A Feast for the Eyes That is Over Too Quickly
Eyes of Wakanda is now streaming on Disney+.
Marvel Studios Animation has solely been making authentic animated sequence for Disney+ for 4 years, however in that point they’ve assembled an eclectic library that runs a gamut of types and tones: The Saturday-morning throwback of X-Males ’97, the Ditko-and-Romita-panels-come-to-life look of Your Pleasant Neighborhood Spider-Man, the bite-sized galactic adventures of I Am Groot. So far, their most visually arresting sequence has been What If…? – however that timeline-hopping head journey receives some stiff competitors from the brand new four-episode anthology Eyes of Wakanda.. The brainchild of long-time Marvel Studios storyboard artist Todd Harris, Eyes of Wakanda swings for the fences with an elevated mixture of 2D and CG animation, luminous manufacturing design from The Princess and the Frog’s Craig Elliott and wealthy artwork course from The Boxtrolls’ August Corridor. Sadly, the tales that drive these episodes aren’t working on the identical degree. It’s a 50/50 assortment, with the opening and shutting episodes finest exemplifying the potential of an animated sequence monitoring the historical past of Wakanda’s secret spies, the Hatut Zeraze – also called The Conflict Canine.
Their long-standing mission is to mix into the surface world to retrieve misplaced Vibranium artifacts that, in the event that they fall into the flawed fingers, might expose or deliver hurt to Black Panther’s hidden kingdom. Within the first season, Eyes of Wakanda covers 4 key moments of their historical past, spanning the Bronze Age, the Trojan Conflict, the beginning of China’s Ming dynasty, and the First Italo-Ethiopian Conflict. The episodes are distinct of their visible storytelling, leaning into the cultural aesthetics of their interval settings and correct depictions of the individuals who dwell there. If there’s a throughline, it’s within the number of conflicts that give Harris and his fellow Eyes of Wakanda director John Fang ample alternative for ingenious motion sequences and combating types.
One other plus for Eyes of Wakanda is the way it matches throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These are largely stand-alone tales, in order that they’ll join with viewers whether or not or not they’ve seen the Black Panther motion pictures. All the pieces you want to know is contained throughout the episodes’ half-hourish runtimes, and there’s decision and closure to every story, which suggests there’s nothing taxing about investing in any given episode. However not even a sequence this distinct can escape the MCU’s “every part is related” ethos, and the first-season finale (unnecessarily) succumbs to plugging Eyes of Wakanda into the broader franchise.
The very best episodes – the sequence opener “Into the Lion’s Den” and the finale “The Final Panther” – succeed as a result of they reveal new facets of Wakanda to the viewer. Eyes of Wakanda will get closest to discovering its candy spot when it facilities on its authentic characters – like failed Dora Milaje candidate Noni (voiced by Winnie Harlow) – or when it digs into the Afrofuturist aspect of the flicks by fusing Wakandan expertise with sci-fi ideas. However the center episodes “Legends and Lies” and “Misplaced & Discovered,” endure from predictable plotting. They’re additionally held again by clunky mixes of humor and pathos and a few heavy-handed messaging.
Each the positives and negatives of Eyes of Wakanda makes the sequence’ brief episode order really feel unfair. 4 episodes isn’t sufficient for Harris and staff to determine a constant tone, or totally exhibit the potential of their premise. As a result of there are so few episodes right here, Eyes of Wakanda by no means finds its artistic groove; it feels extra like a sampler than a cohesive season of TV.
That doesn’t apply to the animation, although. Studio AKA’s gorgeous, sepia-toned title sequence gloriously teases all 4 tales with elegant 2D animation, whereas Axio Animation does stellar work throughout the physique of each episode. The colour palettes are vibrant, the lighting is dramatic, and it’s clear how a lot time and keenness was imbued into every body. Elliott’s backgrounds are frame-worthy and demand that viewers click on the pause button right here and there to take in the depth and breadth of their attractive imagery.