Wondla Review: Robots, Aliens, and a Teen’s Quest for Humanity
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“When a species goes extinct, that is nature resetting itself, restoring balance. But humans are a special case, instead of simply going extinct, you tried to take the world down with you.”
Set somewhere in the future, the Apple original animated series “Wondla” is based on the science-fiction fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi. It follows the adventures of a young girl, Eva, who sets out to find other humans after being raised in isolation by a robot mother in a self-sufficient underground bunker until her 16th birthday. Once she reaches the surface, she discovers the earth no longer resembles the uninhabitable planet wrecked by humans and is instead inhabited by a whole new alien race. While my instinct was to compare “Wondla” to the Amazon Prime series “Fallout” (a fantastic show, BTW, but not meant for children), which also follows a young woman named Lucy MacLean raised in an underground bunker, the shows are a world apart. Lucy ventures into a wasteland where humans still rule with terror, whereas Eva explores a wondrous new green world with strange new species, some friendly, others deadly.
Jeanine Mason voices protagonist Eva, a curious, positive teenager who simply wants to find her own tribe. The first episode is super cute – Eva is introduced as a baby, and a robot called MUTHR, short for Multi-Utility Task Helper Robot, takes care of her, preparing her for an uncertain future. Although the immediate question in my mind was – where are the parents? Surely Eva wasn’t manufactured at a factory, but okay, I had to set those questions aside. And since I haven’t read the books, I don’t know if it vastly varies from the original source material. There are quite a few things that don’t make sense, but that shouldn’t matter to younger audiences.
Spanning seven episodes, “Wondla” is animated by Skydance Animation studio, which was also behind the Apple original movie “Luck.” The animation is cute, very Disney-like, and Eva looks like a mash of Disney princesses animated protagonists, with the classic big beautiful eyes. For some reason, she kept reminding me of Raya from “Raya and the Last Dragon” (probably because of a hat she wears in one of the episodes). Some of the alien characters are adorable, and a few resemble the original illustrations from Tony DiTerlizzi’s books. However, the robot MUTHR is very different in Apple’s Wondla; it’s a much simpler, modern, minimalistic version, which is a good upgrade from the clunky steampunk version of the books. However, Eva’s character design is the most unoriginal update and I wish they had made her look more unique. Attached below is a comparison of Eva from the book versus Eva from the animated series.
Chiké Okonkwo menacingly voices Besteel, the principal antagonist, a mean ruthless beast that looks like a cross between a giant bear and a stunted dinosaur. Besteel is a bounty hunter of sorts who attacks Eva the moment she tries to reach the surface and keeps chasing her throughout the runtime. A wise nomadic guide named Rowender (Gary Anthony Williams) who looks like a tweaked version of the blue Na’vi from “Avatar” and a giant cuddly water-bear called Otto (Brad Garrett) become Eva’s allies as she navigates the new earth, now called Orbona, looking for other humans. The robot MUTHR also joins Eva’s quest, and their almost mother-daughter bond is a strong theme in the series, an interesting depiction of just how positively personal human-AI interactions can be.
Even though Eva’s adventures aren’t wholly novel, there’s familiar joy in many of her experiences. A lot of the humor in the series is drawn from the assumptions aliens make about humans, since humans no longer dwell on the surface and are assumed to be extinct. For example, some think humans can fry a creature’s brain by just looking at them. Episode 5 was my favorite in the series, where Eva befriends a young female alien who, much like Eva, grew up without any friends to play with or confide in. Like most protagonists in children’s fantasy books, Eva is kind, brave, easily trusting, and looks for the best in those she meets. The creators manage to make viewers root for Eva, but will she find more humans? The suspense over her quest is tightly maintained until the very end.
The season finale of “Wondla,” episode seven, was surprisingly dark and tragic, but it also ends with a solid twist that promises an exciting new season. The beautiful world-building and alien creatures of the series offer an engaging treat for science-fiction fantasy fans.
You can stream “Wondla” on Apple TV+
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