Wander Over Yonder

Truly an amazing show. It's funny, meaningful, heartfelt and entertaining all rolled up into one. The animation is top notch and the character designs are so much fun to look at. All of the main characters become more and more fleshed out throughout the series, and each has several episodes that focus primarily on them. Although the series may appear to consist of solely silly, one-off episodes, it does have some continuity if you look a little deeper, especially in season 2 with the Lord Dominator story arc. Sadly, the show was cancelled in 2016. Although it has been three years since it aired its last episode, I still miss the show tremendously and wish it had continued for just one more season, considering that there were plans to make one. The crew clearly put love and attention into this work of art, and sometimes I wish its appreciation reflected how much effort was put in. Don't get me wrong, there are many loyal fans who do appreciate the show, but outside of several cartoon websites, this show seems to be unnoticed. While I don't think Wander Over Yonder matches up to something like Gravity Falls, it comes pretty darn close and still is a cartoon worth watching.

While Season 1 is all fun and silly shenanigans for Wander, Sylvia, Lord Hater, and Commander Peepers, Season 2 takes a turn for a new story arc, new villain as fun, strong, cunning, and cool than the Main 4 (Lord Dominator), potential character development for Lord Hater in wanting to be loved as a villain (or so he thinks he does due to Wander wanting him to be his friend), and even Wander in finding tough solutions to deal with Dominator. While Sylvia and Peepers put in their reasoning caps on Wander and Hater when encountering Lord Dominator in the name of love and friendship. Not kidding here as Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends creator, Craig McCracken, and Story Editors Frank Angones and Amy Higgins are taking the new direction for the benefit of the character development and world-building while remaining the silliest animated series with much creativity, fluid animation, catchy songs (Musical Episode coming soon) and sentimental moments for the Main 4 and the Galaxy. Wander has been saying that it never hurts to help. But in light of Lord Dominator pushing weakness buttons for the Main 4, that’s not the case. Indeed, It’s Gonna Hurt To Help...

While 'Wander Over Yonder' seems like a goofy, kids cartoon on the surface; it's actually a positive story about helping others and trying to find the good in those that don't outwardly show it. I really enjoyed the deep dive into the "villains" of this show, considering it showed various big personalities and the insecurities they try to hide. FYI, volumes 1 & 2 are mostly self-contained stories, while volumes 3 & 4 have a overarching storyline (with the Dominator character).