The Search for WondLa

I am still in the 3rd episode but i am loving this. What a concept to broaden the sci-fi genre through animation which is very appropriate for this fresh type of concept. Storyline is so refreshing from all those typpical garbage that every 10000s of otts are churning out without any original ideas , well some are original and binge watch worthy , but some in hundreds of thousands is not something to be hopeful for. The relationship between Eva and Muther is best. Their daughter-not-mother chemistry is what made me hooked and the mystery behind the story is what will hook you further . I know in today's age everyone's a critic but enjoying fresh concept will keep you in fresh mood.

I am definitely finishing wondla till the last.

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!

I read the original book series, and I've enjoyed Tony DiTerlizzi's art and stories. It's been a bit since I've read them, but they stuck with me. It was an eco sci-fi that sometimes felt like a fantasy. The art was detailed and engaging, the creature designs familiar yet otherworldly.

I saw this series pop up and was reminded about the books. Going into it I was neutral. The art style looked nothing like the original, but that was fine as long as it looked good and the story translated well.

First episode was very rough, and the rest was fine.

Art style - it looks generic. Not bad, but very passable. I'm fine with making changes visually, but this looks like a generic colorful kids cartoon. The animation was a bit stiff. Completely throws out the detailed watercolor-like art style of the original.

Designs - Everything was simplified and made to more colorful and cuddly. Eva is supposed to be 16, but she looks and sounds like a woman in her late 20's. Yet she acts very bombastic and child-like, which just feels at odds. Muthr was turned from an interesting machine, to a smooth green emoji. And the creature designs were drastically simplified and made colorful.

Overall - They kiddified and simplified it. Eva is a bit annoying and does not feel anything like her character. She is like every generic protagonist. It all makes sense because this is the same studio that made "Luck", and that movie was very bland in every way. Without its source material, this would have nothing to stand on. The only good parts, are the world originally built by the books.

They removed a lot of the maturity and thoughtfulness from the books. This one feels like it's jingling colorful keys to maintain your attention, and if you see something engaging, then they slam the keys back in your face.

Put this on for some little kids, but don't expect much otherwise. This was not the studio to adapt 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.

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.