Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
Series, 2020, The 2020s, Set in Las Vistas
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is #14 of 18 in release order and #14 of 18 in chronological order in the Modern Cartoon Classics.
The story
A sheltered girl gets a crash course in survival when a mutant attack sends her to the surface, far from the safety of her underground home.
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts recap
Centuries after animals mutated into talking, intelligent "mutes", humans live in underground burrows. Kipo Oak, thirteen, is swept to the surface of a ruined Los Angeles, now called Las Vistas, when a giant mutant monkey attacks her burrow. She sets out to find her father Lio with Wolf, a tough girl raised by wolves; Benson, a cheerful surface survivor; Dave, a talking insect who keeps moulting into new life stages; and Mandu, a six-legged pig. The main villain is Scarlemagne, a mandrill who can control other mutes with his pheromones. Kipo learns that her parents gave her jaguar DNA and that she can transform into a giant Mega Jaguar. In season 2 she discovers that the giant monkey is her mother Song, mutated and controlled, and that Scarlemagne was once Hugo, a lab animal raised by her parents. In season 3 Kipo tries to unite humans and mutes, but Dr. Emilia, a scientist who hates mutes, plans to wipe them out.
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts ending explained
In the finale, Emilia turns herself into a mega mute and nearly kills Kipo. Scarlemagne gives his life to save her, asking to be called Hugo as he dies. Kipo cures Emilia, who attacks again and is trapped underground. Five years later, Kipo, now eighteen, visits Hugo's grave and spends the day with her friends in a rebuilt Las Vistas where humans and mutes live together. The series ended in 2020.
Ratings
IMDb 8.3/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Owl House, before The Midnight Gospel.
- Chronological order: after The Owl House, before The Midnight Gospel.
What to watch before Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
In release order, 13 Modern Cartoon Classics essentials come before Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020), from Adventure Time (2010) to The Owl House (2020).
Cast
- Karen Fukuhara as Kipo (voice)
- Sydney Mikayla as Wolf (voice)
- Coy Stewart as Benson (voice)
- Deon Cole as Dave (voice)
- Dee Bradley Baker as Mandu (voice)
- Grey DeLisle as Cotton (voice)
- Amy Landecker as Dr. Emilia (voice)
- Dan Stevens as Scarlemagne (voice)
- Sterling K. Brown as Lio Oak (voice)
- Jake Green as Jamack (voice)
- Anna Vocino as Greta (voice)
- Carlos Alazraqui as Zane (voice)
Created by Bill Wolkoff, Radford Sechrist.