“Ocean Girl” has charm and a fabulous setting
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Sometimes, simple is sweet. And more entertaining.

Compared to the high-priced “seaQuest D.S.V.,” NBC’s waterlogged, overwrought
sci-fi series from Steven Spielberg, “Ocean Girl” is a fresh breeze of
low-key, amiable fantasy-adventure for young viewers.

Filmed on location off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, “Ocean Girl” debuts at
7:30 p.m. today on cable’s Disney Channel.

The half-hour weekly series weaves the charming, mysterious tale of Neri
(Marzena Godecki), a girl from the sea who has been living in lush tropical
isolation on a solitary, sun-swept island.

But Neri’s idyllic life is interrupted by encounters with the Australian
scientists, crew members and children of ORCA, a futuristic underwater
research colony.

A pair of brothers, Jason (David Hoflin) and Brett (Jeffrey Walker), who have
recently moved to ORCA with their marine biologist mother (Kerry Armstrong),
are the first to discover this strange, enchanting sea siren.

The resourceful Neri is blessed with an astonishing ability to dive to
extraordinary ocean depths without a breathing apparatus. Her best friend is
Charley, a 40-ton humpback whale. They communicate telepathically.

Besides Marzena Godecki’s appealing lead performance, “Ocean Girl” offers
beautiful scenery, those cool Aussie accents and an engaging, well-told story.
Three stars.