Spoiler-Free Review Of ‘Iyanu: Age Of Wonders’
Image Source: Lion Forge Entertainment
Magic, myth, thematic themes, and a roller coaster of emotions await in Iyanu: The Age of Wonders. The film continues the story of Iyanu and her friends and picks up where Season 1 left off, but also steps back 500 years to the age of wonders, before the darkness and the Fallen arise.
The movie adds depth to the first season and tons of background to the world of Yorubaland, especially for fans who might not have read the graphic novels. It world builds so much so in the movie that it is worth going back to re-watch the first season right after to find all the backstory hinted at in Season 1 but not fleshed out. It really helps to grow the story, letting the audience really go deep into the world, the mythos, and the backstory of all the events of Season 1. The voice acting of the cast is also excellent.
Running a one-hour movie release between Season 1 and Season 2 of a show isn’t something that is done all that often, but for this particular subject matter, it works so well. If you were to take a backstory this complex and rich and put it into a Season of 10 episodes or so, you wouldn’t get much in the present day with the main characters you love and know. It wouldn’t work well. However, releasing it between the two seasons, after you’ve already set up the world and introduced the major players, and now, going back to add in the world-building, it adds another element to the storytelling and enriches the story going into Season 2. And is a highly effective storytelling tactic.
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Image Source: Iyanu: Age of Wonders Trailer
Just like in Season 1 of Iyanu: Child of Wonder, the characters’ outfits were a mix of traditional West African and Nigerian style and superhero futuristic, not unlike the outfits from Marvel’s Black Panther movies, although these do tend to lean into the traditional cultural outfits more than futuristic for most of the characters. They add a color-rich aesthetic to the film that not every cartoon story always has.
The music in the movie is again a combination of traditional West African and Nigerian tones, notes, and instruments, but mixed in seamlessly with what many people would consider to be an epic superhero music score. This helps bring a uniqueness to both the story and the score, and really immerses you into the world. When we find the scenes with the more supernatural, superhero characters and themes, we get a lot more of the epic movie music, but then, when we’re among the ordinary humans, it’s very much more beats, drums, and other instruments that are more cultural to the regions that the cultures of Yorubaland are based on.
Image Source: YouNeek Studios
With the backstory being told, there is a lot more about how magic works in the world. In Season 1, we are dropped into a world that is both ordinary and yet supernatural, and there isn’t much explanation as to how that came to be. The movie helps to tell that story, seamlessly blending traditional culture and the supernatural, and explains a bit more about how magic works in the world. It’s very much how one would expect magic to work in a kid’s movie, typical superhero powers and the like, but the fighting styles are blended with traditional West African and Nigerian fighting styles, which makes it more unique than just an average superhero story.
What if mythology and the gods were interwoven throughout the ordinary people? What happens when the gods or mythical beings bring magic to the ordinary people? How does that affect how the world and the people behave? While this is a pretty normal storyline that many stories and myths have, it doesn’t feel exactly the same. This is because it’s bringing mythos from the cultures of West Africa and Nigeria, and not from the Western approach. While the myths of Yorubaland aren’t exactly what the myths and histories of the cultures have in real African myths, the way it’s presented and set up is very much in alignment with the real world. And because we don’t have many African stories in mainstream media, let alone superhero ones, it’s fresh and new and brings a uniqueness to an otherwise overdone mythos trope. It doesn’t feel like the same.
Image Source: Animation World Network
One of the main things that the movie brings, that the show also brought, is the presence of strong themes throughout. They’re woven in so well that they don’t feel like you’re getting themes out of the blue or thrown in there to have one, or so blatantly obvious that it detracts from the story. These themes of love, loss, heartbreak, family, fear, and many more help to teach the audience, both kids and adults, some really important lessons and add a richness to the story that not every kids' show brings. It doesn’t shy away from the tough questions or issues that arise in life, and isn’t afraid to show loss and not always a happy ending, which makes it a richer story.
Join the characters of this incredible world as they tell a beautiful story of magic, myth, heartbreak, love, friendship, and cultures. The Iyanu: Child of Wonder graphic novels are written by Roye Okupe, and the show and movie are produced by Lion Forge Entertainment. Iyanu: Age of Wonders releases on Cartoon Network on August 30 at 9:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. CT. It will release on HBO Max the next day. And stay tuned for Season 2 of Iyanu: Child of Wonder coming in 2026.
Rating: 8/10
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