The Wingfeather Saga Animated Series Review

The first time I read The Wingfeather Saga, written by Andrew Peterson, I was immediately gripped by the beauty of the story. Since then I have only grown to love the story more and more. It is such a meaningful tale, full of truth and beauty, and is easily one of my all-time favorites.

When I heard about the animated series, I was very eager to see how it would turn out. Sure, I already knew that the animation wasn't going to be my favorite (personally, I think this story would lend really well to a style more like the Lord of the Rings films, but then again, that would cost more to make and also be less family friendly), but I was still excited to see one of my favorite stories ever unfold on the screen.

When the series came out, did it fulfill everything I'd hoped it would be?

Put simply, no.

But neither was it nothing like I hoped it would be.

I've always tried to watch film adaptations of favorite books with the mindset that, one, it will inevitably be different from the books, and two, I will still love the books better. And so I've tried to enjoy movies for what they are, not for what the books are.

Along with that, I have noticed that changes to the plot do not bother me so much as changes to a character. You can have a different story with the same characters (think of all the series out there). But you can't have the same character with a different personality.

Even with that in mind as I watched the animated series, I was surprised by some of the changes that were made. For the most part, character changes were minor and didn't really effect who the characters were and how I liked (or didn't like) them. The biggest one was Tink's lack of a fear of heights, and even that didn't bother me much.

However, there were some plot changes that really startled me and that I still do not love. I'll try not to spoil anything, especially for those who may have not read the books yet, but the biggest things that bothered me were:

1. If you've read the whole series (or even just the first book), you know that there's a big secret involving the Igiby family, and it keeps you wondering until much of it is explained at the end of the first book. Now, none of that secret was changed. What was changed, and what bothered me, was that it was a lot less secretive. (Nia even spoke of Esben practically in front of the children).

2. In the first season of the animated series, there is a certain character (who did not make an appearance in book one at all) who plays a pretty big role in the series. (I could go into more detail, but to make sure I don't spoil anything and also to make sure I don't bore you, I'll stick with this).

Now, I get that film storytelling is quite different than book storytelling, and for this reason I do understand why many of the changes (both those I mentioned and those I didn't) may have been made; the most important reason being the difference in the time the story was able to be told in (one almost 300 page novel vs. six half hour episodes). But I do still wish that some things had stayed truer to the books.

Overall, despite the things I didn't love so much about the series, I did really enjoy it. Usually, when a friend who hasn't yet seen it asks me what I think, I answer something along the lines of, "It was good. It was really good. But it was different. So be warned. It's going to be different, but if you can watch it knowing that, you will probably really enjoy it. Though you'll probably still like the books better."

And that is still my recommendation to you today. The books were far better, but the animated series was good. I enjoyed it, and I do highly recommend it. It's just a slightly different storyline. I guess you could say it's a different way the story could have played out. So keep that in mind. I certainly will as I wait for the next season to come out... hopefully soon!

- Auriel