WondLa

After the contentious work that was Luck, Wondla is a much more appropriate debut for Skydance Studios. Based on a book series, Wondla focuses on a girl named Eva who was raised in a bunker by a robot (I am Mother flashbacks...) and has to navigate the world outside.

Visually it is truly beautiful, and the aliens and creatures all have unique designs. Even the sapient races have an oomph that makes them quite unique looking.

Plot wise it is quite intriguing, and I won't spoil it because I truly recommend you to check this work yourself.

Overall, as masterpiece both in visual, design and plot terms.

While initially I wasn't sure about season 2, by the time the last episode ended I found myself even more in love with both seasons. The way 2.7 ended left me almost in tears, so emotionally drained and I mean in the best of ways. While I love the story, the characters, the acting, the animation is truly incredible and otherworldly. Watching the credits I'm amazed at the absolute army of incredibly talented folks responsible for the art and CG. The last 10 minutes of episode seven are off the charts, so beautiful. Thank you Apple for sponsoring this animation masterpiece.

And thank you to Jeanine Mason, DC Douglas, Teri Hatcher, Gary Anthony Williams, Brad Garrett, Allen Tudyk and the rest of the cast and crew for this wonderful show, and of course Tony DiTerlizzi. This story of optimism and hope is so very much needed in our world right now.

Truly there is no Them, only Us.

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with Wondla - it's a perfectly serviceable show. The visuals are passable, the writing is OK, the characters... exist. If all you want is white noise to pad up some time, then by all means, give it a watch. But if you're actually looking for anything compelling, memorable, or even - dare one hope - actually good, then look elsewhere. Wondla ain't it.

I can't speak to the book series this was based on, but the show is yet another generic Hero's Journey. I've literally seen this show before, except then it was called Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. And before that, it was She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Hell, I can go as far back as Samurai Jack, and all of those shows did this concept better. And that's a problem.

The primary issue with Wondla is that it's entirely paint-by-numbers. Child is raised in a vault, leaves vault, finds world full of monsters and aliens. Along the way, she has the standard coming-of-age story of rebelling against parent figures, making new friends and learning to believe in herself. The power was inside us all along.

Muthur is... a mother figure without much substance to it. The show tries to have a dilemma about whether she's a real person or just a machine, but she acts like a person so that dilemma falls flat. The blue alien whose name I forget is Han Solo. Not much else to him. About the most memorable character is the giant telepathic tardigrade service the role of Appa from Avatar. He was quite charming.

The plot can best be summed up as: "Go to place, look for people. No people. Go to other place, look for people. No people. Go to other-other place, look for people. No people. Boss fight." We have Tatooine from the Phantom Menace where we have to gamble for money on plot device, there's the Last Jedi diversion that eats up half the runtime and changes nothing, there's the whiplash character development where people instantly rethink their entire lives and turn into different characters, etc. There wouldn't be much to spoil even if I wanted to, because there's not much to the story.

And then there's the antagonist of the story - Bastille - a giant four-armed yeti thing with a punt gun. He shows up every so often whenever the game... sorry, the show needs a chase sequence or a boss fight, then disappears entirely once more. It's like the show really wants to tell this amazing coming of age story, but is contractually obligated to have action scenes so it recycles the same boss multiple times.

The reason I keep framing the show within the context of a video game is because it really resembles one. The plot exists merely as a vehicle to move the characters between locations, where they get to have action setpieces and talking cutscenes. If there's greater depth than that, I couldn't find it. It feels like the quintessential loud, colourful kid's show with all he edges rounded out and all the characters simplified to the point of caricature.

I don't regret watching it, but I really can't recommend it.

I really had fun watching this show! WondLa is a sci-fi fantasy filled with thrills and adventure. It has eye-popping animation that is very entertaining. The characters are diverse and unexpected.

This television series is based on the book, "The Search for WondLa," by Tony DiTerlizzi. It tells the story of Eva (Jeanine Mason), a courageous and lively teenager, who has spent her life in bunker training for her first moment above ground. The only family that she has known is Muther (Teri Hatcher), a very cautious robot, that teaches her about Earth and how to protect herself. Eva soon gets the surprise of her life when she learns that everything she has been taught is no longer true.

WondLa had me on the edge of my seat. The animation made me feel like I had walked into a whole new world. The setting has everything, from flying whales to enormous man-eating butterflies. It depicts an Earth that has been transformed into Orbona, a world filled with the unexpected. The backgrounds are detailed and colorful. It is impossible to see everything in just one viewing. My favorite character is Eva's Omnipod (D. C. Douglas). Omni is the most humorous character. I love that, even though his tone does not change, he can still make you laugh with his short and witty statements. The characters are either adorable or terrifying. Otto (Brad Garrett) is a gigantic, water bear-like creature. He is a kind and loyal friend that is constantly helping Eva get out of tough situations. On the other hand, there is Besteel (Chike Okonkwo), a scary and towering villain with sharp teeth and a hunched back. I screamed when this character was first introduced. I could not wait to see what new character Eva would meet next.

The film's message is about friendship. Eva spent the first years of her life wishing to meet humans just like her, so that she could finally have a family. Each episode proves that friends can take any shape or form. WondLa celebrates differences! Parents should be aware that the show does have some violence and dangerous activities.

I give WondLa 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12. The first seven episodes of WondLa premiere globally on June 28, 2024 on Apple TV+. By Kinsley H., KIDS FIRST!

The audience for this series must definitely be not too young as the plot is very profound and deals with complicated feelings. The quality of the animation is stunning in every detail and the locations are visually rich and detailed to the point where they almost seem real. The characters are unusual and unique in their own right. The pace is quite good though, occasionally, I would have loved some more background information about the apparent extinction of humanity. This first seeason is great but the audience is left with so many unanswered questions. I hope season 2 will shed some light on the obscure plot yet maintaining the same level of high quality. In terms of sci fi animation, this is indeed a masterpiece !