juror Rachael V. sums it up with, “One the best parts of this series is that Lily resides in a single parent home. Her father is a wonderful character and they have such a great relationship. There aren’t enough programs out there that show this type of relationship and I am very pleased to have found one.” See their full reviews below.
Lily’s Driftwood Bay: Season 1
By Samantha Marcus, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 17
This creative animated series made me feel like a little kid again. Lily’s imagination is so big, and she is so creative, which is exactly how I felt when I was younger. With 52 unique adventures, there is never a dull moment in each episode.
Lily (Orlagh O’ Keefe) is a 6-year-old girl who lives with her dad and a seagull on the beach. Right across from her is Driftwood Bay, an imaginary island that she has created. With each passing day, Lily finds a new object washed up on the shore. These objects give life to her Driftwood Bay imagination. Lily and her friends sail to Driftwood Bay and Lily learns valuable life lessons that keep her imagination alive.
Peter Mullan, who plays one of Lily’s friends, Salty Dog, is easily one of the funniest actors that I’ve ever seen. Mullan portrays Salty as being vulnerable, especially in the episode, “The Honking Haddock,” where Salty is unaware of his massive stench. Lily continues to tell him that he smells very bad, but Salty is clueless, which makes it hilarious. Salty is a cute Scottish dog who is the Captain of the boat that sails to Driftwood Bay and he always says, “Slippery scallions,” which is sure to make you laugh.
The animation in the series is adorable! The characters look so friendly and look as if they are drawn by little kids! Because of this, the series is more relatable and entertaining. The characters aren’t perfect and that is exactly how every person is. But, that is the beauty of life, and it is evident through Lily’s big imagination.
My favorite part of this DVD collection is when Lily asks about flowers on the beach. She loves them, but her dad has to take them to the market. She is disappointed, but he brings her a flower at the end of the day. He says, “It’s a lily for my Lily.” I love puns and sweet moments, and this scene is fortunate enough to have both.
The messages of the show are to be creative, enjoy your life, learn from your mistakes and be nice to everyone you meet. Aside from these major life lessons, each episode has little ones asking for help and saying they are sorry. There is always something valuable to take away from each episode. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 8. Check out this series on DVD. You won’t want to miss it.
Lily’s Driftwood Bay: Season One
By Jolleen Mejia, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12
This hilarious animated series is very educational and cute. Lily has a great heart and sets a good example for children who watch this. Lily is helpful, positive and caring to everyone no matter what. These shows teach really important morals about positivity, telling the truth and making sure you stay safe.
The episodes start when Lily finds some sort of weird treasure washed up on the beach. She goes to find out what it really is and what its true purpose is on Driftwood Bay, her imaginary island. She meets up with her friends on the island and some of them ask for her help. She tries to solve their problems and realizes that the tool she needs is one that she got on the shore. She realizes its purpose and learns a characteristic such as, grit, honesty, trust, forgiveness and being fair.
Orlagh O’Keefe voices Lily as a sweet, young and naïve girl. She sounds innocent and ready learn everything she can. Salty Dog (Peter Mullan) really does sound like an old, rusty dog who has been out on the sea for a while, but speaks English. Salty Dog sounds very old, but looks very young, which I find somewhat confusing.
The animation has a lot more details than most animated TV shows do. For example, they show each of the strands in the hair, their faces look very life like, especially in the way the mouths move. This animation is made with a lot of quality which I appreciate.
There are lots of messages in these shows. Lily models being positive, caring, helpful, staying safe and being truthful. She is a great role model for kids and this DVD about her adventures allow her to teach multiple morals in just one episode. Mainly the show educates kids about having good character and following the golden rule – be kind to others if you want them to be kind to you. Lily is kind to others, so she has a lot of good friends that stick by her side. I give this DVD 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for children ages 5 to 8. It is available now so, go check it out.
Lily’s Driftwood Bay
By Rachael V., KIDS FIRST! Juror, Adult
I love this series! Lily is a great role model and is so creative. A good chunk of this program follows Lily finding “treasures” that have washed up on the shore and being inspired to go on adventures that are based on those items. One the best parts of this series is that Lily resides in a single parent home. Her father is a wonderful character and they have such a great relationship. There aren’t enough programs out there that show this type of relationship and I am very pleased to have found one. One of the best episodes on this DVD is called “A New Arrival.” In this episode, Lily uses some of her treasures to make a beautiful gift for the new baby lamb. Episodes like this are why I love having my son watching it. There is a lot of heart in this program and the artwork is wonderful. It’s mixed media that feels like a blend of colored pencils and water colors. I recommend this for ages 3 to 6 and give it five out of five stars. It’s available on DVD now so, look for it! You’ll be glad you did.
Credit: KIDS FIRST!
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