It's not quite here yet, but Angel Studios' animated fantasy series The Wingfeather Saga is returning later this year for a third season.
As a wave of big-budget fantasy films and series arrives in theaters and streaming, families have had mixed reactions. Thrilling and immersive stories can be a catalyst for discussion in a time of heightened emotions . . . but oftentimes, faith-driven parents see elements of concern.
Sure, beautifully crafted The Wild Robot has a lot of good to say. But Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is propelled by violence and grounded in Eastern religion, while this year will also bring new seasons of The Witcher and Wednesday, both heavy on dark sorcery story elements.
But The Wingfeather Saga, a four-book cycle by Andrew Peterson — and now an animated series from Angel Studios for ages 7 and up — employs high fantasy for higher purposes.
“There's bad things happening and threatening things like dragons that our characters face,” said TV series creator Chris Wall. “But there's a way to defeat that evil and redeem the world.”
The series, with a third season out this fall, stars voice-acting heavyweights Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid), Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean), Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings), and Alkaio Thiele (Spidey And His Amazing Friends) as teenage protagonist Janner, who helps protect his two younger siblings.
Rather than a lone hero’s journey, Wingfeather uniquely centers on one family’s heroic journey together across untamed lands.
“They feel like a family who not only love each other, but like being around each other," says Wall. "Many popular representations of family are like, ‘Leave me alone.’”
Yet Wall, a father of six, doesn’t shy away from family conflicts.
“In season two, we saw some really big cracks where the kids start making choices,” he said. “Now, in season three, we're going to see some really difficult choices being made. We see that in our own families, right?”
Coming this fall, season three will introduce a new antagonist, voiced by acclaimed actor David Oyelowo, who portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma and standout roles in Interstellar and Disney’s Queen of Katwe.
Wall recounted reaching out to the star: “‘We've got this great character, and I can just hear your voice. Would you consider it?’ He was all in and gave us a thrilling performance.”
He added: “David's a believer as well, and with a young family, so definitely in our wheelhouse. It just brings a certain level of connection.”
Planned as a seven-season TV series, The Wingfeather Saga introduces three siblings -–Jannar, Kalmar, and Leeli -–raised in a small seaside village that resembles Ireland. Their single mother, Nia (Benson), and Grandfather Podo (McNally) rarely speak of their father.
By season one’s finale, the young siblings know their dad had come from royal lineage in a long-forgotten kingdom, with each of them heirs to unique roles. But they’ve never wielded swords or known the secret languages of dragons ... and now they’re on the run.
“Identity is a key theme of The Wingfeather Saga, especially this last season,” says Wall.
Several episodes of season two take place at the Fork Factory, as Janner is captured and forced to work. The scenes, reminiscent of a Charles Dickens novel, unpack larger themes.
“The child workers are called tools,” said Wall. “They’re told, ‘You have no name. You're the sharpener. You're the sweeper.’”
Janner meets a friend who had been taken months prior, and the two plot an escape. And the action and subterfuge all serve larger thematic ideas.
“In American culture, we wrap our identity so much in the thing we do or in the profile we make. Consider what social media has done to our kids and families. But what defines you is who you are as a person and who God has called you to be,” said Wall.
The saga increasingly goes to darker places, as some characters’ identities are twisted and changed by villainous foes who wield a form of magic. Like dragons and the evil Fangs of Dang, it’s unsettling. Parents should note it’s a series intended for ages 7 or 8 and up.
Author Peterson has wrestled with the proper treatment of magic in a fantasy story, which –- like in C.S. Lewis' Narnia books -– he uses to evoke supernatural and spiritual ideas.
Wall paraphrases a quote from book two: “Magic is perhaps something that that the Maker put into practice in the world and the way the world behaves. But we simply forgot about it. And now, because we encounter it again, we call it magic.”
Twenty years ago, Wall, a producer and story artist at DreamWorks, began to work with Peterson to adapt his elaborate world of Aerwiar, with its fantastical creatures, diverse populations, and tongue-twisting place names and cadence, akin to Lewis Carroll or Dr. Seuss.
“To get into the dialect and the language of the world, it was very tricky and hard for me at times,” Benson told me at the first season premiere.
Challenges are present behind the scenes, too. Based out of a headquarters in Nashville, where Wall and Peterson live, the animation team of dozens of artists -– many former DreamWorks, Pixar, and Disney talent –- work remotely in nations worldwide.
Wall said they aimed only for “80 percent perfection” in the first few episodes.
“We figured things out,” he said. “If you look closely, we did go back in and fix some things. Visually, we’re going to continue to see the show reach new heights.”
So far, the epic story has remained a hidden gem. Wall and team members recently attended Kidscreen Summit in San Diego, where children’s entertainment producers present. Their series was praised as “feeling like a global show, rather than an American cartoon.”
“They see not only in the world design and character designs, but in voicing that there's a broad appeal here,” said Wall. “We're not centered in just a very specific American experience.”
Via Lion Forge Entertainment, networks in France and South Korea plan to roll out the show soon.
Currently, the Angel Studios app and its so-called Wingfeather Guild is the only U.S. distributor, but Wall believes the third season will open new doors.
“Once a show hits season three, decision makers at these platforms start to notice. Our partners at Angel are talking to many players.”
The fan base keeps growing for the TV series, and for the books -– which reportedly have hit 2 million copies sold. A team of well over 100 cast and crew are hard at work on the next chapter.
“Season three is loaded,” said Wall, who says it has Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back vibes. “We're going into this perilous ice environment, with one of the saga’s biggest battle sequences.”
Ultimately, it’s small character moments and meaningful themes that carry the story.
“In season two, the family was really sundered. Now, can they get back together? And if they do, what kind of shape are they in? We’ll see how it plays out.”
The Wingfeather Saga, seasons one and two, are currently available on the Angel app.
Image: Angel Studios
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith and culture for several media outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.
Recent posts:
'Snow White' & 'The Chosen': Is There a Sea Change in Entertainment?
Lucy Worsley Probes England's Catholic Queen, Mary I
'Gone With the Wind': The Catholic Heart of Margaret Mitchell's Saga
St. Patrick’s Day Weekend: An Irish Movie Marathon
Keep up with Family Theater Productions on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.