Here’s some news that is, by definition, bittersweet: Netflix and DreamWorks announced on Thursday that Kipo And The Age Of Wonderbeasts will be returning for its third season in October. It’ll also be our final look at Kipo (Karen Fukuhara), Benson (Coy Stewart), Wolf (Sydney Mikayla), and the ever-evolving Dave (Deon Cole)’s enthralling journey on the surface. We’re thrilled and bummed, to say the least.
When we last left Kipo, she was struggling to fully rein in her mute capabilities. Thankfully, the perseverance and love of her newfound family helped her locate the strength to properly oscillate between her mutated and human selves just in time for a showdown between an emerging source of evil that goes by the name of Dr. Emilia. Here’s the official synopsis of the third and final season, per a recent press release:
After dethroning Scarlemagne, Kipo and the Brunch Bunch face a more daunting foe: Dr. Emilia, who plots to eliminate mutekind to make the surface “safe” for humans. But Kipo has an optimistic vision of a world where mutes and humans get along with each other. To achieve that dream, she must lean on her friends and rise to a role she may not be ready for.
The impending loss of Kipo will leave a significant hole in the current landscape of animation, as it was one of the few cartoons to prominently feature multiple Black (and unrelated, which is still a necessary distinction, unfortunately) characters. In addition, Benson stands as one of the few openly gay figures in youth television. The A.V. Club has not only recommended the inventive jaunt as one of our go-to compassionate cartoons, but we also dubbed it one of the best shows of the year so far.
The third and final season of Kipo will stream on Netflix October 12.