REVIEW: ‘Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts,’ Season 3 is an Immensely Satisfying Conclusion

This show is a pure expression of imagination and ingenuity. This incredible world, through the power of its varied and complex characters,  manages to show viewers of all ages the wonders of humanity (including Mutes and animals) in its fantastic setting. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts Season 3 rounds out the trilogy of seasons for this mesmerizing show as Kipo, Wolf, Benson, and their friends and family aim to solve the Human-Mute conflict once and for all.

After three amazing seasons, we are already at the end of an extraordinary series. Each season managed to expand Kipo’s world in imaginative and mesmerizing ways, but it feels like there’s so much more to explore. That’s by no means a slight on this incredible series but speaks to the storytelling power of the expansive world that Radford Sechrist, Bill Wolkoff, Studio Mir, Dreamworks, and the rest of the individual cast, crew, and creative team members created. They could, in the same vein of how Avatar: The Last Airbender expanded to The Legend of Korra and the incredible comics of the Avatar world, create more series or tie-in materials to the world of the Wonderbeasts. I, and many other fans of the show, very much hope they do.

But the story we have completed here is already iconic on its own. With vivid characters in an already vivid world driving the narrative, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts Season 3 comes to an amazing conclusion. It’s not the typical last season you might expect, but it has all the hallmarks of an emotionally satisfying, energetic, and exciting finale that will keep you on the edge of your seat for a large majority of the time. It is exciting, emotional, and also lots of fun, in typical Kipo fashion.

As we see humans and Mutes face the ultimate challenge of finding common ground, the journey to the end is not simple. There is smart and subtle commentary here on the wanton destruction humans have caused to the natural world and how we rarely take responsibility, causing nature to strike back. Viewers of all ages will come away with a message of how to be more accepting of everyone, and it’s sincerely done.

Kipo has always done well at making the overarching conflict personal for all our heroes, and this last season is no different. Of course, the journey is hardest on Kipo (Karen Fukuhara), who, after spending significant time with the Mutes and realizing just how much she has in common with them, must be the bridge between Mutes and her human society. She is visibly torn on how to go about making the right decisions, but finds, with the help of her friends and family (dad Lio (Sterling K. Brown) and mom Song (Jee Young Han)), that the best way for her to save the day is to be her regularly wonderful and open-hearted self. Fukuhara has always done an amazing job voicing Kipo, bringing every wave of sadness, joy, anger, and angst you would want to hear from the main protagonist.

Both sides have significant difficulty trusting each other after centuries of division, especially with the machinations of season villain Dr. Emilia (Amy Landecker). The season smartly focuses on Kipo, Wolf (Sydney Mikayla), and Benson’s (Coy Stewart) lives and journeys on the surface world and how they learn to befriend the wondrous Mutes, such as Dave (Deon Cole) and Mandu (Dee Bradley Baker), and how they apply these lessons to their fellow humans. It’s very smart writing that works to great effect in this final season. Like Fukuhara, both Mikayla and Stewart give some of their best performances of the series. They get to experience more joy and growth as Wolf makes peace with her past and Benson continues his relationship with Troy (Giullian Yao Gioiello) in some groundbreaking steps for queer representation. This sincerely heartwarming found family will be missed in new seasons, but sure to be revisited often by old and new fans in the future.

But the most surprisingly moving character may be in Dan Stevens‘ Scarlamagne/Hugo. Having surrendered at the end of last season, we get to see this once villainous baboon Mute go on a journey of atonement. Stevens gets a bit away from his exceptional maniacal performance of previous seasons for something more nuanced and reflective. The story makes it clear that his most important choices are his own, and, for the most part, it’s very gratifying to watch.

As always, the animation is fantastic. Studio Mir continues to be the best in the game with its sharply innovative hand-drawn animations. The images, colors, and movements of all characters are crisp and vivid. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is such a beautiful cartoon, with a world that rivals the beauty and complexity of that of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The Mutes, once again, are fantastic to see. From old favorites like the Timbercats to new Mutes like the K-Pop Narwhals, this series never lets up on the imagination factor. The Mutes are fun, energetic, action-packed, emotionally moving, and just overall wonderful to watch in their incredible world. You’ll struggle to find any good reason to hurt these amazing sentient beings, as some humans on the show unfortunately do. But like humans, they have some prejudices of their own to solve, and it’s great to watch that conflict unfold as well.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is a singularly wonderful series, and its third season brought it to an immensely satisfying end. Having now seen the fully completed story with its three brief but amazing seasons, I understand what exactly the creators were going for. They indeed achieved something extraordinary that should inspire others. I only wish that somehow we’ll get more of Kipo, Wolf, Benson, and their world, in whatever format we can get. But we’ll always keep the Age of Wonderbeasts in our hearts.

You can watch Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts exclusively on Netflix.