In the words of Dr. Jane Goodall, “Only if we understand will we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help we shall be saved.”
According to J.J. Johnson, the creator of the show, this quote is what inspired the Apple TV series “Jane.” The show aims to inspire a younger audience to be environmentally conscious, and it encourages the use of a vivid imagination to save the world. In honor of Earth Day, the second season came out this past week.
The story focuses on the character Jane Garcia, her best friend David, and her imaginary chimpanzee Greybeard. Jane, with her vast imagination and passionate spirit, teaches the people around her about the importance of animal conservation. Ava Louise Murchison, who stars as Jane in this series, is inspired by her character’s courage and bravery. “I just really hope everybody can be like Jane and David, wanting to save the environment and save animals,” she said in an interview, adding “Jane and David go on adventures too, and… that’s a really cool way of trying to save them”.
In many ways, the two leading actors resemble their characters very closely. Ava and her family grow their own herbs and vegetables. Mason Blomberg, who plays David, has a YouTube channel dedicated to saving the environment and spreading awareness. These simple steps – growing one’s own food and spreading awareness – are both things that the show creators hoped to inspire their audience to take part in.
“What we really wanted to present is a series that was honest and upfront about the challenges the world is facing,” says J.J. Johnson. As a partner at Sinking Ship Entertainment, a company that produces content for kids, Johnson has been able to show his passion for bringing awareness to children about the world around them. He wants to spread a “hopeful message” and share “tangible things that you can do to protect the animals both locally and internationally”.
Despite the hopeful tone of the show, it’s difficult to ignore the implications that come with the very concept of it – the environmental issues are becoming so dire that even the children must now take action. Johnson believes that the morality and clear view of the world that children possess could do wonders for the world. He describes his role of the show creator as a “unique opportunity… to speak to kids from around the planet and show that there is a real spirit of people coming together to try and save the planet”.
With the second season of “Jane” coming out, audiences have the opportunity to learn even more about animal conservation. Matt Bishop, the head of the visual effects department and a partner at Sinking Ship Entertainment, emphasizes the difference between the first and second season. The first season focuses on generally well-known animals such as polar bears, wolves and bees. “In season 2… we dive into animals that aren’t as familiar, and I think what’s really exciting about that is getting kids as excited about the world that they don’t necessarily know of.”
An example that Bishop provides is the pink fairy armadillo, an animal that is more unheard of. Exposing children to educational and inspiring media such as “Jane” is the first step in showing them how they can help.
There are a lot of really tough and uncomfortable things that are happening to the world, such as animal endangerment, habitat loss, climate change and pollution. In order to take steps to solve these issues, we must break it down. Each episode of “Jane” focuses on a different endangered species – the point of this is to allow the children in the audience to find a piece that catches their attention.
At the end of each episode, Jane gets to speak with an environmental leader that specializes in the particular animal that was focused on in that episode. “If this kind of show activates you or you’re excited about it, there are incredible things that you can do as you grow up to take that passion and develop it into a career where you’re saving an animal,” Johnson said. “It is imperative that they lend their voices to it”.
Matt Bishop believes that children are like their own kind of superhero. “When you talk to adults, it’s like, ‘What does it matter what I do? I’m just one person.’ But when you talk to kids, it’s like, ‘Oh, I can do anything.’” Children have a special and powerful kind of spirit when they’re passionate about something. With the use of imagination and education, there is so much promise for the future of environmentalism, and “Jane” does a great job in highlighting and encouraging that for the next generation.
Two seasons of “Jane” are available for streaming on Apple TV+
