I just finished binging Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts and loved every minute. It is the perfect coming-of-age story, full of adventure, action, and humor. If you are looking for a new cartoon to get into, or simply looking for something to watch with your kids, this is a great solution.
In a dystopian future, society as we know it collapses. Animals have mutated and become sentient and form warring factions that fight over control of what remnants of civilization. The few surviving humans live in underground burrows, hidden from the chaos. Kipo is a burrow girl with big dreams and a bigger heart. She gets separated from her home and ends up in a land full of wonder and danger. Kipo must find her way home, but her journey won’t be easy. Luckily, she finds friends who help her. What will Kipo discover along the way? What will she help others discover?
What I love most about this series are the characters. Kipo is quirky without being annoying, which many shows get wrong. She is a capable teenage girl who will win you over as she does many of her friends. She has her flaws, but the series does a fantastic job of showing her work through them. She is an excellent protagonist and one of the major reasons you should be watching this series.
Kipo’s friends are amazing. The cast is full of fun and memorable characters who also go through an incredible journey. I loved watching the characters grow as they learn from their experiences. I gushed hard at moments that lasted seconds because of how pivotal they were for a character’s development. The attention to detail in this narrative is phenomenal. The series also has some fantastic villains who have great motivations and help mold the story.
This series isn’t perfect, but it’s close. The voice acting is mostly great, but there are a few awkward lines reads. The writing is fantastic, although there is a general cheesiness throughout that is hard to ignore. That said, I believe the flaws give the series its charm.
Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeats is a rollercoaster of emotions that you need to experience once. I was so invested in the story, characters, and moments that I cried a few times. This series has a lot of laughs and some cool action, but when it needs to get serious, you better be ready. The story is fantastic, the art style is fun, and the soundtrack is phenomenal. If you are looking for a cartoon to watch, it needs to be this one.
You can stream Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts on Netflix.
Movie Review: The Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is the first and only movie I’ve seen from the spin-off. I am honestly surprised that The Last Wish wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. If you have to sit through this movie with your kids, you won’t hate it, but it won’t be one of your favorites. As it stands, this film is a decent kids’ movie that you can stream on Peacock.
Puss in Boots finds himself on the last of his nine lives. Facing his newly discovered mortality, Puss becomes afraid of death for the very first time in his life. Instead of facing his problems head-on in his usual arrogant way, Puss decides to spend the rest of his life hiding as a normal cat. But the quiet life doesn’t stick, and Puss finds himself on another adventure with a pair of unlikely companions as they look for the wishing star. Can they make find the star before Death claims the Puss in Boots?
The plot is silly and as simple as you would expect from a kid’s film. The voice acting, art, and music are fantastic. I love the art style in this movie, especially for the fight scenes. The action is well-choreographed, but it isn’t without its moments of silliness. There are a lot of sight gags and body humor that didn’t always land, but they never got obnoxious. I loved all the cat jokes a bit more than I should have.
There isn’t much more I can say about this movie because it is another movie where the brooding, edgy protagonists learn the value of friendship. The villains aren’t dynamic, and the story is basic, but I wouldn’t expect more from a kids’ movie. The Last Wish is cute, fun, and perfect for your next movie night. It might not have the lasting power of Shrek, but it won’t be the worst kids’ movie you’ll have to sit through. You can stream it on Peacock.