Skyland

Nicktoons network is mainly a rerun channel. They mostly play cartoons from Nickelodeon and from other international sources. But now, they've introduced Kappa Mikey and Skyland into their programming.

Skyland is set in the year 2251 in the shattered remains of the earth orbiting around the core. The government, called the Sphere, has been corrupted and is now a dictatorship. Mila, a seemingly normal woman, lives on a remote farm with her daughter, Lena, age 12, and her son, Mahad, age 17. Their lives change forever when Mila, a skilled warrior, and Lena, an unwitting preteen, are discovered as powerful "Sejins", people who can control energies and objects with his or her mind. Oslo, one of the Sphere's ghouls, captures Mila and goes after Lena, believing that she can fulfill an ancient prophecy. The rest of the story will likely follow Mahad and Lena, along with a ship of rebel allies, through their various adventures, self discovery, and escapes from the Sphere.

This show is fairly good. Its use of CGI and motion capture are entertaining to watch. Some of the scenery even looks real. If nothing else, the animation is worth seeing. It can become like watching a video game, but after a while, the effect wares off. The storyline is equally interesting, though not totally original. Skyland is a good addition to Nicktoons, think of it at the Nicktoons' Avatar.

The series will premiere on Nicktoons Network sometime in late 2006.

In summary, this show was—somewhat enjoyable. What I usually say when discussing this title is that it is great for kids, but not really entertaining for mature audiences. Below I will go into a few details of some of the strengths and weaknesses of this show. As an adult reviewer, I watched it many years ago, and also once about a year ago, and thought that this series finally deserved a review. Many, including myself, have fair criticisms against it, but I would be falling short of a fair review if I did not point out its strengths as well.

1. The Lore

First of all, I LOVE the lore. The juicy context of this story provides an excellent platform for the show. One of the ways that a show can suffer is riding too much on the lore and calling back to it excessively. Besides a title sequence that briefly explains the context, the lore and backstory is not overly referred-to. I give the lore a 9/10.

2. The Writing

The writing in this show was unfortunately sub-par. The plot had a good essence to it that reminded me of concepts in Star Wars, similar in a "Good v/s Evil" theme, and pursuit/chase elements. The episodic nature reminds me of Star Trek, often with individual scenarios in each episode, but with an overarching plot that is resolved over the course of the series. It's weakest point is that the show is, as to be expected on a kids' show, childish. But, as it was broadcast on NickToons, a channel which, in my experiences, had darker themes on some of its shows, I found it to be almost TOO childish. My single largest frustration with this show is that it had potential to become a very good show with several seasons if it were catered to more mature audiences. That potential, in my opinion, felt wasted. I give the writing 6/10.

3. The Script

Although the script is typically incorporated into the writing of a show, I felt that the script was on a distinctly different level from the rest of the writing, and thus, I provide it with its own section. The script had a few areas where it shone out, but once again, the childishness factor of the show really kicked the strength and flavor out of the show. Even while I was young when I watched this show eleven years ago, I thought the script was catered for those younger than me, despite the feeling that I've gotten that the story otherwise would be fit for a broader audience base. The script, I give a 4/10.

4. The Characters

In all fairness, I like to see characters join the heroes, and then stay alongside them to continue fighting. To see characters come and go is normal. But in all honesty, when many supporting characters are CRUCIAL for an episode, but then move on in a touch-and-go kind of style for the whole series, it really puts a damper on how enjoyable new characters will be. The characters themselves are not badly written, but not well-written either. To the characters, I give a 6/10.

5. The Animation

Yet another weakness in this show was the animation, specifically speaking of characters. Aircraft and other vehicles are presented VERY well. Some objects are so large, and perspectives at which they are presented really contribute to the lore by portraying the new world as truly vast, and to that, I commend the creators. However, the characters were created entirely with CGI, and their designs are over-simplistic, mouth movement does not match up well with the script, and there is virtually no noteworthy detail to praise. If you wanted some good battle scenes, then you will get them. To the animation, I give a 6/10.

6. The Sound Engineering/Sound Design

The sound effects in this series are very nice. Nothing much to talk about here. I was very happy with how the sound effects, well, sound, but I think that they could have been mixed a little bit better, as some scenes do sound like the audio balance is a tad off, and the character's lines seem disregard acoustic features. I give the sound engineering and sound design an 8/10.

7. The Soundtrack

LOVED the soundtrack! Can't get enough, honestly. Wish there were more to listen to, though. The orchestral sways and pulls really fit the scenes like a glove. I give the soundtrack a 9/10.

I enjoyed watching Skyland back in 2005/2006. Recently i have started to watch it again and deserves more than it is given credit for as i enjoyed it even more now then i did then. Being in my late teens it does not seem fitting for me to watch a "childrens" show but i rather enjoy it. It ends too soon only after the 2nd season leaving plenty of unanswered questions. I believe that if the show was given 2 more seasons it would benefit. The story i find captivating and it has some humor. The CGI and motion capture are beautiful. The show gives me a sense nostalgia because i missed it from when i was younger so that might be the reason i enjoy it at the level i do. Overall the show was done well and i have little negative feelings about it.

i'm giving this a 4 because i keep trying to watch it and am put off every time by the awful awful dialogue. the animators must be so frustrated with the terrible writing. there should be a moratorium on the use of the phrase "more powerful than you can possibly imagine" for the next, say hundred years. i could only recommend this show with the sound turned off.

but the animation. beautiful. so much attention to detail and atmosphere. rivals the better Japanese stuff. my only quibble is that sometimes the characters seem out of place against the backgrounds. i'm guessing they are motion-captured.

anyway, i say fire the writers and the show could only benefit.

what the title says. This one is still on the list of best series i ever watched. it should have been equivalent in size to "the avatar: the last airbender". if avatar never had aired, i think this series would have conquered earth instead. it's a classic series which never rose, but still one of the best of its kind. it has a 3d feeling, a 3d atmosphere. and what i like most of this series, is that is has all that and still have a 2d touch to it. i recommend just to try and watch it. you'll probably get the same feeling as i did in one or two episodes. the only thing that annoys me a bit, is the movement of some of the characters. because in some parts i find them move a bit clumsy.