Themes of perseverance, friendship dominate dystopian tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a little
Frequent chase scenes and perilous scenarios, from which Kipo and friends narrowly escape. Some hitting, use of handheld weapons like clubs and maces. Some death of mutant animals, as when an insect flies into a death ivy plant and drops dead. Massive animals and insects cause fright at times.
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Kipo's experiences with her surface friends challenge stereotypes that each holds against the others and change how they view those they don't know. As they find common ground, they also find common enemies in mutants they encounter. Themes about perseverance, courage throughout. A character is gay and treated with respect and compassion.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Kipo is resilient, optimistic, takes delight in new discoveries. She makes friends easily, even when those friends resist connection. Like Kipo, Wolf and Benson adjust their impressions of people once they come to know them.
Educational Value
none
The series intends to entertain rather than to educate.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is an imaginative, vibrant animated series set in a futuristic world in which mutant animals dominate the surface and most humans live underground. It has tons of visual appeal, creative characters, and clever use of music, as well as standout messages about resilience challenging stereotypes. Some scenes involve violence with weapons like clubs, maces, and Wolf's homemade staff (which has a poisonous scorpion stinger on the end). But fatalities are rare and most often the result of accidents rather than physical encounters. Kipo (voiced by Karen Fukuhara) is an appealing main character who refuses to let her circumstances get her down. And her friends show they're willing to risk their own safety for her sake. This unique series has broad viewing appeal and is one that families with older kids and tweens will enjoy.
We're Missionary Baptist, and our son is 5. He gets limited screen-time and we screen all movies, shows, and even the few educational games he is allowed to play.
We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Kipo! It has characters that look like us, messages about perseverance, learning about the world around you, and how to treat your neighbors.
We only know a handful of gay families, and want our son to know how to interact with all peoples: With respect and love. Point blank. Exactly what Yhwh teaches us. Watching Kipo got us to have conversations about astronomy, why and how insects regenerate limbs, you name it! He didn't ask about Benson being gay, but did ask why he "didn't like the pretty girl back". He asked if it hurt Kipo's feelings, and we got to discuss that Benson likes people other than Kipo, and that's OK, and they could still be friends and support each other. We also got to have a very short conversation about how, when people he isn't attracted to try to cross boundaries, he has the right to have his boundaries respected, and vice versa.
For all the amazing parents out there worried about the conversations that could come from some of these moments in the show, I encourage you to keep going and keep having these positive conversations. God allows all people in His world, and it's our job to teach our babies how to love all, even those who are different from us. There are same-sex attractions in our world and we're grateful that that one, small moment in the show gave us a chance to teach our baby, in our home, how to deal when he comes across them (through a great show)!
My little sister is 8 years old n really likes superhero type shows. I have only been watching the show 5 minutes but it seems really funny and cool. Yes she realizes that the character Benson is gay and is not influenced nor bother by the fact. I don’t believe putting gay characters on tv is “pushing an agenda” I grown up watching straight people kiss on tv as a kid on shows like Drake and Josh” which was a kids show and l was never influenced to go make out with boys. I also think including characters like Benson well help stop bullying at school. Overall great show my sister loves it and says they always stick up for each other and their pets are funny and cool.
What's the Story?
In KIPO AND THE AGE OF WONDERBEASTS, a teen girl is thrust into the world aboveground after living her entire life in a subterranean burrow in an untamed post-apocalyptic world. As Kipo (voiced by Karen Fukuhara) explores her new surroundings and tries to figure out a way to get home, she encounters mutant animals, dilapidated urban remnants of a bygone time, and an uncertain destiny. That is, until she befriends a hardened surface dweller named Wolf (Sydney Mikayla), a mutant pig pet named Mandu (Dee Bradley Baker), an optimistic boy named Benson (Coy Stewart), and a bug named Dave (Deon Cole) who repeats his life cycle over and over again. Together her new friends band together in an effort to get Kipo home ... if they can avoid the many dangers that threaten their very survival on the surface.
A striking animation style and unique story carry this exceptional series from the moment it introduces its gregarious and courageous heroine. To meet Kipo is to love her. Despite her uncertain circumstances, she keeps a positive attitude and a belief that everything will work out well. In that way she is in sharp contrast to Wolf, whose awareness of the harsh realities of life on the surface give her a shrewdness that often comes across as ill temper. Somewhere in the middle falls Benson and the ever hilarious Dave, who provide some levity to even the tensest of moments. The members of this motley crew are each other's best hope for surviving in a world dominated by mutated creatures with varying degrees of nefarious plans for humans.
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is a dystopian tale that's devoid of the kind of political or social themes that often filter into the genre, instead sticking to messages of hope and resilience that play out in different ways relative to the characters' respective personalities. Despite their disparate natures, Kipo, Wolf, Benson, and Dave share a determination to beat the odds, and they learn to lean on each other to take the calculated risks that are needed to do so. This captivating series is one that will appeal to adults almost as much as it does to the tweens and young teens in its target audience, which bodes well for families looking for fresh watch-together fare.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the uncertain world in which Kipo finds herself. Who is in charge there? How are disagreements settled and deals made? How does this scenario compare to what exists in the present? Are futuristic stories like Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts entirely far-fetched, or are there any elements of possible truth in them?
What qualities does Kipo value in other people? How do they differ from those that Wolf favors? Do her new surroundings in the surface world change her values in any way? If so, how does this serve her in the unfamiliar territory?
What accounts for Kipo's optimism? How does believing the best in people and in situations help her overcome challenges?
Is Kipo courageous because she has nothing to lose or because she has everything to gain? Is there a difference, and if so, does it matter?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
