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Rebecca Otto

Prof. Leptak-Moreau

English Comp. 1101

October 23, 2020

Captivating Cartoon: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

A young girl, who has lived in an underground burrow her whole life, is forced up to the

surface. The rest of the burrow people, including her father, are nowhere to be seen. Now this

young 13 year old girl named Kipo must figure out how to survive on the surface, which may

seem easy to most, but not for human. Animals, called “Mutes,” walk, talk and roam the Earth

and they are not too fond of humans or the way they were treated by them in the past. Will Kipo

learn to survive in this new landscape and find her way home, or will she be killed by the Mutes

first? The story I have described is from a Netflix cartoon called “Kipo and the Age of

Wonderbeasts” and it is the topic of my essay. I will evaluate the overarching theme, the unique

art style, and the heart of the show. Although I don’t enjoy certain aspects of the show, overall I

find it to be wonderful and believe “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts” is well worth watching.

“Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts” is a show about diversity and the acceptance of

those who are different from you. Time and time again we are shown that it’s okay to be

different, and that we need to move on from our past when we despised those who were different

in any way. This theme is kept constant throughout the three seasons. This message manages to

not get stale or repetitive through incredible storytelling and the presentation of new, interesting

ways of life that could never happen in reality but are fun to imagine. The story also makes sure

not to get too dark by using light hearted humor, silly moments that we can all relate to, and fun
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songs. We are introduced to the multiple characters with different skin color, backgrounds, and

species who keep themselves separate from each other. This is until Kipo shows up and shows

everyone they are more similar than they think. It starts off slow but by the third season Kipo

brings almost everyone together and works towards the final task of bringing all Mutes and all

humans together. The message of diversity and acceptance is especially important in today's

world and ¨Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts” presents that theme in a unique and engaging

way.

Although I’ve fallen in love with “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts” there are some

aspects I don’t particularly enjoy. One of those things is the unnecessary need for the characters

to have significant others and romantic relationships which add nothing to the story. For

example, one episode shows Kipo falling in love with her friend only to be told that he’s gay.

Kipo’s love for him came seemingly out of the blue and subsided just as quickly after she

realized he did not return her feelings. Also, at the end of the season the gay friend falls quickly

in love with another guy, who came from Kipo’s burrow. While he was falling in love, the

burrow was being attacked and most of the humans were kidnapped. Given the importance of the

attack on the burrow, the focus on this relationship did nothing to further the storyline. The

relationships seem pointless to me and add nothing to the message and I believe the show would

have done better without them. While the love storylines were unnecessary, these distractions

were far outweighed by the show's engaging and unique artwork.

When I first saw “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts” the art style and use of various

colors immediately captured my attention. The art style was very blocky, and though I don’t
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usually enjoy that style, as I prefer more fluid and soft character shapes, I fell in love. This

“blocky” style was like none other I’ve ever seen before and honestly I don’t think I could

imagine the characters any other way. I also adored the bright colors mixed together perfectly.

The colors drew my attention to the different world, and though they were all very bright,

nothing ever felt too bright. Cool tones and warm tones were brought out in just the right

situations and places and I think it worked wonderfully. The expressions on the characters also

elaborated how everyone was feeling so clearly, I never had to question the mood of the moment.

The voice acting also helped with the mood and just brought the characters to life. Different

characters, different personalities, and a different world, “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts”

truly is a great show with so much meaning and heart.

The final thing I want to discuss about this show is the heart. In “Kipo and the Age of

Wonderbeasts” friendships, characters, and special moments were made and lost. There were

heartbreaking backstories of villains that showed how they never wanted to be a villain and their

transformations from good to bad and from bad to good. Many heartbreaking moments also

occurred, showing permanent loss and how it affects everyone. “Kipo and the Age of

Wonderbeasts” did a wonderful job of amping up my emotions. These are just cartoon

characters, but I became attached as if they were real and my friends. I wouldn’t change a thing

about any of the emotional moments as they all added to the story. Overall “Kipo and the Age of

Wonderbeasts” is something special.

“Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts” is a story of heart, understanding, and wonderful

art. Just like everything else in life, the story has its downsides, but they were drastically
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outweighed by the rest of the story. I would recommend this show to anyone who has been

looking for something new to watch. This cartoon connects with the audience and is so

imaginative. “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts” is a fantastic cartoon and definitely worth

watching.