Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts brings in a refreshing new television series full of miscellaneous adventures and excitement. An animated series produced by Dreamworks TV. Released on Jan. 15, is now available to stream on Netflix. 

Rad Sechrist and Bill Wolkoff are the mastermind creators behind this incredible masterpiece. Sechrist is responsible for the art in Kung Fu Panda 2, Megamind and Turbo. Wolkoff has written for Once Upon A Time, Star Wars Rebels and TRON: Uprising. 

Check out the season 1 trailer

Summary 

Karen Fukuhara, who is also in Suicide Squad, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power voices Kipo. She plays a naive, spunky, 12-year-old girl from the burrows that emerges underground from a watering vent and gets thrown into the land of where mutated animals now live. Kipo discovers the difference from her underground life to the surface level. She marvels at the beauty and vastness of the surface world. She stumbles upon a four-eyed pig that she befriends and names Mandu, a Korean dumpling that she loves. The pig follows her throughout her exploration as she tries to search for her dad (Sterling K. Brown) , who works as a teacher underground.

While trekking through dangerous lands of the surface world with Mandu, she befriends a lot of interesting characters along the way. 

The characters

The characters have their own quirks, styles and distinct personalities. We get to see the many sides of the characters that we would never expect. The value of mutual connections and friendship brings a whimsical and fun aspect to this story.

• Wolf or Jolene 
• Benson 
• Dave 
• Jamack the mod frog

Commentary

Animation

If you’re a sucker for amazing visuals and aesthetically pleasing color schemes, then you’re in for a treat! I came in with no expectations of the show and little did I know it was something that I’ve been itching for. 

There are many hues of blues and purples that we see throughout the episodes. With Kipo’s curiosity and crave for adventure, I get to experience the world through her eyes. 

We get to see all kinds of animals. The normal everyday animals have been mutated into mecha-sized monsters, which explains why Kipo was kept away from them all these years. 

If you’re familiar with the humor in Adventure Time, then it is right up your alley. 

The music 

I can’t stress enough about how great this soundtrack is! I instantly became drawn to the show because of the superb music selection. There is a mix of different genres from hip-hop, electro-pop, acoustic and many funky electric guitar tunes. 

We also get to see characters break into musical numbers and it’s downright comical. I’m not a huge musical fan, but this one is definitely a doozy. 

The original score and three other episodes are produced by Daniel Rojas. The intro song of this show is absolutely adorable. The xylophone and cutesy clinks help you see the show for what it is.  

Inclusivity 

Many cartoon shows have evolved throughout the decade. Shows such as the Powerpuff Girls and movies like Shrek have been less misogynistic and a little more gender inclusive. 

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts goes above and beyond with non-stereotypical characteristics and introduces an abundance of people of color.  

It also subtly introduces an LGBTQ+ character and helps normalize being gay which breaks the boundaries for a cartoon show. 

Theme and Plot 

The theme is about exploring your curiosities and living life to the fullest. A typical coming-of age storyline but with a dash of pizazz. 

The plot centralizes more on Kipo and Jolene, who are the main girl characters. They are kick ass girls who are always ready for the roughhousing adventures ahead. The duo have a unique friendship and are literal bad bitches of the surface world. 

Conclusion 

The show is super cute. The simplicity of this story line makes it easy to digest. The execution of this animated series definitely rocked my socks off and is one of the best shows I’ve seen this year. If you like cute animals and good music, I definitely recommend this. 

If you decide to watch it, let us know what you think on Twitter @GeekGalsCo or in the comments below! 

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Featured image credit: DreamWorks TV and Netflix