Get ready to dive head-first into a modern, yet not, world of 40s -70s vintage cars, no cell phones, and all the anxiety-causing ‘fake’ news about the “Emergency” – that no one actually knows what it is – you can get! That, my friends, is the world of the latest tween series to come to Disney+, The Mysterious Benedict Society.

The Mysterious Benedict Society series is based on the book series of the same name by Trenton Lee Stewart. About a group of children with extraordinary talents who’re recruited by the Mysterious Mr. Benedict (Tony Hale). The hope is for this young group of truth-seekers to infiltrate an evil institution run by his evil twin brother in order to save the world from the “Emergency”.

In order to find our child heroes, Mr. Benedict puts out an ad in the paper offering a scholarship and admittance to a prestigious private school that would be life-changing. However, the tests were a recruitment tool in order to find the right children to be set off on the dangerous mission. After fighting their way to the end, the team ends up being Reynie Muldoon (Mystic Inscho), the empathetic glue of the team, Kate Weatherall (Emmy DeOliveira) your ever-ready, super-smart kid, with a pale full of helping items, Sticky Washington (Seth Carr) whose photographic memory is sure to come in handy, and Constance Contraire (Marta Kessler) the girl with no filter who only speaks the truth – even if it hurts. 

Great Acting, That Kids Will Love In The Mysterious Benedict Society

Finding child actors who can carry an entire series of this magnitude is incredibly difficult. However, I found this ragtag bunch to be an adorable, extremely talented group of young actors. Which they’d have to be up against the powerhouse adults that fill out the rest of the cast. Tony Hale as Mr. Benedict. Kristen Schaal is the wildly funny, not to be underestimated Number 2. Finally, Ryan Hurst as the bodyguard Milligan, and MaameYaa Boafo as Rhonda. 

While watching the first two episodes, I can see how kids would absolutely love The Mysterious Benedict Society book series. I was a huge fan of the Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events books and it has a similar feel. However, with the series long episode runtime (60mins episodes), and intricate world, I worry that it will fall the way of the Lemony Snicket film (and even tv series) and not be able to capture the charm and fall flat. However, only time – and more episodes –  will tell. 

Make sure to watch The Mysterious Benedict Society coming to Disney+ Friday, June 25, 2021!