Wakanda's Eyes are Now at Disney+.
Marvel Studios Animation has only been making original animated series for Disney+ for four years, but in that time they've assembled an eclectic library that runs a gamut of styles and tones: The Saturday-morning throwback of X-Men '97, the Ditko-and-Romita-panels-come-to-life look of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the bite-sized galactic adventures of I Am Groot. Their most visually fascinating series to date is if…? – But that jumping trip gained a fierce competition from the new four-episode anthology, Wakanda of Wakanda. Unfortunately, the stories that drive these plots don’t run at the same level. It's a 50/50 variety, opening and closing series that best embody the potential of an animated series that tracks Wakanda's secret spy history, Hatut Zeraze, also known as the Battle Dog.
Their long-standing mission is to fit into the outside world to retrieve lost wine artifacts that could be exposed or harm the hidden kingdom of the Panther if they fall into the wrong hands. In the first season, Vacada's eyes cover four critical moments in their history, spanning the Bronze Age, the Trojan War, the beginning of the Ming Dynasty in China, and the first Italian-Ethiopian War. The visual storytelling of these plots is different, leaning towards the cultural aesthetics of their period environment and accurate descriptions of the people who live there. If there is traversal, it is that in various conflicts, Harris and his fellow Vacada director John Fang have plenty of opportunities to creative action sequences and combat styles.
Another advantage of Wakanda's eyes is how it fits into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These are mostly independent stories, so no matter they have watched the Black Panther movie, they will connect with the audience. Everything you need to know is included in the half hour of the plot, and each story has a solution and an end, which means investing in any given plot is nothing. But even without a unique series, there is no escape from the MCU's “Everything Related” spirit, and the finale of the first season (unnecessarily) succumbs to stuffing Wakanda's eyes into a wider franchise.
The best episodes – the series opening “Entering the Lion’s Study” and the finale “The Last Leopard” – as they reveal new aspects of Wakada to the audience. When Wakanda is centered on its original character, Wakanda's eyes are closest to finding its best spot – such as the failed Dora Milaje candidate Noni (voiced by Winnie Harlow), or when it digs into the African-African aspect of the film by blending Wakandan Technology with sci-fi concepts. But the plots in the middle, “Legends and Lies” and “Lost and Discovery”, suffer from predictable plots. They are also hampered by a clumsy mix of humor and sadness and some heavy messaging.
The eyes of the Vakada Gallery
The positive and negative factors of Wakanda's eyes make the short plot sequence unfair. The four episodes of Harris and Team are not enough to establish a consistent tone or to fully demonstrate the potential of their premises. Because there are few episodes here, Vacada's eyes never find its creative groove. It feels more like a sampler than a condensed season for TV.
However, this does not work with animations. Studio aka the stunning, tan title sequence teases the glorious four stories with elegant 2D animations, and Axio Animation does play a great role in the body of each plot. The palette is full of vitality, the lighting is dramatic, and it is obvious that each frame is filled with time and passion. Elliott's background is worth a look, requiring viewers to click the Pause button here and there to absorb the depth and breadth of their gorgeous image.