Series You Need To See: THE WINGFEATHER SAGA

Dragons, Fangs, Toothy Cows, beauty and adventure abound in this animated epic.

As a fan of the book series, I'd already been following and anticipating the unleashing of an animated series adaptation of Andrew Peterson’s WINGFEATHER SAGA…and now that an entire season is complete, I’m pleased to say it fulfilled and exceeded my expectations.

If you’re not already familiar with the series, THE WINGFEATHER SAGA is basically “four fantasy-adventure novels written by Andrew Peterson about the three Igiby children, Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli. They live in a world called Aerwiar (which is exactly like our world, except they don’t have electricity or gunpowder), and there are all sorts of creepy animals (like sea dragons and toothy cows). The children are about to discover that the ordinary little town where they live is anything but ordinary. In fact, the family is at the center of a great mystery that will change their lives—and their world—forever.”

The animated series does a great job of keeping intact the blend of weird & whimsical humor, action & adventure, and dark scary danger that the books have. The screenplay is hilarious and clever, and the voice cast does a stellar job. But speaking as someone who’s been involved in the animation world for almost 30 years, I am also delighted by how original it looks.

Not only have I worked on several animation projects myself, written two textbooks on the subject and taught courses at various colleges, but I’ve had the opportunity to sit in on many masterclasses and lectures by professionals from PIXAR, Disney, and other giants in the industry. So I’m very particular about the nuances I see in animated films, keen to spot clichés, over-used poses and mannerisms, and all-too-familiar techniques and “swishes” that come about when productions rely too closely on copy/pasting certain “by the book” qualities that come from watching too much animation or attending too many masterclasses. It’s geekish, nit-picky stuff, but it’s all in certain ways characters move, expressions and poses they pop into, and lazy re-treads of certain studio styles that get tiresome after awhile.

That’s why I’m excited about what the WINGFEATHER team is doing — the way these characters move through their posing choices, hand gestures, mouth positions and mannerisms — combined with the layout & screen direction, and how characters are composed within the frame from shot-to-shot — combined with innovative use of texture, color and lighting — make the experience of watching the series a delightful exercise in witnessing something new, a breath of fresh air for the animated realms. It’s the best-looking stuff I’ve seen since FANTASTIC MR. FOX or SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, which for me were game-changers in innovation for what animation is capable of.

The character design, particularly for the dragons, monsters and villains of the show, is also incredible and meshes well with the human characters for a well-rounded universe where nothing feels out of place. All the while, the story is engaging, exciting, and entertaining with a dynamic mix of emotional arcs, cut from the same cloth as LORD OF THE RINGS in its epic battle scale and any number of medieval fantasies or idiosyncratic British-ness in its humor.

The entire first season can be watched for free at Angel Studios’ website. Patch this into your big-screen TV so you can experience it as loud and large as you can.

angel.com/watch/wingfeather-saga