Intro
In a entertainment culture currently starved for true art, The Wingfeather Saga season two delivers a Mona Lisa. Much like the mysterious woman in Da Vinci’s famous painting, Wingfeather is full of mysterious undercurrents, intriguing layers, and clues you’ll miss if you aren’t paying attention. Some critics speculated that season one was a bit too tame and small-townish. Well, they’re in for a treat. Season two is fast-paced, very detailed, and keeps the viewer coming back for more.
Production Quality (5 points)
The production quality of Wingfeather continues to amaze us. The dedication and heart poured into the artwork alone is evidence that many of the more talented artists in the world have abandoned Disney and Pixar to making political propaganda sequel movie #512 and joined a “holy huddle” to work on a project that matters. It seems that the Wingfeather bug is catching, as animators who admittedly had little knowledge of the novels have managed to capture the story’s soul on screen. These pioneers of watercolor-like animation and meaningful storytelling are leaving behind a footprint that is hard to ignore. This series’ production quality earns a perfect score – in part for ingenuity and originality.
Plot and Storyline Quality (3 points)
The plot and storyline is above average as well – despite many deviations from the original manuscript for North! Or be Eaten. The writers managed to fit a very large amount of content into seven episodes with few errors. Podo, Kalmar, and Janner are the protagonists of season two, and this season makes the most of a small space by adding new layers of depth to their fictional personhood. Dialogue is rich and to the point, with virtually no moments of filler conversation. Clear transitions, symbolism, and flashbacks are added to give the series an adult level of depth not usually (possibly never) seen in a kids animated series. Manuscript deviations include (but are not limited to) the following.
In this depiction, Artham and The Stonekeeper are brought into more prominent roles earlier in the story, and have more scenes on-screen than they do in North! Or be Eaten. This is an example of a needed change. (spoiler) Our founder commented that Artham could have had even more scenes – specifically, flashbacks of his previous experiences in the Phoob Islands – to set him up more directly for his (likely) upcoming transformation in season three. Speaking of our team, we are a house divided on which is the best episode, with two members saying episode five is the clearest example of masterful storytelling.
The Strander camp and Fork Factory scenes are condensed and tightly structured due to time constraints and for continuity purposes. Nurgabog doesn’t disappoint, and whoever cast this character clearly picked the right person. Maralay is a new face this season and is already warming up to be a memorable character. Claxton is toned down compared to the books, but is still a believable antagonist. The Fork Factory is depicted very well, as are the various characters connected to this part of the story. The complicated level of detail and the unique ways of filling in information using background art and easter eggs was a very creative and effective way to bring a lot of Fork Factory info down to a manageable size (e.g. see Bollyblossoms) Onto the cons.
Our team has conflicting opinions about the flaws in season two, but found middle ground here = Our founder noted that he found the finale episode to be somewhat rushed and disorganized. The rest of the team thought it was mostly a good setup for what will likely be a transitional season of the show, but we agreed that the key story moments in s2 ep7 could have been structured a bit differently to create a stronger conclusion.
For example, if someone hasn’t read the books, they have no idea what a Gray fang is. Episode 7 doesn’t communicate that fact clearly. There are two things they could have done to make this point stronger. (1) Change the fanging scene with the tiny, disfigured fang to someone becoming a Gray Fang, not a Green Fang. (2) When Kalmar is shown briefly in the room with Artham in the Phoob Islands, we needed to see some Gray Fangs in the background just like we do in the books. It was a good idea to introduce Timber, but the setup could have been better than it was. Also, why not end with the scene of Kalmar walking into the box and Artham panicking? Now that’s a cliffhanger. These changes would have gone well with the Stonekeeper’s major hint about ordering the capture of a firehawk for her wicked intentions with Artham. It’s almost like the chance was there and they didn’t take it.
To sum up, the finale episode is missing the “wow factor” and the gravitas that brings in new fans. Therefore, even though season two is groundbreaking, it loses a point in plot and storyline for its rushed and flat ending. It is possible that funding and staffing limitations contributed to this issue.
Acting Quality (5 points)
The voice acting quality in this series could teach other family shows several lessons about how to do it right. The children and adults are on equal playing fields when it comes to talent. Seasoned actors and actresses like Gary McNally and Leslie Nicol have stiff competition in Alkaio Thiele, Griffin Faulkner, and Romy Fay. In addition to acting quality, the casting choices are well-thought-out and extremely accurate to the spirit of the original characters. We look forward to seeing what else this team can do. Acting quality earns a perfect score.
Conclusion
To conclude, we are happy to see that the heart and spirit of Wingfeather are being treated with such respect and dedication in this animated portrayal. The series, imperfect though it may be, is setting a new standard for family entertainment that will not be forgotten. We can’t wait to see season three, and continue to support this timeless tale!
Final Rating: 13 out of 14 points
Box Office Revolution 