Summary (TL;DR)
A 13 year old genius named Lunella Lafayette accidentally creates a portal that brings a red T-Rex to New York City. Lunella names him Devil Dinosaur, and decides to combine his strength with her intellect to fight crime. Along the way, Lunella makes a new friend named Casey who helps manage her superhero persona, Moon Girl. Together with the help of her community, Moon Girl is able to defeat Aftershock — a villain who’s draining power from the Lower East Side.
Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is the latest project from Disney involving Marvel Comics long roster of superheroes. Produced by Marvel Animation, Cinema Gypsy Productions, and Disney Television Animation, the show revolves around Lunella Lafayette and her pet dinosaur Devil Dinosaur, protecting the Lower East Side from danger. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur airs Saturdays at 8pm on Disney Channel.
Small Girl, Big Ambitions
Lunella Lafayette, a brilliant 13-year-old African American girl residing in the Lower East Side (LES) of Manhattan, is concerned about the frequent power outages plaguing her community. These outages have resulted in the closure of several businesses, including Lunella’s family’s roller skating rink, Run the Rink, which has had to issue refunds to customers. Her family, however, advises her to “just roll with it” and not let the situation get to her.
Despite this, Lunella, who is attending school, is determined to build a power generator with blueprints she obtained from a mysterious scientist she refers to as “Moon Girl.” Unfortunately, she finds herself easily distracted by her classmates, including the popular social media influencer Casey Calderona. Meanwhile, Run the Rink is burgled, but Lunella’s battery-powered security system thwarts the attempted robbery. However, the rise in crime and loss of business caused by the power outages has left Lunella’s family contemplating a move to New Jersey.
Lunella’s secret lab, located beneath her apartment building, is accessed via a hidden elevator in her closet. In the lab, she tests her new power source, only to discover that it is, in fact, a portal generator that has summoned a red, 10-ton T. rex into New York City. The dinosaur quickly escapes into the LES streets, with Lunella hot on its heels. To her surprise, the T. rex behaves more like a dog, and even develops a fondness for hot dogs. The unlikely pair soon discovers the source of the blackouts—an “electrical lady” who is actively draining power from the LES. During the attack, Casey is nearly crushed, but the red dinosaur comes to her rescue. Lunella then decides to bring the dinosaur back to her lab.
A Hero is Born
Upon realizing the unique abilities possessed by her new pet dinosaur, Lunella Lafayette decides to use it to help catch the mysterious villainess behind the blackouts, and transform into a superhero. In a show of gratitude, Casey Calderona follows Lunella back to her lab, where she learns of her plan to become a hero. Casey, being supportive, takes on the role of Lunella’s manager, handling her social media presence.
After designing a costume and creating new gadgets, Lunella, Casey, and the dinosaur set out on their first mission to catch the burglars who attempted to rob Run The Rink. However, they fail to capture them, and Lunella takes time to train her pet dinosaur, while Casey focuses on improving her public image.
Their efforts are eventually rewarded when they locate the criminals and successfully apprehend them. However, their joy is short-lived when they cross paths with Aftershock, the electrical villainess responsible for the power outages. Upon returning home, Lunella takes on the hero alter ego of Moon Girl, after the mysterious female scientist she idolizes.
In an attempt to track down Aftershock, Lunella converts an old cassette player into a tracking device. It’s amusing, Lunella has no idea what a cassette player is. without realizing what it is. When she finds Aftershock, she is almost defeated, but Devil comes to her rescue. Unfortunately, he suffers severe injuries from Aftershock’s electrical attacks.
A Living Nightmare
After taking Devil back to the lab to heal, Moon Girl hears a report blaming her and Devil for the blackouts before heading to science class. There, Coach Hrbek announces a new teacher, Ms. Dillon, who Moon Girl recognizes as Aftershock. Terrified that her enemy is now her teacher and knows her secret identity, Ms. Dillon threatens to harm Moon Girl’s family if she tries to stop her again. Fearing for her family’s safety, Moon Girl tells Casey she’s done being a superhero, which disappoints Casey. Moon Girl jumpstarts the portal to send Devil back home, but he refuses to leave. Moon Girl forces him out by claiming she doesn’t want him anymore.
As a heartbroken Moon Girl skates through the streets of LES, she sees a long row of closed businesses, including Run The Rink, which her parents are putting up for sale. She confides in her grandmother Mimi about what has happened, except for the superhero part. Mimi explains that even the smartest person in the world needs support from loved ones, which inspires Moon Girl to make up with Casey. She finds Casey outside her door, and the two girls make up and create a plan to stop Aftershock once and for all.
Moon Girl Strikes Back
Lunella decides to attack Aftershock after she’s done at work, as the villainess revealed where she regenerates her power. As Moon Girl, she leads the neighbors to where Ms. Dillon is, exposing her as the real source of the blackouts. During their battle, Lunella hacks into the park’s plumbing controls, but internet lag leads to a delay that saves Aftershock.
Luckily, Devil returns to help Lunella out. Speaking in Dino-saurian, Devil explains that the LES and Lunella are where he belongs and are worth fighting for. Casey describes Aftershock as living electricity, inspiring Lunella to use a metal lightning rod to absorb all of her power. Residents of the LES and The Lafayette’s pitch in to help save their neighborhood. Aftershock is sucked through the lightning rod, and all her electricity returns to the LES.
All the businesses reopen, including Run The Rink. Having cleared their names, the episode ends with Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur continuing to help the people of the LES.
