David Farnor | On 30, Dec 2014

It’s the same every New Year’s Eve. You close the curtains, move the clocks forward, set an alarm early, and then pretend to your kids that midnight has already happened to get them out of the way.

You’re not alone. More than a third of US parents (34 per cent) admitted to starting the party early to fool their kids into thinking it’s midnight, according to a recent survey from Wakefield Research, citing their kid’s or their own bedtime as the reason. 36 per cent said they would search for a countdown in a different time zone to celebrate earlier, while 22 per cent would go as far as to stage a countdown of their own.

Now, though, Netflix has revealed a new way to lie to your children: a fake New Year’s Eve party, which is available to stream when you like. After all, in an on-demand age, where we watch and listen to things on a whim, why not have time itself on-demand too?

Netflix’s great deception is facilitated by that ruler of lies, that chief of chicanery, that doge of duplicity, King Julien, the ring-tailed leader of ring-tailed lemurs in DreamWorks Madagascar. Hot on the paws of his own original animated series, the first five episodes of which premiered on Netflix on Friday 19th December, he hosts a kid-sized countdown special, which is available to stream now (go to Netflix.com/KingJulien, then click on “Trailers and More”).

It’s a three-minute musical number, complete with fast beats, repetitive chants and hyperactive coloured lights, all designed to dazzle your offspring into such a daze that they don’t realise they’ve been lied to by the very people who brought them into this world. It’s crude, it’s short and it’s an act of calculated evil genius.

“I was totally bummed when I heard that some of my favourite little party people aren’t allowed to stay up until midnight for the biggest party of the year,”” King Julien, King of the Lemurs, said in an official statement. “”But then I realised I’m king, I make the rules.”

Of course, King Julien doesn’t really exist – which means that Netflix is tricking us adults too with their pretend quote from a fictional character. WHEN WILL THE LIES END?

You can read our review of All Hail King Julien here.

Add to Watchlist