Created by: Matt Groening
Episodes: 10
It is impossible to begin this review without mentioning Matt Groening’s legacy. Groening revolutionised animated sitcoms—his previous ventures, The Simpsons and Futurama, are classic examples of animated shows that can be hilarious, heart-wrenching, and thought-provoking for kids and adults alike. Without these shows, animated television series would be relegated to Saturday Disney. So, when Netflix announced Groening’s new fantasy-based foray, Disenchantment, I was dubiously excited.
It is no secret that Groening has fallen from grace as of late. The Simpsons is still churning out new episodes twenty years after its initial release, but is a shadow of what it once was. Futurama ended in 2013, however, there was a distinct drop in quality after its fifth season. After every new trailer and image for Disenchantment was released, I noticed that the comment sections of all sneak peaks were brimming with disappointment and negativity. Where Groening used to be seen as a genius, he is now known as the man who doesn’t know when to quit—the man who sold out his television shows to the networks he used to parody. However, I wish to review Disenchantment separate from its legacy, as it would be a shame to see a series sunken by its creator’s past mistakes.
Disenchantment follows a rag-tag trio of Princess Tiabeanie (otherwise known as Bean), the happy-go-lucky Elfo, and demonic-cat-thing Luci, as they participate in numerous hijinks throughout Dreamland. Dreamland itself is a fantastical kingdom run by a semi-competent monarchy and encompasses parodies of every medieval-fantasy trope you can think of. The world itself is quite engaging and interesting, despite being trope-fuelled, and the characters are likeable enough. Rather than presenting a world rich in side-characters, we instead focus on Bean, the protagonist, throughout the majority of the early series. Here lies Disenchantment‘s detriment—we are shown interesting locales, characters, and plot hooks, but are instead forced to watch a rebellious princess get drunk over and over again.
Bean herself traverses between sympathetic and irritating. Elfo and Luci are, for the most part, reduced to the angel and devil on her shoulders, but are engaging enough to keep us interested. Luci in particular, a two-dimensional small demon whose sole purpose is to expose Bean to the dark side, provides some of the cleverest laughs and is the most interesting part of the show. The voice acting is of a good quality, and you can tell that the cast have really made an effort in their performances. All of these elements of the series have the potential to improve as the series progresses, and as Disenchantment finds its feet, it will become a much more enjoyable watch.
The humour is also serviceable. I laughed at about 50% of the jokes in the first few episodes, and find that a lot of the gags are extremely hit-or-miss. Really, it is a good thing to watch when there is nothing else really on, which I know is a disappointing thought from such a talented cast and crew. Separate from its predecessors, Disenchantment is the epitome of absolute okay-ness, but unfortunately, it is difficult to separate it. Much like its main character, Disenchantment was birthed by animation royalty, but instead is a bit of a disappointment to among its kin. If you want something to pass the time, I would say it is interesting enough, but if you are looking to relive your memories of greater adventures, you will end up disenchanted.
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