One thing that drives us nuts about any animated fantasy series is that it seems to get into its mythology very slowly. Perhaps we’re just impatient, but we want to know exactly what the stakes of the quest the show’s protagonists are on in the first episode; we don’t want to wait until Episode 2 or 3 for things to become clear. A new series based on a popular set of fantasy novels for kids does just that.
WOLF KING: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: We see a shot of the moon during daylight. A voice says, “They say the moon wakes the beast inside.”
The Gist: Teenager Drew Ferran (Ceallach Spellman) and his older brother Trent (Louis Landau) are returning home from the village under what’s known as a “hunter’s moon.” Drew’s mother Tilly (Kate Fleetwood) knows it’s time to tell him about the big secret they know about him, but his father, Mack (Peter Serafinowicz) disagrees.
During dinner, Drew feels some strange sensations. Sensing danger coming, Tilly warns Drew to leave the village that night. Suddenly, a large, dark wererat attacks; under duress, Drew finds himself with strength and agility he never had before. But the wererat manages to fatally injure Tilly. Before she loses consciousness, though, Tilly tells Drew to go to Brackenholme and find Duke Bergan (Paterson Joseph), who will help him with his newfound powers. Mack and Trent come home and see Drew kneeling over his mother’s body in full werelord mode, and accuse him of killing her.
As he runs through the forest, he comes upon a teen girl named Whitley (Nina Barker Francis), who’s training with her master, Hogan (Kobna Holdbrook Smith), to be a scout. But, more importantly, she has a map to get to Brackenholme. After he tries to get the map, she defends herself, but they both are diverted by an Wyldermen attack that injures Hogan; the map ends up on fire and is destroyed. Though seriously injured both teens need Hogan to get them to Brackenholme.
In the meantime, Mack and Trent gather up villagers to find Drew. As Drew and Whitley make their way to Brackenholme, she tells him how the Lions stole the ultimate power over the animal realms from the Wolves. “What the world would give for the return of The Wolf,” she tells him. He soon finds out that she is also a werelord. But he’s in for a few surprises when he meets Duke Bergan for the first time.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Based on Curtis Jobling’s popular Wereworld book series, Wolf King gives us similar vibes to, of all things, the recent incarnations of He-Man.
Our Take: Jobling and the other writers of Wolf King pack a whole lot of story in the first 28-minute episode of the series, while somehow making room for multiple fight scenes and just enough character development to get audiences in Drew’s corner.
We appreciated having that much story crammed into one episode; too often, animated fantasy series wade their way into the show’s mythology too slowly, taking the risk of losing its audience interest — and we’re not just talking about kids, like Wolf King is aimed towards.
We’d rather see the show’s protagonist find out why they’re on the quest they’re on as early as possible, so we can see the quest play out, complete with the requisite action and the bonding between the characters who are thrown together on that quest. It may seem fast to see Drew and Whitley trust each other within ten show-minutes of meeting each other, for instance, but that trust feels earned in the course of a couple of situations where they’re saving each other from harm.
The revelation at the end of the episode that Drew might indeed be the werewolf that might wrest control back from the Lions will set the story on its way to something bigger, even if it takes Drew time to figure out just what to do with these new powers and a status that he’s not quite sure he’s ready for.
What Age Group Is This For?: Despite being rated TV-Y7, the action is pretty intense and there’s a lot of bloodless violence; we’re thinking the show is more appropriate for kids 8 and up.
Parting Shot: Once Duke Bergan sees who Drew really is, he takes Drew by the wrists and drags him into his castle, with his daughter Whitley running after them.
Sleeper Star: The animation by Jellyfish Pictures and Assemblage Entertainment is detailed but accessible, something we don’t always see in animated fantasy series.
Most Pilot-y Line: The entire plot where Drew’s father and brother think that Drew killed Tilly feels like a distraction, given it’s “mistaken identity” origin.
Our Call: STREAM IT. The Wolf King is a fantasy-adventure story that’s easy to like, mainly because the show’s story is quickly established by the end of the first episode, and there’s more than enough action to satisfy the young viewers the show is trying to attract.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.